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Google Pixelbook Review: More Than Just An Expensive Chromebook
Oct 26, 2017
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Shop the Pixelbook: https://fave.co/2yvpL2W
Who is the Pixelbook for? We've heard that question quite a bit.
Well, as it turns out, the answer seems to be for a lot of people, just not all the ones you might think.
Pixelbook is the answer to the lament from the Chromebook faithful and enthusiasts asking for a high-end machine and a proper follow up to the 2015 Chromebook Pixel.
On the other hand, it's the halo device Chrome OS as a platform needs to bring Android apps fully into the fold - out of Beta status - and push other hardware makers to up their game.
From another angle, it is also the first Chromebook many consumers will actually pay any attention to and interact with. Between its wide availability across many retailers and the sheer marketing budget Google likely has in store for this device, many people who have never heard of or considered a Chromebook will find their first Chromebook and Chrome OS experience in the Google Pixelbook. Sure, it may just be seeing one in a coffee shop after being intrigued by a commercial or touching one in a local Best Buy or B&H, but the experience could be enough to actually cause many of those who've never given Chromebooks a passing thought to actually consider what the platform could offer.
The truth is, the Pixelbook is many things to many people, and if you are watching this review, you may just be one of those people. And if you are one of those people, you need to know that the Pixelbook is - unsurprisingly - quite good at being all these things and more.
So, let's look at all these ways the Pixelbook finds its place and see, after everything, if one of those places is in your shopping cart at the end of the day.
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0:00
[Music]
0:07
so there's this question that's been
0:09
going around the internet for a few
0:11
weeks now and it goes something like
0:12
this who the world did Google build the
0:15
pixel book for the answer as it turns
0:18
out is quite a few people just maybe not
0:20
the ones that you're thinking of Sheriff
0:23
for the entrenched Chromebook crowd this
0:25
is an answer to the lament for a
0:28
follow-up to the Chromebook pixel in
0:31
2013 and 2015 with its high price tag
0:33
and premium build but it's also an
0:36
answer to the need for Chrome OS to have
0:39
a halo device of sorts to bring Android
0:41
apps out of their beta status to
0:43
introduce the Google assistant and to
0:45
force other manufacturers to continue
0:47
upping their game to meet the pixel
0:50
books lofty status but lastly and maybe
0:53
most importantly this device could be
0:56
the first Chromebook general consumers
0:59
actually interact with and whether
1:01
that's in many ways across a Best Buy or
1:04
a B and H in a storefront somewhere or
1:07
seeing it online or seeing in a
1:09
commercial or at a coffee shop this
1:11
could be the first Chromebook that
1:12
causes the general consumer to actually
1:14
perk up and take notice and see what a
1:16
Chromebook actually has to offer and
1:18
what it can do so if you're watching
1:20
this video you could be one of the
1:23
people that Google is aimed the pixel
1:25
look at and if you are one of those
1:27
people it might be worth giving the
1:30
pixel book a chance and thinking through
1:31
what Chrome OS can do as a platform and
1:33
how it might benefit you as a consumer
1:36
let's get this out of the way right off
1:38
the bat the pixel book is expensive it
1:41
is there's really no escaping that fact
1:43
and there's no real need to explain it
1:45
all away the hardware is absolutely
1:47
top-notch specs are everything you'd
1:49
expect in $1000 plus device and it's got
1:52
an iconic design that's appealing and
1:54
status bearing this thing is beautiful
1:56
and it's an absolute joy to use but when
1:59
we're talking dollars coming out of your
2:00
bank account the real question becomes
2:01
value and value is the worth and
2:04
usefulness of a device and what price
2:06
you're willing to put on those functions
2:08
for some of the pixel book is of great
2:10
value for others it isn't well get into
2:13
all that I promise
2:13
first let's talk about what those
2:15
precious dollars get you in terms of raw
2:18
hardware and specifications so yeah
2:20
that's a pretty sweet spec sheet
2:23
Chromebook user or not there's a little
2:25
something there for everyone
2:26
fast processors tons of RAM massive
2:29
storage options in a great build this
2:31
devices deceptively light beautiful and
2:33
invites the user to engage it at every
2:35
turn
2:36
I found myself simply wanting to do more
2:38
stuff on the pixel book than other
2:39
Chromebooks the custom silicon palm rest
2:42
and that perfectly mirror the glass
2:44
shade on the lid and the rubber feet on
2:46
the bottom are just nods to how well
2:49
this device was thoughtfully put
2:51
together and it's just 10 millimeters
2:52
thick the pixel book remains firm as you
2:55
pick it up to move thin light devices
2:57
are great until they bend and flex and
2:59
creak the pixel book is not one of these
3:01
it's solid as a rock the screen which
3:05
I'm leaning towards the inclination that
3:07
it could be exactly the same panel in
3:09
the Samsung Chromebook pro and Plus is
3:11
fantastic just like those devices its
3:13
colorful vibrant stands up to any
3:16
lighting situation even outdoors the
3:18
keyboards minimum Travels pair of a
3:20
fantastic mechanical build making the
3:22
typing experience solid and enjoyable
3:24
though they've made it fit in such a
3:26
thin package backlighting is a fantastic
3:29
add-on in low-light conditions as well
3:31
with the etched glass trackpad and it's
3:33
perfect click I find using peripheral
3:36
keyboards and track pads at my desk
3:37
honestly a bit of a step backwards the
3:39
input setup here is just second to none
3:41
and I want to use it all the time in
3:44
performance exactly as you'd expect
3:46
lightning fast you wait for nothing
3:48
nothing lags nothing stutters nothing is
3:51
slow multi-monitor setups are met with a
3:53
shrug as the pixel book never really
3:55
feels like it breaks a sweat doing
3:56
anything games like modern combat 5
3:59
cranked up to the highest settings see
4:01
consistent smooth frame rates with
4:04
really no lag in multiplayer you can
4:06
edit photos and videos with Photoshop
4:08
mix and kimi master leave tons of tabs
4:11
open at the same time nothing slows the
4:13
pixel book down it is without doubt the
4:15
fastest laptop I've ever used what we're
4:18
testing here is the core i5 model with
4:20
256 gigs of storage and 8 gigs of ram I
4:23
can't even imagine how fast the i7 will
4:25
be especially with that nvme store
4:27
but as we've already discussed the raw
4:30
power of this device makes me wonder if
4:31
you'd even be able to tell a difference
4:34
additionally all this stuff happens and
4:37
it keeps the battery life between eight
4:38
and ten hours without a need for a fan
4:41
let's talk pricing options real quick
4:42
and $999 you get an i5 eight gigs of ram
4:46
128 gigs of storage
4:48
1199 gets you 256 gigs of storage on the
4:51
same setup and 16 hundred and $49 moves
4:54
you all the way up to an i7 with 16 gigs
4:56
of RAM and 512 gigs of nvme storage if
5:00
you're a Chromebook user looking for the
5:01
best possible Chrome OS experience this
5:03
device is for you if you're a Chromebook
5:05
user who wants a device to be proud to
5:07
carry into a coffee shop classroom or
5:09
meeting this device is for you if you're
5:10
a Chromebook user who needs a bit more
5:12
power to run certain Android apps so you
5:14
like running Linux via a dual boot or
5:16
crouton well this device is for you for
5:19
already initiated chrome ease this is a
5:22
no brainer if you just want the best all
5:24
out without sacrifice experience but
5:28
let's be honest of the broad sweep of
5:30
consumers in the market who are looking
5:32
to buy a laptop invested chromebook
5:34
users aren't really a huge portion of
5:36
that we're actually a sidebar so let's
5:39
talk about how the pixel book could
5:41
affect other portions of the market for
5:43
instance right now in schools there are
5:45
more kids using Chromebooks than any
5:47
other device in the classroom however
5:49
those kids aren't making purchasing
5:51
decisions and it'll be a few years
5:53
before they do so Google really needs a
5:55
way to introduce this platform to people
5:57
who really haven't cared about it in the
5:59
past you know people that don't care
6:02
that much about the difference between a
6:03
MacBook or a Chromebook or a Windows
6:05
device or surface or Android tablet or
6:07
an iPad they simply don't care to do the
6:10
research and they're not that interested
6:12
in it and they're not that worried about
6:13
it and you'd be forgiven if you've never
6:15
worked in retail before and really think
6:18
that that these consumers care that much
6:20
about all these different platforms and
6:22
all these different devices but you'd be
6:24
wrong when we start looking at the
6:25
consumer base as a whole not people who
6:27
read tech blogs people are way less
6:30
concerned with the OS and way more
6:32
swayed by branding or customer loyalty
6:34
or marketing or good old personal
6:36
recommendations many times buying
6:38
decisions are made at the store when
6:39
hands go
6:40
devices and potential customers like the
6:42
look and feel or performance of a device
6:44
add to that a commercial a strong
6:47
branding or maybe a recommendation from
6:49
a friend or colleague and you have the
6:50
basic equation for a sale this place is
6:53
where Google is looking to insert the
6:54
pixel book right alongside MacBooks
6:56
surfaces Windows laptops iPad pros the
7:00
pixel book will be on store shelves on
7:02
the television and all over the Internet
7:04
in six to nine months people will know
7:06
the name and they'll know that a strong
7:08
brand Google is behind it they'll know
7:10
it has apps they'll know it has a
7:12
touchscreen they'll know it has a pen
7:14
they'll know it can act as a tablet
7:16
they'll know it looks great and it feels
7:18
fantastic and if they wonder buy it in
7:20
the Best Buy or B&H they might stop and
7:22
take a look
7:23
surrounded by other great-looking great
7:25
performing hardware the price point
7:27
won't be as much of a consideration as
7:28
we think it is now what will be a
7:30
consideration are all the things a pixel
7:33
book can do and do well full desktop
7:35
browsing all your favorite apps full
7:37
file management great input methods real
7:40
multi window multitasking pen input
7:42
Google assistant all of a sudden when
7:44
you stop talking about all the things
7:46
that Chromebook can't do you actually
7:48
see all it can do in a less informed
7:50
body of consumers this is Google's bet
7:52
left to their own devices consumers can
7:54
see all the pixel book does and make a
7:56
purchasing decision based on those facts
7:58
alone forget all the conversation around
8:00
it's just a browser or there are all
8:03
sorts of cheap Chromebooks out there
8:04
from the observation of a non tech
8:06
person the Chromebook pixel can actually
8:08
do quite a bit and that's really the
8:10
point of this device from this point of
8:12
view the second group of people this
8:14
device is for is for the uninitiated
8:17
it's for the tech agnostic pixel book is
8:20
the face of all that's possible with
8:22
Chrome OS both now and in the future it
8:25
is perhaps the only Chromebook
8:26
experience many people will have and for
8:28
that group of people they're getting to
8:30
see the best possible device on offer
8:33
there's still another function the pixel
8:35
book will serve and that's as the halo
8:36
device now a quick summary of what a
8:38
halo device is for those of you who are
8:40
unaware of this term take Samsung for
8:43
instance they released the galaxy s 8
8:45
and si plus back in March this at the
8:48
time was samsung's best attempt at
8:50
making a mobile piece of hardware it's
8:52
their best technology their best screen
8:54
also very high price as well so not
8:56
everyone's gonna go by that high-priced
8:58
phone because some people frankly don't
9:00
want to spend that much money on a phone
9:01
but they create a desire through
9:03
marketing for that piece of hardware and
9:05
people then decide am I gonna spend that
9:07
much money on the phone or am I gonna
9:09
spend a little bit less money on one of
9:10
their other models and Samsung has tons
9:12
of models of phone more than I could
9:14
list right here but they have tons of
9:16
them that are much cheaper but still
9:18
kind of have the same aesthetic and some
9:19
of the same features and some of the
9:21
same feel and some of the same clout
9:22
that you would get if you carry around a
9:24
Samsung Galaxy s8 and that's the point
9:26
right instead of going and buying an LG
9:29
or an HTC device people still will buy
9:32
the Samsung device the ones that cost a
9:34
little bit less that's the role of the
9:36
halo device and the same goes for
9:38
Chromebooks the pixel book is the halo
9:41
device for Chrome OS it is the vision of
9:43
all that's possible from Chrome OS if
9:45
manufacturers decide to go all in the
9:48
original Chromebook pixels had the same
9:49
effect to some degree those two devices
9:52
are why we see things like the Samsung
9:54
Chromebook pro and Asus flipsie 302 they
9:57
move the market forward the difference
9:59
this time around is the high visibility
10:00
that the pixel book will have you'll see
10:03
it everywhere and that matters because
10:04
the pixel book will be the device to
10:06
shine a spotlight on all the great
10:07
things Chromebooks can do across the
10:09
board most notably you have Android apps
10:11
on Chromebooks getting the most public
10:13
recognition they've ever seen front and
10:15
center in the setup process is the fact
10:16
that Google Play is available and
10:18
working outside of beta status right out
10:22
of the box sure the app market is hit or
10:24
miss right now when it comes to big
10:25
screen apps but Google is trying to push
10:27
that forward and we're seeing companies
10:28
like Adobe and Microsoft already making
10:31
compelling desktop experiences possible
10:33
with their Android offerings hopefully
10:35
more will follow and soon keep in mind
10:37
it'll take months before Google really
10:40
gets marketing in place to where app
10:41
developers will be forced and coerced to
10:43
do something about their apps for pixel
10:45
books bigger screen then we have to talk
10:47
about Google assistant it has a
10:48
dedicated key right on the keyboard for
10:50
pixel book Google assistant is in the
10:52
center of everything made by Google and
10:54
they want it to be at the center of this
10:55
Chromebook experience as well you can
10:56
call it up via that key you can long
10:58
press the circle button right on the
11:00
home screen or you can just simply utter
11:01
hey Google and the device will come to
11:04
life and be ready to answer your
11:06
questions
11:08
it's exclusive right now for pixel book
11:09
we've already seen signs that assistant
11:11
will be coming to all Chromebooks in the
11:13
future was just a simple keyboard
11:14
shortcut pixel book will simply be the
11:16
torchbearer for this effort and
11:18
consumers will inherently begin knowing
11:19
that Chromebooks are another home for
11:22
the Google assistant and that's the
11:23
power of a halo device though other
11:25
Chromebook devices have offered pin
11:26
support none of ahead pins quite like
11:28
the pixel book well that's angle
11:30
awareness and the button on the side the
11:32
pixel pin is a bit of a different beast
11:33
the main trick up its sleeve the ability
11:36
to hold the button circle anything on
11:38
the screen and get Google assistants
11:40
input immediately sure it's a little hit
11:42
or miss for now but eventually this
11:44
function could really be a huge deal
11:45
with all the input and information
11:48
Google is about to gather now that
11:50
Google lense has launched this feature
11:51
will simply become better and better as
11:53
time goes on additionally the pen gives
11:55
away two great note-taking experiences
11:57
with apps like squid and amazing
11:59
artistic creations with things like
12:00
infinity painting Adobe Illustrator
12:02
sketch and more while I'd like the pen
12:05
in a more stowable fashion similar to
12:07
Samsung's I appreciate all that it can
12:09
do and how well it puts a virtual ink on
12:11
virtual paper these advances again will
12:13
serve to push device manufacturers
12:15
forward with pen input on Chrome OS and
12:17
that's the purpose again of a halo
12:19
device lastly let's talk aesthetics the
12:22
pixel book is drop-dead gorgeous and
12:24
unique looking it won't be mistaken for
12:27
a PC or a MacBook anytime soon and
12:28
that's a good thing
12:29
it's a device people will be proud to
12:31
carry it is like other Halo devices a
12:34
benchmark for stunning design that will
12:37
drive the segment forward the attention
12:39
to detail is prolific as you look at the
12:41
device from every angle forget the
12:43
notion of a cheap Chromebook the pixel
12:45
book isn't about any of that
12:46
instead the user is met with thoughtful
12:49
flashes of design like the silicon palm
12:51
rest that are identical in color and
12:53
size to the feet on the bottom and the
12:55
glass shade on the lid additionally
12:57
those same pads act as feet for the
12:59
device when it's in presentation mode
13:00
that identifying glass shade on the top
13:02
well that's where all the antennae are
13:03
housed so they aren't weakened by the
13:05
aluminum you also notice the bezel
13:06
around the screen being symmetrical from
13:08
left to right top to bottom when in
13:10
tablet mode this is the first Chromebook
13:12
that actually feels a bit like a tablet
13:14
a squared off boxy sides meet with a
13:16
magnetic click and feel flush solid and
13:19
not very much like a convertible
13:21
sure it's large and heavy for a tablet
13:23
but I found myself using the set up more
13:25
and more on the pixel book than any
13:27
other convertible I've used and that's
13:29
saying something as a halo device it's
13:31
showing other manufacturers how to
13:33
thoughtfully make a foldable design that
13:35
just feels good both in laptop and
13:37
tablet mode so we've talked a lot about
13:40
who the Google pixel book is built for
13:42
is it for you well I can't answer that
13:46
for you of course and if you're a gamer
13:48
or heavy into video editing or color
13:51
grading stuff in Photoshop then sure
13:52
maybe the pixel books not right for you
13:54
but for all of the rest of you out there
13:57
anyone else watching this that's
13:59
thinking hey this could be a device that
14:01
would work for me let me tell you from
14:03
using it it is an awesome piece of
14:06
hardware it is so well built it feels
14:08
great
14:09
it's great to carry into coffee shops
14:10
and it's one of those devices you feel
14:12
proud to own so if you're ready to spend
14:14
some money on some high-end hardware I
14:17
would say consider this device it can do
14:20
a lot more than most people give it
14:22
credit for
14:22
and we're only at the beginning between
14:25
Android apps and the Google assistant
14:27
and Chrome OS is a platform the sky's
14:29
the limit with this thing and it's going
14:31
to be an awesome contender for a few
14:33
years to come for sure guys if you like
14:36
this video please give it a thumbs up
14:37
subscribe to the channel and until next
14:40
time we'll see you
14:43
[Music]
#Consumer Electronics