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A little over a week ago, we uncovered a pair of new, unannounced Chromebooks from Samsung. Today, those devices are official. The listings proved to be accurate as the Chromebook 4 family is to include an 11.6″ successor to the Samsung Chromebook 3 and a company-first 15.6″ clamshell in the 4+ model and will be priced at $229.99 and $299.99 respectively.
The Samsung Chromebook 4 line is a testament to what can be achieved when you’re focused on pushing the boundaries of convenience and value for computers… Given the tremendous response to the Chromebook 3, we worked hard to maintain the features our consumers loved, while still making great strides in design, performance, and user experience with the Chromebook 4 and 4+.”
Alanna Cotton, Senior VP and GM at Samsung Electronics America
On the surface, the new Chromebook 4 lineup may not appear worthy of getting excited but the budget devices from Samsung actually sports one particular feature that sets it apart from most other consumer models in any price range. 6GB of RAM. I have long contended that 8GB is the sweet spot for Chrome OS but that’s simply because there’s never been an option between 4GB and 8GB. For the low-powered processors in the new Samsung’s, 6GB is the perfect amount of memory to give users a smooth Chrome OS experience. Here’s a closer look at Samsung’s Chromebook 4 family:
Samsung Chromebook 4
- Chrome OS
- Intel Celeron N4000 Gemini Lake processor
- Intel UHD 600 graphics
- 11.6″ HD LED display 1366 x 768 w/anti-glare
- 4GB or 6GB LPDDR4 RAM
- 32GB or 64GB eMMC storage
- 2 x 1.5W Stereo speakers
- 720p HD camera
- Wi-Fi 5
- 1 x USB-C, 1 x USB 3.0
- MicroSD card reader and 3.5mm audio jack
- 11.33″ x 7.96″ x 0.66” (287.9 x 202.3 x 16.7 mm)
- 2.60 lbs (1.18 kg)
- Android and Linux app support
- Clamshell form-factor
Samsung Chromebook 4
Samsung Chromebook 4+
- Chrome OS
- Intel Celeron N4000 Gemini Lake processor
- Intel UHD 600 graphics
- 15.6″ FHD LED display 1920 x 1080 w/anti-glare
- 4GB or 6GB LPDDR4 RAM
- 32GB or 64GB eMMC storage
- 2 x 1.5W Stereo speakers
- 720p HD camera
- Wi-Fi 5
- 2 x USB-C, 1 x USB 3.0
- MicroSD card reader and 3.5mm audio jack
- 14.16″ x 9.64″ x 0.65″ (359.7 x 244.9 x 16.5 mm)
- 3.75 lbs (1.7 kg)
- Android and Linux app support
- Clamshell form-factor
Samsung Chromebook 4+
We’ll get our hands on these ASAP and let you know how they stack up against the competition. I, for one, am really liking the look of the Chromebook 4+. It is very reminiscent of ASUS’ C302 which happens to be a personal favorite of mine. According to Samsung, the Chromebook 4 and 4+ have been tested for durability and meet eight military-grade standards. That’s a promising indicator that the new devices won’t feel like cheap, disposable Chromebooks. We shall see soon enough. Both models are available from Samsung today and will roll out to other retailers in the very near future.
