In the history of Chromebook devices since the original Samsung Chromebook Plus launched, there have been a few Chromebooks that leveraged a screen similar to what we see on the Pixelbook. That screen – for those unaware – is bright, colorful, and 3:2 in its aspect ratio and has been used on the Samsung Chromebook Pro, Plus, HP Chromebook x2 and the Pixelbook. The Pixel Slate is a similar 3:2 display, but with a 3000×2000 resolution.
That 3:2 ratio is important as it approaches a more square layout that really helps give users more screen real estate at smaller diagonal measures. A 12 or 13-inch screen feels much more expansive when in a 3:2 aspect ratio versus something more standard like 16:9. It doesn’t take much math to see this is technically the case, but in real-world use I can confirm that the 12.3-inch Pixelbook feels more like a 13 or 14-inch laptop.
This screen orientation also comes in handy when your Chromebook is in tablet mode. Taking a 16:9 screen and holding it like a tablet honestly feels silly, especially when holding it in portrait orientation. 3:2 or 4:3 ratios found on things like the iPad simply make more sense for devices meant to be used in tablet mode. I also like them when browsing the internet as well since most web content is oriented vertically instead of horizontally.
With all that said, we have some confirmation that the new Chromebook ‘Hatch’ we’ve been tracking of late will be using a display with the exact same resolution as the Pixelbook. According to this .yaml file found in the Chromium Repositories, you can easily see ‘Hatch’ will leverage a 2400×1600 display.
While there’s nothing to prove that this panel will be the exact same as the above-mentioned devices, its a good bet that it very well could be. Either way, we now know that in addition to having a 9th-gen Intel chipset, stowable stylus, backlit keyboard, fingerprint scanner, and advanced multi-monitor support, ‘Hatch’ will also be housing a high-res 2400×1600 screen.
As we continue to find more details about ‘Hatch’, it is becoming quite clear that this device is going to be quite the beast. We hope to find a few more details before this Chromebook fully emerges, but we’re running out of undiscovered details available, honestly. The big thing we are searching for now is the manufacturer and, as you know, we’ll keep digging and keep our eyes open for more info on what is quickly becoming our new most-anticipated Chrome OS device.
