Google - Pixelbook 12.3" Touchscreen Chromebook - Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - 128GB Solid State Drive - Silver

Google Pixelbook Setup/Testing/Conclusion I have to say, first impressions are key to a successful relationship… Let's just say, I am in LOVE with the Google Pixelbook. Google has done a wonderful job, everything from the packaging of the Pixelbook down to the actual Pixelbook. On the back of the box it says “Turns Heads”. When I opened up the box and removed the Pixelbook out of its beautiful packaging, I can tell you that everyone around me turned their heads. I had several individuals approach me and ask me what this beauty is. I told them, it’s apparently the best Chromebook out to date right now. The materials that Googled use are high quality. I mean, even the box is made of quality material. The Pixelbook itself is made of aluminium which makes it look stunning. If you have a Pixel phone, you’ll see the resemblance as the Pixelbook also as it has the glass bar which is in fact where the antenna sits. The Pixelbook also has no vents at all as there are NO fans. That’s right folks! NO VENTS or FANS needed! What does that mean? A low heat, low power consumption, no noise ultrabook. I mean common ladies and gentlemen… That is just wonderful! The screen itself is an LCD of 12.3” 2400x1600 (235 ppi). Normal viewing/use is great and watching YouTube or Netflix is even better. Don’t forget that the screen itself is also touchscreen. I didn’t use it too often but there are no problems to report here as well except for the large bezels. From what I know, Google made the bezels/border larger around the screen so that your fingers have a place to rest/hold/grip when the Pixelbook is turned into tablet mode. That’s right! The Pixelbook also has the ability to go into tablet mode by flipping the screen all the way back or even simply putting it in “tent” mode. The keyboard has some very nice feedback and I thoroughly enjoyed the soft pads that sits perfectly where your palms rest when typing. The keys are well spaced and has a travel of 0.8mm with some nice backlit keys. The Pixelbook’s keyboard is by far one of the best laptop keyboards I’ve ever used. The keyboard does take just a little bit to get acclimated with it. This is because there are no F keys along with no Windows or caps lock key. You can hold the alt key and hit what would be the caps lock key and it’ll turn caps lock on. Otherwise that key is what is used as the “search app key”. The traditional Windows key on the bottom left of the keyboard is the Google Assistant key. Another thing I want to highlight is the trackpad, it's made of glass and works perfectly with both smoothness and accuracy. It took me just a little bit here as well to realise how to right click as there isn’t really a right click built into the trackpad. As a matter of fact, I actually like being able to just tap with two fingers to right click; it’s faster and just feels down right great. There are a couple things I wasn’t too fond of and felt that Google can make some improvements on. The first problem I have with the Pixelbook are the speakers. The speakers are built underneath the keyboard so the sound doesn’t really have an “oomph” or anything at all. To be completely honest, the speakers sound… small. I can definitely see Google making an improvement on the speakers on their next version/model. The next thing I don’t like too much is the large bezel/border around the screen. There’s a lot of black and I personally feel like Google could’ve made the screen bigger instead of having so much bezel/border. I was able to test the camera and I feel like Google can also make an improvement there. I mean the Pixel phone is marketed to be the best camera on a phone out there. So why not put a crazy good camera on the Pixelbook? The last thing I didn’t like too much was the tablet mode. It just felt downright kinda weird… I mean sure the keyboard gets deactivated and all but holding it in tablet mode just feels… weird. I would’ve liked to see the screen being able to rotate and then flip all the way back into tablet mode. This way it's the back of the laptop that you’re touching instead of the actual keyboard. Now I’m going to actually talk about usage. Speaking on usage, I wasn’t able to really get 10 hours of usage on a full charge as marketed. I would say I got about anywhere between 6 ~ 7 hours of real world usage. The good thing is since it's USB C that charges the Pixelbook, you’ll be able to get some fast charging so you’ll be back at work in no time! Now to the talk about Chrome OS. Chrome OS definitely takes a little getting use to. Prior to the Pixelbook, I’ve mainly been a Windows guy. With Chrome OS, it gives you the ability to download apps on the Google Play Store along with download other goodies on the Chrome Web Store. Opening the Google Chrome browser, Gmail App, Google Docs, and YouTube was quite interesting… It basically opens everything up in the Chrome browser. I was able to test some games that I downloaded on the Google Play Store and it was pretty fun. All the games I played were all scaled correctly for the Pixelbook. I did have some hiccups like apps force closing and whatnot. The most annoying problem I ran into was when I shutdown the Pixelbook. When I booted it back up for some reason I couldn’t get any sound to come out of the speakers. I tried restarting the Pixelbook, toggle the mute button, and simply turning the volume up but nothing worked. I had to do something called a EC Reset (hardware reset). This is basically where you have to hold down the Refresh icon key and the Power button for 10 seconds. You then release those buttons and the Pixelbook should power down and either power back on or you’ll have to manually power it back on. Once I did the EC Reset the speakers worked again. I found this on a Reddit post by JimDantin. But I mean let's be real here… Chrome OS has been out only for 6 years. I’m a heavy Windows user and Windows has been out about 32 years. I still run into problems with my Windows PC… I’m just saying, there are gonna be some issues here and there. For what it’s worth, Chrome OS has made some major improvements through their 6 year lifespan. As far as being able to do what you need the Pixelbook to do… I don’t see what you would be missing out on if you were to use the Pixelbook instead of a Windows laptop or a MAC. The stores have pretty much everything you would need. Anything from writing docs, to creating spreadsheets, creating powerpoints, playing games, photo editing, video editing, and even music editing. Chrome OS has come a long way. I mean you can even install a copy of Linux (for advanced users) and get things like Steam. I personally feel like I am able to do anything and everything I need/want with the Pixelbook. Sure the price tag starts at $1000, but I mean you’re also paying for a quality built ultrabook. The specs on this beast make up a good part of the best experience in Chrome OS and in Chromebooks. So in conclusion… Do I recommend the Pixelbook? YES I DO. I can confidently state that. I am able to do all my daily tasks that I need in addition to doing things that I don’t normally do on a daily basis. Now, are there room for improvements? Of course there are. What products come out with nothing to improve? If that’s the case, I guess everyone would be just making one model and that is it right? NOPE! Well, that is why people spend money; to upgrade and get the latest and greatest. The Pixelbook is the latest and greatest Chromebook out there. I can see the next model of Pixelbook being even better than this one. Good job Google! Keep em coming! Specs 7th Gen Intel Core i5 Processor (1.2GHz i5-7Y57) Intel HD Graphics 615 8GB RAM (1866MHz) 128GB Solid State Drive 2x USB C Ports 3.5mm Audio Jack 802.11ac Wi-FI Bluetooth 4.2 720p Webcam @ 60fps Chrome OS What's in the box? Google Pixelbook AC Adapter USB C to USB C Cable Quick Start Guides Safety & Warranty Information

Google hit the market with its latest addition of a note worthy Chromebook in the form of the Pixelbook. What is a Chromebook? And is this going to be the right fit for you? Hopefully this review will answer that question and help in deciding on rather or not to buy this newest addition if you have been on the fence. First off for those not too familiar with the computer world a Chromebook is a laptop that was meant to be a break away from the other major markets in the field (i.e. Windows and Mac). Chromebooks run Linux based Chrome operating systems and browser, in a nutshell without getting too confusing its Googles way of entering the market in a world thats primarily controlled by Microsoft and Mac. The problem is if you have ever owned a Chromebook they were never that great and had many setbacks. For example the last Chromebook that i owned was horrible. Since it was Google/Chrome based you lost out on a lot of necessary operating systems that were used to complete everyday task. The set up i had required you to download apps to run the services you needed however most apps were not compatible with the operating system and therefore i found i could not do every day simple task. There was no way to edit or load my pictures with ease, writing and printing documents for work was also a task in itself. So when google came out with the pixelbook my first reaction was "oh great they launched another failed attempt." However that was not the case whatsoever. First off lets talk about what your going to get out of the box. Out of the box your only going to receive the laptop and power supply in the form of a USB-C charger. This is not a typical micro usb or power cable but rather a high speed adapter that google likes to use in most its products. Google claims that you can receive 2 hours of battery life off a 15 minute charge and that the unit will run for about 10 hours before needing a charge. What i can tell you is that i got about 9 hours of charge and a 15 minute charge got me roughly 1 hour and 30 minutes of charge level. Not too shabby there are other laptops that hold more charge but there are also others that cant even hold 5 hours of charge. The unit does not come with the google pen, that piece needs to be purchased separately at a price right now that is listed at $99 fyi. The laptop itself is very sleek and stylish, and the keyboard has a very nice back light and feel to it. It almost feels as if im typing on a mechanical keyboard just without the extra senstivity. The keyboard has two built in comfort pads to help with hand fatigue, this is a big plus for me because i usually am on my laptop quite a bit and typically type 80 wpm so over time laptops seem to wear on my hands and wrist due to its compact size. Now one thing i want to talk about for a minute is the keyboard. If you have never owned a Chromebook then this keyboard is going to be different and take some time to get used to. The keyboard removes the Caps lock button and the F keys and replaces them with action buttons. For example where the Cap locks key normally is it is now replaced by a google search button. I have uploaded a picture for you to examine to see what i am talking about. The keyboard flips back and turns the laptop into a tablet with its touch screen functionality. However i cant see too many people using it in this form as the weight of the laptop is felt over time. The tracking pad that serves as your mouse is very smooth and precise. I never once felt my finger tip drag or my indicator icon skip.The pixelbook also comes with google assistant built in. You have two ways to access this. You say "ok google" then speak whatever question you have or if your somewhere like a classroom and cant talk out loud then you can simply type your question. Lets talk functionality now. Google has greatly improved on what this laptop can do now. You now have access to just about every app on the play store now. Basically whatever app you find on your phone you can find on your pixelbook. This makes certain task very simply such as transferring photos or files via different apps all wireless. In the past Chromebooks were held back greatly when it came to apps that you could use. The older Chromebooks only allowed a very few small selection where as now the pixelbook allows just about all apps based on what i see. The picture quality is awesome and will appease just about most HD enthusiast out there. One draw back however is the audio quality. The audio quality is just horrible but thats too be expected from most compact laptops. In the end its not that big of a deal to me because you have a 3.5mm jack so that you can plug your headphones in. I prefer to this method anyways whenever i am listening to music or playing games. Computing speed is awesome. I wanted to see just how much it could handle before lagging out. I had a movie downloading in the back ground while live streaming a video and music with no glitches or hiccups. I have to say i was a little more impressed at the fact that it handled it without so much as a slight delay. There is one interesting feature i did not notice right away. That is that the pixelbook will link up with your pixel phone in the event that a wifi signal cant be found. What this means is lets say your at your office and the internet goes down, you can tether your pixelbook to your pixel phone and use your 4g internet to complete whatever task you have available. I have a pixel phone i was able to try this with and it does indeed work, however it tends to get a bit laggy and draws down your data pretty quickly. My suggestion is to only use this feature if you have unlimited data or for emergency projects only. Now at the moment this will only work with a pixel phone, i tried it with a Samsung S7 edge and it would not work. Heres my final verdict. The pixelbook is great for anyone looking for something different. If you are used to using windows or mac then this is going to be a big change for you and you may have a hard time getting used to some of the features. I feel however this is a perfect set up for anyone in college as you can easily complete your homework and whatever task your given then on your down time you can flip the keyboard back and watch a movie on Netflix or play a game off the google play store. Audio quality does suck but hey do you really want everyone around you listening to what your watching or listening to? All in all this is a big step up from any Chromebook out on the market and there is enough memory and power to complete or do whatever your heart desires. The price is high and i wish they would throw in the google pen at that price but one thing i will say is you do get what you pay for and that price you will not be disappointed and what this Chromebook has to offer. Pros: -Pixel tethering -Good picture quality -Access to all apps on the play store -Awesome keyboard design -Support for Google pen / stylus Cons: -Google pen not included -Poor Audio quality

Initial impressions of this laptop are pretty nice. What might throw off some consumers is the fact this is Chrome OS and not Mac or Windows. There is a small learning curve when using ChromeOS compared to other operating systems however it's nothing to get bent out of shape over. It's basically a larger version of the Pixel phone from Google and, at time, a trimmed down version of an OS compared to other ones. That said, I think this is great laptop either as a secondary/traveling/work laptop or as a normal laptop for light duty users. The appearance of the laptop is quite chic. It's metal and glass giving it a very minimalist look while offering a pretty sturdy frame. It's a 12 inch laptop so, for me, it took a little while getting used to since I prefer more larger sized laptops. Nonetheless, the fit/finish on this laptop is comparable to any high end laptop out on the market now. My only issue with this is that it's not all that easy to lift the screen up. The functionality this laptop provides, again, is comparable to anything out on the market. While the specs on this laptop might not be as alluring as others, it will easily churn through any task with ease. Since everything on this laptop is cloud based, really boils down to how fast your connection is. But I haven't experienced any hiccups with this so far and don't really expect to honestly. The one thing some people might miss are the ports. There aren't any on this laptop save for a power plug and a spare USB-C port. You're not able to hook up any HDMI or monitor to this just to be clear. This laptop is pretty much an all-in-one sort of machine. Battery life seems pretty good. I haven't burned through a battery cycle yet however I figure this should give you, at least, a good 6-7 hours (maybe more) of use. As far as the touchscreen/flip out screen, it's nice but not something I personally use all that much. In cases where I'm watching a movie or streaming something, I'll put it tent mode but that's about it. The touchscreen is quite good so no noticeable lag or anything. In tablet mode, this pretty much just becomes a 12 inch phone for the most part. Overall, I think it's a great laptop for most general uses. It's not a workhorse laptop or a gaming laptop by any means but, for most uses, I think this is great in terms of functionality, size and performance. There is a small learning curve needed with this if you're not familiar with ChromeOS but it's not a big deal IMO.

The Google Pixelbook 12.3" Touchscreen Chromebook is one of the most stunning, drop dead gorgeous, unique laptops I have ever seen. Performance is snappy. This is a highly flexible tool that can bring hours of pleasure & work together in a variety of venues. It is rated up to 10 hours battery life (I achieved 9+ hours) with blazing wireless capability & instant boot-up. It is not designed for the heavy laptop user who may need local storage or specific MacOS or Windows software; this machine is Web based with Cloud storage. It is super modern, a pleasure to use & it WORKS! PROS: 1- Build Quality is second to none. 2- Beautiful, stunning appearance. 3- Accurate touch screen with 2400 x 1600 screen resolution 4- Lightweight: 2.45 lb. 5- Precise keyboard tactile feel. 6- Instant boot up & 10 second "cold start" time. 7- Silent operation. 8- Generous sized trackpad. 9- Corning Gorilla Glass for the same trusted durability as a premium smart phone. 10- Backlit keys 11- Wireless-AC offers up to 867 Mbps networking speed (depends on speed of your network). Also works with Wireless- A, B, G & N. 12- Two USB Type C charging ports; one on each side, for convenience, so a charging cable does not cross over the laptop. 13- Google Assistant is built-in - voice command is a first! 14- Chrome OS automatically updates itself. 15- Energy Star Certified. 16- The most flexible positions imaginable (laptop, tent, tablet & entertainment mode). 17- Ultra compact: 11.4 x 8.7 x 0.4 inches. 18- Precision Design just feels comfortable. 19- Two comfort pads are built-in & feel great on the hands. 20- Both Bluetooth & 3.5mm Audio Out Jack provide headphones or external speaker options! CONS: 1- Large Black band around the screen. 2- Small speakers located on the bottom produce muffled sound. 3- Chrome OS may not offer high powered productivity of a workhorse MacOS or Windows machine. Coming from iOS & Mac OS, Chrome OS requires a modest learning curve; however it is a fast & efficient OS. 4- At this price, I would like to see the Pixel Pen Stylus included. I plan to drop $100 and buy one ASAP. 5- No USB ports. CONCLUSION: WOW!! I LOVE this ultra high-end Chromebook! The looks & performance elevate this machine to a class by itself. It is functional, fun & I am proud to own it! Google - Pixelbook 12.3" Touchscreen Chromebook earns my highest recommendation!

This beautifully- designed laptop would have to be described as a niche product, but what a beautiful niche it fills! The brushed aluminum and white glass finish is gorgeous. And the rubberized palm rests, lighted keyboard with responsive key travel, make the Pixelbook a joy to operate. The hinge system allows the screen to be folded into a “tent” or all the way over, emulating a tablet. Chromebooks have already progressed to the point that for my needs, there are few, if any, tasks that I regularly perform which the Pixelbook cannot handle with aplomb. Use Outlook for mail? You are covered. Want to use Word, Excel, or any other Microsoft product? All their Android apps work nicely on a Chromebook. In fact, I feel comfortable using the Pixelbook on the road. It serves all the needs of a typical business user. And it is incredibly fast with a seventh generation Intel core i5 processor and 128GB of RAM to totally satisfy any of my onboard storage needs. There is a headphone jack for those who need one, but I have greatly enjoyed listening to music over my Bluetooth headphones. The Napster android app works beautifully and flawlessly. Streaming Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu is a pleasure. The screen is beautiful, and it is a touchscreen. I have not used a touchscreen device in a while, and have enjoyed the availability of that feature. A stylus is available, but I have not purchased one yet. Google Assistant works flawlessly with this laptop. “Ok Google” summons the service by default, or a dedicated key can be pressed to bring it up. As I am quite accustomed to that service through my Pixel Phone, I greatly enjoy that convenient feature. If a Wi-Fi connection is not available, the Pixelbook will automatically use my Pixel 2 as a wi-fi hotspot. As I type this, I have not had a chance to fully check out that feature. Yes, there are things you can’t do with this device, like video editing, but the person who would be purchasing the Pixelbook will have evaluated their needs and have decided whether this device would fit their needs. It fits my needs nicely. It is stunningly beautiful, designed like a tank, and it just works. I’ll keep it!

Trying to move away from Windows and decided to go with one of the best Chromebooks available. There are two more Pixelbooks in this line, but I opted for the more "affordable" version. Excellent build quilty; thin & lightweight; multiple modes for handling and viewing. If you're used to only working with Windows or Macs, there's a little bit of a learning curve as Chrome OS has its own shortcut keys (and keyboard); but you can access the commands via the Help option and you can find plenty of support (FAQs, threads, videos, etc...) online for the device. And if you're into Linux, this is also supported on the Pixelbooks. My only negatives about the Pixelbook (other than the price) would be the speakers (which aren't loud at all) and the bezels around the screen.

The Google Pixelbook is a great computer/tablet. It is a slim device with a sharp image; it has an Aluminium case with a glossy white shade top,smooth trackpad that responds just right, a soft keyboard that is backlit when pressing any key, and a fairly comfortable armrest (made from silicon material). When used as a tablet or display stand, the silicon acts as an anti-skid pad. It also comes with two USB C ports and a headphone jack. Furthermore, the keyboard has a Google Assistant feature which you can type on or speak to it and the system will respond. However, it does not include a SD card slot since it already has 128GB of storage, nor does it have a cooling fan which may warm. Plus, the charger’s cord has a good length and the power supply/ AC power adapter is located at the end where it get’s plug to the wall. This is great because you don’t have a bulky power adapter box in the middle of your cable. According to the product information, the computer’s battery lasts for about 10 hours. It has an Intel i7 processor and 8GB RAM. Weighing under 2.5 Lbs with only 10mm in thickness, it is very portable. In addition, the touch screen is 12.3 inches and is 2400 by 1600 pixels. It works efficiently - rapidly and with great quality - when watching movies, talking to a friend, playing games, etc. Coupled with the fact that I have had the best experience on the web while using the Pixelbook, the option to use Android apps just like desktop apps makes this computer one of my favorites. I plan to be using this device mostly for school, and since my school provides free Microsoft Office on the cloud, I will not have any issues in working with Docs or Excel Files. Upon setting up my Pixelbook, I received 6 free months of Netflix for 2 devices at a time, 100GB Drive Storage, Asphalt: 8 Airborne Game, and Google Play Unlimited Music. Overall, I am satisfied with this product and if you like only best of the best, you will be too.

It is clearly apparent Google wanted to be the leader in the Chromebook market, after all they are all using it’s OS. The first thought after seeing and handling the Google Pixelbook was simply put… WOW. They did not skimp on the hardware with the durable aluminum body, glass back portion to allow for better wifi reception, crystal clear Corning Gorilla glass screen, 7th gen Intel processors, 128GB SSD, 8GB of RAM and options for even better specs in their higher priced models. With all that packed in one device, I was surprised at how lightweight and convenient this device is! My two year old already dropped it on it’s corner the first day of use and as I watched it roll around like a square wheel, I was in terror as it settled flat. To my surprise, not a scratch. I still opted to invest in a body and screen protector because, even with the durable body and screen, I’m not sure I’ll be that lucky next time. One of my favorite things about this Chromebook is the instant tethering that it can do using their phones; it was easy to set up and great for on the go when a wifi is not available. The Pixelbook handles all Google Play apps and games with ease due to the processing speed and RAM. Let me do it more justice, the games look and run amazing! The i5 processor and 8GB RAM model has plenty of horsepower to handle everyday functions. Now for the cons. There are a few shortcomings to this model, such as no back camera for pictures (but who really uses a tablet for pictures?) and no SD card slot to expand memory. However, after using it, I really felt like Google hit the bench mark because those things really aren’t necessary. The memory is more than enough to store many movies, pictures, documents, etc. and you can always get an external USB-C drive or additional cloud storage if you run out. One issue I have been having is some Google Play apps are not compatible, yet, on this device and they will not open or crash therefore I found myself reporting errors to the Play Store in an effort to fix these issues. I also had to find alternatives to some of my work in apps I never previously used since I was used to certain other OS’s that I would now have to pay additional usage fees for if I were to continue to use them on the Google apps. The alternatives are out there and easy to find if you just start to switch everything to Google, which isn’t a bad thing and I have been quite pleased. Everyone knows there is a lot of competition on the market at a much more affordable price range. That being said, you also get what you pay for. The question is, is it worth spending the extra coin to acquire such a machine that serves as the same functionality as the other Chromebooks? The simple answer is, yes… if you can afford to. You will definitely not be disappointed. The Pixelbook is more than I expected and can see myself using this now more than other devices and OS’s. I’m glad Google decided to be more innovative with the look and feel however I’m not sure how much it will catch on with consumers because seeing the price of this Chromebook may turn people off right away so consider it an investment because I’m sure some of the competition’s hardware may last a year or so where this machine should still be at the top of the competition for at least a few years.