Google Chromebook Pixel Review – Worth the $$??

When Google first introduced their new concept called the Chromebook, the term ‘deposable hardware’ was thrown around quite a bit and I think that they have been confusing people by saying that term when they should have said something along the lines of quickly replaceable. The reason behind that statement was that at the time building expensive hardware to build what is essentially a robust web surfer was seen as a pretty lame idea so why build on it right? Google at one point in time was considering selling the Chromebooks on a you get the laptop for free on a contact deal that has never seen the light of day thus far.

It does seem however that Google changed that entire disposable thing and went a different direction, the direction of just making something cool, just to be cool. The new Google Chromebook Pixel is the first designed by Google themselves and is far from disposable unless you literally have money to burn. The entire Pixel just screams innovation and fresh technology even though in many ways it may be just a super charged web browser, but so what it’s still edgy and tomorrow tech. From its sleek and business like looks the Chromebook Pixel may to some spell utilitarian and that is okay as the Pixel is not a fancy looker and more geared to have features in right places and skip on frivolities.

When you first receive the Chromebook Pixel, there is a Spartan amount of accessories and from the outside you can see the SD card on the left side and then on the right side, the two USB 2.0 ports, mini-display port and finally the 3.5mm headphone jack. Not a whole lot of features and yes USB 3.0 would have been better, but obviously that was not an important aspect in their design. Other features include a 1.8GHz Intel i5 CPU, 4GB of memory and the HD 4000 Graphics solution. Most laptop keyboard are very un-ergonomic and actually can cause discomfort when using them after a while, but the keyboard on the Chromebook Pixel is very Apple-esque in its design and is actually very comfortable to type on, which helps you from getting fatigue in your hands and wrist. It is also very lightweight coming in at 3.35 lbs and that makes it easy to take with you traveling. It’s size also allows it to be left in your backpack when going through the airport, a thing that many just take for granted.

After all the good stuff though come the strange as this little bugger sells for a whopping $1299.00 (US) for the WiFi version and $1449.00 (US) for the LTE version, that by no means is free coming out of the gate. Most mid-end PC or Mac laptops can be had at the same price range making the Pixel seem frail features wise to many of them so how do they justify this price premium?  Well Google think they know you better than you know yourself and they claim that users want a totally different experience from their laptops than what previous generations did, which is really a bold and fairly audacious claim.  Most people claim that they feel the Chromebook Pixel is heavier than a Macbook Air, but that is probably due to it not having the standard wedge design and it is thicker than the Air that tapers into a very thin unit. One thing that that really seems to stand out is the Pixel’s light-bar that glows blue and looks very futuristic like something from a Sci-Fi movie. The light travels back and forth across the bar in a big-blue light from left to right and when you close the lid it changes colors to that of a rainbow.

Most folks would not even know the Pixel was made by Google other than Google’s glowing rainbow on start up as the unit just looks like something new and interesting even at a glance. Now though, let us talk about the display that in my opinion really takes the Pixel to the next level. The Pixel uses a 3:2 Aspect Ratio for its 12.85 inch screen that has an amazing 2560X1700 resolution, which is a higher resolution than my 30-inch Dell monitor and with a much denser Pixel density making it the best display I have seen to date. Even the Retina MacBook Pro is getting schooled, as this screen is simply amazing to behold in person. The 3:2 aspect ratio allows the screen to have a much taller viewing space unlike traditional widescreens that allow more width to view, but this really means very little when surfing the web of which this product is designed.  The touchscreen itself is a little buggy, as it does not really flow well when trying to use it, more like little start hiccups and the radical sudden change on the screen. Like other reviewers though I never even found myself really trying to use it as the touchpad and tracking is very ergonomic and easy to use making the touchscreen a cool, but actually unnecessary feature of the Pixel unless you really like touching the screen for some reason or the other.

So far the Google Chromebook Pixel has been a bit of yes and a bit of hell no, but it is a very nice effort on Google’s behalf for taking such a risk in bringing this to market. As far as performance goes its really dependant upon what you are doing that you can say hey it ran this fine, but not that back and forth. Web browsing and Social Media are the areas in which the Pixel outshines just about anything you can currently buy. The reason for this is the screen, the way it looks and it’s resolution that making viewing anything on it so easy on the eyes. The keyboard is so natural to use that your comfort area when using it allows hours of continued use without experience any discomfort to your physical extremities and your eyes can so clearly see what is on the screen that screen that even people with aging or not so hot vision do not have to strain to see what is on the screen. Now though lets talk watching movies as this is an area that I do feel that many, and I mean almost every Tom, Dick and Harry I know watches movies on their laptop and the Pixel was fine while streaming videos, but locally it played them very choppy, which makes no sense and is probably something they will fix later in an update. Not to mention that no movie right now can come anywhere the pixel pumping abilities the Pixel provides, but they sure look pretty.  As far as your online experience goes the Pixel provides a lot of things to talk about, but offline it is pretty much a dead fish as the Chromebook is an online driven device. Without web access the Pixel is really nothing more than a paperweight as the Chrome OS needs the internet as its launching base.

In the end game here is what you have to consider, and I want to state that I cannot in all good intentions recommend this as I do not even think Google is very intent on making these a big sales item, but there are some twists to this tale of Pixel. The onboard storage is, lets just say not very much for most travelling users and I know you can drag around a USB, but c’mon this is to me pathetic as 32/64 are your only available options. That said though for users who purchase the Pixel can at this time point receive 3 years of 1TB storage via the Google Cloud, that translates into $50.00 a month, $600.00 a year and $1800.00 for 3 years. If you look at the Chromebook Pixel that way Google is actually paying you to buy the unit as the cost translates back in the positive for the user regardless of model they buy. The battery life can go up to 5 hours give or take depending on how high you maintain the screens brightness and that is very ho-hum taking all things into consideration that have already been trimmed down so to speak. Since the Pixel uses the Chrome OS, most of the apps that you would normally use in your workday work just fine, things Gmail, Google Docs, Office 356, Evernote and TweetDeck to name a few ran without a problem. I barely had anytime at all to try and use the Photo Editor, but what I did try seemed very easy to use although by no means as robust as Photoshop, but what can one expect for free? Google is trying to reinvent the wheel and the Chromebook was made as an inspirational product for other developers to take note on and improve the design and make it for far cheaper as well as get more people involved in developing new apps for the masses to embrace and use on Chrome OS.

This is the most sophisticated, and still backward product I have ever seen and yet I really think that if everyone had a chance to play ion one you would want one. The thing is, no one should buy this, as it is just too expensive at 1299-1449 when you could probably get something more robust and flexible in the off-line environment. Any real high-end Retina Mac will cost much more than the Chromebook Pixel, so when compared to that the price is not as bad for those who may only really need the power that the Pixel provides.  Trust me if you ever get the chance to play with a Google Chromebook Pixel you will want to get one for its sheer brilliant screen and its simplicity in use, so for now just chill and wait until the idea matures and other bring cheaper model to the table. What do you think is this really something you think interests you and would you consider buying one if the price was right? Or do you feel Google has lost their collective minds in coming out with such a overkill in one area and lacking in others device? Let us hear your thoughts and opinions on what you think of the new Google Chromebook Pixel. Thanks for reading.