A few ways Google’s Pixelbook Go will be unique in the current Chromebook climate

At this point, we know so much more about the upcoming #madebyGoogle Chromebook for 2019 – the Pixelbook Go – than we did just one week ago. Thanks to a leak from an inside source, many of the details of this device have now been revealed and we’ve had a few days to digest the info at this point. With yet another pretty stark departure from what Google made in the Chromebook space the year before in the Pixel Slate, can the Pixelbook Go compete in a world where great Chromebooks exist from multiple manufacturers with more on the way?

I obviously can’t answer that in any definitive way at this point in the development of this Chromebook, but we can look at a few ways this Chromebook will differentiate itself and be unique in the market when it launches. These factors combined with the general assumption that this device will be of top-notch build quality like its predecessors tells me that we could possibly see the Pixelbook Go become the most well-rounded and solid Chromebook from Google yet.

That Screen

Google’s in-house Chromebooks have always shared a common theme: great screens. From the 2013/2015 Chromebook Pixel to the Pixelbook and Pixel Slate, great screens have always been a focus for Google’s own Chromebook hardware. This looks to still be the trend for the Pixelbook Go as the leaks have confirmed what we’ve been tracking for many months in the 4K display. That resolution in a 13.3-inch screen puts the Pixelbook Go into a category of its own in terms of pixel density. Not even the Pixel Slate’s razor-sharp 3000×2000 screen at 12.3-inches (293 DPI) can quite match the 331 DPI of the Pixelbook Go. I’d hope it will be be bright, vibrant and color-accurate, but we’ll have to wait for the release to know those details.

Those Colors

The leaks also purport that Google will have multiple colors ready for launch. The leak suggested a black and pink-like color option, but there could be more as well. This would also be a first for any Google-made Chromebook and is a clear sign that while this may be a Chromebook that works great for enterprise, it isn’t one that will only be sold there. Additionally, this styling puts the device more in line with the Pixel phones with offering a few color options out of the gate. Whereas we first saw the leaks of the Pixelbook Go and thought they were outside Google’s design language, making a few Pixel-like colors is making more sense the longer we think about it.

Those Speakers

Finally, let’s talk about the speakers on the Pixelbook Go. From the leak, they are stereo and front-firing, thought we’ve not seen how that is being implemented in the device at this point. If the leak ends up being on point, we’ll see the first clamshell Chroembook with front-firing (not upward, sideward, or downward-firing) speakers that should sound great. If they can leverage the same speakers that the Pixel Slate does, we’re in for a real treat. For a year I’ve compared other laptop speakers to the speakers on the Slate and always come up disappointed.

Part of that magic is in the fact that the speakers aren’t shooting down at my desk or up at the ceiling: they are directed at my face. If Google can re-capture the magic that is the Pixel Slate speakers and deliver it in the Pixelbook Go, it will make for the best set of speakers in any laptop I’ve ever seen.

There are still tons of things we don’t know and other things we’ve talked about it the past and either aren’t sure about or have simply forgotten, but we’re putting all our pieces together and will be continuing to dig around for anything else we can find prior to the release of the Pixelbook Go on October 15th. When the dust settles, I think we’ll be looking at a very solid contender in the Pixelbook Go even in the face of ever-stiffening competition.