Samsung’s $299 Galaxy Chromebook Go now on sale — buy or skip?

Samsung'due south $299 Galaxy Chromebook Go now on auction — buy or skip?

(Image credit: Samsung)

Samsung Milky way Volume Become Specs

Price: from $299
CPU: Intel Celeron N4500 CPU
RAM: 4GB
Storage: 32GB
Display: xiv inches (1366 x 768)
Ports: ii USB-C, headphone/mic jack, microSD menu reader
Weight: three.2 pounds

Samsung's roster of Milky way laptops has just expanded with the add-on of the Galaxy Chromebook Go, a new xiv-inch Chromebook on sale now at select retailers and Samsung's website for $299. A more expensive model with LTE support volition also go on sale in the near futurity, though Samsung has yet to ostend a toll or release date.

This is potentially exciting news considering Samsung's been on something of a tear with its laptop business this year, impressing us with the quality of 2021 releases like the $550 Galaxy Chromebook two and the $ane,299 Galaxy Book Pro 360 2-in-one.

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However, at $299 the new Galaxy Chromebook Get looks to exist a much cheaper (in every sense of the discussion) piece of kit, and it might have a hard time competing with the best Chromebooks on the market place. Simply while the specs aren't impressive, they may be more than plenty to satisfy your needs if you're in the market for an affordable new Chromebook.

Galaxy Chromebook Go: Specs

The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Go is packed with pretty small components, which makes sense given the sub-$500 cost tag. It weighs in at iii.2 pounds and sports a 14-inch display with a native resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels, then don't expect to be watching anything in native 1080p on it.

The Chromebook Go runs Chrome OS powered past an Intel Celeron N4500 CPU, with 4GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 32 GB of eMMC storage. That'southward not a lot of ability or storage capacity, but since it'south a Chromebook you're meant to rely primarily on web apps and online storage anyway.

Port-wise y'all're looking at two USB-C ports, a headphone/mic jack, and a microSD card reader. This Wi-Fi model of Chromebook Go supports Bluetooth five 5.1 and Wi-Fi half dozen, which is a prissy bear upon. The built-in 720p webcam probably won't assistance you lot await your all-time on video calls, but for $299 information technology'south hard to wait a high-quality camera.

Samsung claims the Chromebook Go's battery can last for upward to 12 hours on a single charge, simply that'south probably a bit optimistic — in our hands-on battery tests of other Galaxy laptops we've reliably constitute them to final a few hours less than the advertised maximum.

Galaxy Chromebook Get: Should yous buy or skip?

With an asking price of $299 the Galaxy Chromebook Get is one of the cheapest laptops Samsung sells, and that's reflected in what's inside. As you can run across from the specs laid out above, this Chromebook probably won't accident you abroad with its speed or wow you lot with the quality of the brandish.

That last chip is especially difficult to swallow because Samsung has washed such a stellar job of impressing us with the quality of the displays on its Chromebooks. The original Samsung Galaxy Chromebook had an incredible 4K screen (and commensurately meager battery life), while the Galaxy Chromebook two's downgraded 1080p QLED display was even so gorgeous — and dropping the 4K screen helped bump the laptop's battery life up to a reasonable level.

However, both of those Chromebooks cost over $500, making them less ideal than the new Milky way Chromebook Go if what yous want is a cheap, durable Chromebook that you lot won't fret likewise much nearly if it gets damaged or destroyed.

Galaxy Chromebook Go: The alternatives

If you're in the market place for something affordable, in that location are some potentially amend alternatives bachelor that are equally cheap (or cheaper) than the $299 Chromebook Go. Samsung itself sells one: the $229 Chromebook four, a similarly-specced Chromebook with a slightly weaker CPU and a smaller eleven.6-inch screen.

And if you'd prefer a Chrome tablet with detachable keyboard, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet is $l cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook. The CPU is weaker and the 10.1-inch brandish is quite a bit smaller, notwithstanding it can achieve a higher resolution (1920 x 1200 pixels) than the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Get.

Galaxy Chromebook Go: Outlook

Plainly we'll have to wait until we get a run a risk to practise some hands-on testing of the Galaxy Chromebook Go to offer you lot a total review, simply based on the specs alone it's clear that the Go is a solid, affordable Chromebook. However, in that location are lots of competing Chromebooks that cost less than $300, and it doesn't look like the Chromebook Become offers anything special that helps information technology stand up out from the pack.

That volition alter once the LTE model goes on sale, since having the option to be online anywhere you lot can get service volition significantly meliorate the Milky way Chromebook Go's utility. Of course, information technology may also significantly increase the asking price.

Alex Wawro is a lifelong tech and games enthusiast with more than than a decade of feel covering both for outlets similar Game Developer, Black Lid, and PC World magazine. He currently serves as a senior editor at Tom'due south Guide covering all things computing, from laptops and desktops to keyboards and mice.