Samsung Chromebook 4+ unboxing and initial impressions [VIDEO]

The Samsung Chromebook 4 and 4+ came out some time ago, announced all the way back in October of last year. The pair was never really on our radar as their internals were simply too mundane at too high a price to ever consider or recommend. For low-end Chromebooks, there have been far too many other devices that simply offered more for less money than these, so we never took the time to get them in the office for a real look.

Fast forward to August of 2020 and things are quite a bit different than they were 10 months ago. With Chromebook sales through the roof and inventory being a bit scarce as we find ourselves firmly in back-to-school mayhem, we’ve begun looking at every possible option when recommending affordable Chromebooks for students. While we’ve long panned the Samsung Chromebook 4 and 4+, they are among the few affordable Chromebooks still available and still reasonably-priced.

Shop Samsung Chromebook 4 and 4+ at Chrome Shop

While not a comprehensive review, in this unboxing I did try to get some opinions formed quickly so that you can make a choice for yourself if this is a Chromebook worth your money. Keep in mind this device is currently hovering right around $299 give or take and that could change quite a bit over the next few weeks. There are very few Chromebooks out there at this price right now, so a decent device for this kind of cash could be your only option right now.

Actually, I’d say that is exactly what the Samsung Chromebook 4+ is: a decent Chromebook for the money. The screen is larger at 15.6-inches so it will be great for school, but the TN panel is bad like all other TN displays and the vertical viewing angles are poor with washed out, inverted colors. It’s anti-glare and decently bright, but it’s not great to look at.

The keyboard and trackpad are pretty good, though, and that makes a big difference in a utilitarian Chromebook. There’s little else going on with this one, save an aluminum lid and a slight lift in the keyboard deck when you open it up fully. Unfortunately, this slight lift only serves to highlight the lack of rigidity in the base and this Chromebook flexes very easily when the display is opened past 90 degrees. Check the video out for an example.

Inside, you get an Intel Celeron N4000 processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of eMMC storage. There’s a 128GB model at Samsung for about the same money with student deals, so I’d recommend grabbing that one if it is priced the same and still available. That combo will get you very good performance for a ‘cheap’ Chromebook and I’ve been very pleased with the overall performance of the N4000 line of Intel chips this year. For students, there’s nothing to worry about from a performance standpoint.

Finally, the design aesthetic is very nice and you get a standard, useful array of ports (USB Type A, Type C, microSD, headphone/mic jack) around the outside. Speaking of that outside, the squared-off edges look almost Pixelbook-esque and the Chromebook really does look the part from a few feet away. You get what you pay for, though, and this thing feels unapologetically affordable. Again, when it’s on the table in your kitchen getting some assignments knocked out, a plastic body won’t matter one way or the other.

We certainly hope this post and video assist you in deciding whether or not this is the Chromebook for you. It’s a tough time to be in the market for a Chromebook and we want to help as much as possible right now. In the end, the Samsung Chromebook 4+ will make a solid Chromebook at its regular price. Going up even a bit I’d have a real hard time saying anyone should buy it, but given the times, I’m telling you to go grab it quickly if you are in need of an affordable, decent Chromebook.

Shop Samsung Chromebook 4 and 4+ at Chrome Shop