Customer Ratings & Reviews

This is an impressive machine to unbox, the fiesta red metal case and keys w/matching dockable stylus just beautiful to look at. VERY light, easy to carry. Boots quickly (as CBs do) and then you're treated to the stunning 4K OLED display. I'm not sure what 4K really does for you on a screen this small, but the OLED is amazing. Viewed from the side the impression is almost disorienting - the screen/lid just CAN'T be this thin, but it is. Keyboard is low travel but solid and nicely backlit (and I'm picky about these things), trackpad worked fine for my purposes. No complaints on first impression. And then, ah, you start living with it. The Core i5 makes for a snappy Chrome experience to start with, but the thermal issues with this fanless design start catching up with you quickly. The all-metal surface was clearly intended as part of the passive cooling design, and it gets HOT, far too uncomfortable to leave on your lap. At minimum you'd really need to set this on an actively cooled or heat-sink lap desk, at which point how portable is it? Once things heat up, it appears to start throttling, as we noticed things seemed to slow a bit (not a testing lab, this is just an impression). Battery life is only a few hours, so also a portability issue, and a mild annoyance even for day to day use around the house. In the end we returned this and got Samsung's follow-on Galaxy CB, the Chromebook 2. On paper it seems you're paying nearly as much (since we bout this one on sale) for much less machine, but the fact is that in return for a slightly larger laptop (still well under 3lbs) i3 processor, eMMC instead of SSD, and HD QLED screen instead of 4K OLED, you get a laptop with proper cooling, better battery life, and consistent performance. Much easier to live with, still a stunner. I do miss having the stylus (that was an odd thing to drop, but they've opted to go with USI and didn't include one), but aside from that we're much happier with the CB2. It's a pity, but this original Galaxy CB is an impractical beauty.

I have coveted this laptop since it was announced. $1000 for a Chromebook is crazy, but the specs (especially the display) justify a premium price I thought. Then the reviews came out. They were largely glowing but for the battery. So I didn't buy it when it was released and available in the spring. I researched comparable alternatives. There really aren't many laptops (Chromebook or traditional) with comparable specs for the price. For me, weight is the primary consideration. And I really wanted a convertible. There aren't many 2 in 1 laptops under 2.5 pounds and most are well over $1000. Even after not finding a comparable alternative, I was hesitant to spend $1000 on a Chromebook with bad battery life. I purchased an "open box" from Best Buy thinking I'd return it if the battery was as bad as the reviews. I've had it for a week now and I am not returning it. The battery is fine. I read books, websites, occasional videos, etc. with no problem. I haven't tried to get it through an entire day with no charge but it seems like I could if I adjusted the screen brightness. I don't think its just how I use it. I think the battery performance is acceptable knowing its really thin and really light. The screen is outstanding. There aren't a lot of 4k sources now, but there will be soon. The keyboard is great. The track pad I find really pleasing. The overall look and feel and tactile quality is first rate. Its light but doesn't feel cheap. It feels and appears and performs "premium". Again, the display is terrific and its under 2.5 pounds. I haven't had it long enough to get a real feel for the battery. I travel to India regularly though that might not happen soon. A portable battery is a small price to pay for an awesomely thin, and light high performing device. I can circle back in a year perhaps and let you know how it does on a long trip. I paid a bit less since I was able to find an open box close to home. But I don't think I'd be disappointed if I had paid retail. This is a great premium Chromebook.

Pros: Screen: Deep color, great detail, pleasure for video, photos, screen intensive applications. Larger screen than my original Pixelbook, also a plus. Powerful unit (lots of tabs and documents open have no affect on response times). works well. Lightweight. Not experiencing heat issues a few others have reported. Cons: Keyboard: Letters lack contrast, backlighting needs to be stronger (Chromebook 2 version has black keyboard with white letters - much better). Speakers a tad weak. Facing camera ok for Zoom, but not a strong point. Unknown: I am usually plugged in so cannot comment on battery. Summary: Did not dislodge my original Pixelbook (i7 version) as my go-to Chromebook, but very happy with it. Good purchase.

I really want to love it, albeit, after receiving the item..I noticed the keyboard keys are chipped and I've used the CB maybe four times. For it to arrive like this, is very unlike Samsung, all other factors aside. And really takes away from the awesome red aesthetic. Which is like buying a matte painted car; tough work. When I went to return this item online as I just received and unboxed it; I noticed it's now even more off the original price. So, for that reason I'd return it anyway. It's a bit worrisome when items are more than half off their original price. Don't get me wrong I love a deal...but it screams "sell them all, we need to replace the current model". At surface, if you're not used to a Chromebook (CB) it'll take adjusting, the included 4k display is killer, the 2 in 1 folding design is killer...however I find it very odd the "vents are directly under the screen when folded, the camera on one time, the fingerprint sensor useless when folded and that was my primary purpose for this machine (trying to replace a Macbook Air M1 2020). Preferably, I'd like 4k display, 16GB of ram and whatever on the storage as it's got a microSD card. I wish it have MVNO or SIM (cellular) as some other models do. I have yet to give it a work out so I don't know how much I can push the power...but it seems like it's got some juice. I can't believe the initial price, then sale price, and now current price. Will 100% be returning, probably for a Windows device as the ChromeOS and Android built-in (when you come from Apple eco system) isnt "right".

Samsung - Galaxy 13.3" 4K Ultra HD Touch-Screen Chromebook in my opinion is the best Premium Chromebook you can purchase today. The Galaxy 13.3 is a very fast chromebook, I have seen it handle the same browser task faster than earlier generation Core I3 and Core I5 Chromebooks. Looking at the specifications of the Galaxy 13.3 it looks like it covers the spectrum: backlit keyboard, micro SD memory card slot, touch screen, included S-pen active stylus, multiple ports (USB,USB C,...). One feature of the Galaxy 13.3 I find particularly useful is that it only weighs about 2.3 lbs. I use it on the go in my lap in most rooms of our house and also off network in the car when waiting while a family member is running an errand or at an appointment and the light weight is really great. The Galaxy 13.3 4K Ultra HD with its AMOLED display is fully up to the true to life color and crisp details that I expect from a Samsung Galaxy device. Unfortunately it comes with a price in battery life, keeping the display brightness down and turning off features to conserve battery I am seeing about seven to just under eight hours of battery life. About half the days that battery life will see me through the day and I carry a 26,800 mwh power vault with USB C Power Distribution charging and a 3 ft. USB C to USB C cable. The power vault provides several recharge cycles for the Galaxy 13.3. On occasion when I am streaming video and remaining in the same location I just leave the power vault connected and finish my binge watching with a full charge in the laptop. The excellent build quality and design of the Galaxy 13.3 has been remarked on in a number of reviews so I will just say I agree. The Galaxy 13.3 chromebook isn’t an inexpensive laptop but it is worth the price and if you catch it on sale at Best Buy you get a bargain. I recommend the Samsung - Galaxy 13.3" 4K Ultra HD Touch-Screen Chromebook to my friends looking for a chromebook for the full range of use.

I was in the market for a lightweight laptop and with so many options out there I chose the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook, for it's features and screen resolution. What's not to love about this laptop? It weighs nothing, has a beautiful screen and is lightening fast. I'm thoroughly enjoying the 2-in-1 feature it has - it makes gaming so much more fun. Another note-able plus is how silent the keyboard, I absolutely love typing on this thing. The unfortunate drawback on this beautiful machine is it's battery life. Thus far I've been able to get 4-6 hours depending on my settings and not the advertised 8 hours the company mentions on their website. You will have to tailor (and be mindful) your settings to get it's worth. It's not a deal breaker for me but I'm sure for the road warriors out there it might be.

Price. Yes, it's really expensive. Battery. Yes, it's really horrible. If these two things matter to you, then you should really know that this isn't the Chromebook you're looking for. I bought an open box satisfactory at half the price and it rarely leaves my desk, so both concerns we're out the window. The 4k display is fantastic and the performance is snappy. The two things I dislike are, the laptop runs hot at times and the four small rubber feet. This thing slides all over the place. Overall I'm very happy with my Galaxy Chromebook.

The Samsung Chromebook has a truly gorgeous display. The 4K Amoled screen is terrific for watching movies. For anything else it may be overkill. It eats through battery in the process and gets warm. Tolerably warm. That's the significant compromise for having a 4K amoled display today. The i5 processor is easily fast enough to run ChromeOS. The physical build is a handsome block of precisely machined aluminum but the hinge allows the display panel to wobble a little too easily. The form factor is a tad large to fold and hold like a tablet and when you try to hold it as a tablet the two halves aren't flush--they sort of bang against each other and spring away when held up for viewing like a tablet. The ability to load and run Android and run some Linux programs is also a huge plus but at the end of the day it's forcing a secure little operating system to do too much with GUI that is a little clumsy. It's definitely more useful with the ability to run Android in emulation but an Android tablet can do that with no tricks. I tried to redeem some Chromebook Perks and they weren't available despite this being a brand new Chromebook. Google support was entirely unhelpful and that was a warning to me. As a Chromebook it works great and the 4k amoled display is phenomenal. But the pricepoint seems way way off even for the fanciest prettiest Chromebook currently available.

This machine is amazing. It looks great. Is lightning fast. The screen is unbelievable. It does everything you need and then some. The addition of instant tethering makes it unbeatable. The ONLY drawback is the battery. The screen is so bright that I usually have it set between 50-60%. I get around 6 hours on a charge. If you can deal with that, which I can, the machine is WELL WORTH the $1000 price tag.

I really really wanted to love this Chromebook and I do in many ways. It checked a lot of boxes but in the end I am returning it. Let’s talk about the pros first. The screen is unbelievable. It isn’t just the best screen on a Chromebook, it is the best screen that I have witnessed on a laptop period. Colors are crip, accurate, and vivid. The keyboard is flawless and the glass trackpad is premium as well. The stowed stylus is comfortable and convenient (also works on Galaxy Note phones). The build quality is unmatched. It is incredibly thin, sturdy, and very very light. So why am I returning it....ugh here is why. It gets hot....fast. After 10 minutes of watching YouTube I had to take it off my lap because it was so hot. That is no bueno for a $999 machine. The other is the battery life. I did read that the battery life is very poor but I thought I could swing it anyways. Alas, I could not. After using for 3-5 hours on 65% brightness I needed to charge it. That isn’t a huge deal now because of the pandemic but when I am back traveling and taking it on the go I will need at least 6-8 hours. The last reason is price. For $999 (even $799 when it is on sale) these issues have to be addressed. There are far too many laptop options that provide better value (both chromebook and Windows 10) for this price point. Hopefully a chrome OS update will help but I can’t leave that to chance. If you can overlook the bad battery and running hot, go for it. If not I suggest you looking at another Chromebook. So close Samsung....so close.

TLDR: beautiful laptop that gets really hot while charging and has low battery life, doesn't feel like its worth the MSRP. I upgraded to the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook from a Samsung Plus 12.2" Chromebook and while I do feel like the Galaxy is a better machine there's two issues. The Galaxy feels like the surface of the sun while working on it and charging it at the same time. It really has to sit on a flat hard surface (working & charging), as a pillow/blanket just makes it hotter, air needs to circulate on the back to keep it from getting searing hot. This also means that the keyboard is almost hot to the touch. Luckily(?) it doesn't take too long to charge. The other issue is the battery life. Many people have pointed this out and I was worried. However, I very rarely use the 4K screen to its fullest potential since I mainly use this mostly for work (email, Slack, browse, research, etc.). So if I turn down the brightness to 50% (still bright enough for indoors) and keep an eye on how many tabs/apps I have open, I can get 6ish hours on a charge. Otherwise - this is a lightning fast and beautiful laptop! The pen is way more responsive than my old Chromebook. The 4K screen is...wow. I personally like the keyboard, its has a shallow click, but feels nice. Also the trackpad is so smooth. This laptop is crazy thin and all metal (probably why it gets so hot). The speaker placement is better, with improved sound quality. I like there are USB C ports on both sides, so no matter what side the outlet is on, you don't have to wrap the cord around the laptop. It would have been nice to have a better camera for video conferencing, but who really wants to go to a zoom meeting in HD? I purchased this as a certified open-box from BestBuy for around $580 and I feel very comfortable with that price. I'd maybe go a little higher, but not as high as the MSRP.

I wasn't sure what I would get with this Chromebook but we needed something else with everyone working and doing school from home. This is a great little device! Super lightweight. I was aware that it had a touch screen but I did not know that it folded back to be a tablet and we even found a stylus tucked in the side. The battery lasts for the whole day and it is easy to navigate. Got it up and running in minutes. Love the red color!

There's probably enough reviews out there already fussing about the battery life. They are all correct. Other than that, it's a beautiful piece of hardware. The build is gorgeous plain and simple. The machine runs great and is fast. Love the keyboard. I also like that the fingerprint sensor is on the keyboard and not some weird thing on the side. Has everything I need to work, except for some corner cases where I have to revert to Windows. It sometimes gets a little hot. Maybe because there is no fan, but I'm ok with that. Two USB-C ports and no USB. Not a big deal, there are lots of adapters. Sound is good, not great, needs to be a little richer. These are small complaints. The price is inline I feel with the quality of the machine, but probably because of the battery life should be priced lower. I have a portable charger for times when I think I'm going to be traveling. It's not a big deal, but 6-8 hours should be minimum now for a Chromebook with this price point and hardware configuration. I have a 13 inch HP Spectre x360 as well which is similar in size and styling. I need to keep that for some things I need to do in a Windows environment, but this will be my main machine at this point for everything else, like connecting back to work. Just way less maintenance to worry about. Also, like that vendors are starting to roll out PWA's which reduce memory footprint and provide a better user experience.

I was looking for a powerful Chromebook that wouldn't get bogged down by doing online photo and video editing on Photopea and WeVideo respectively. (I am migrating from my iMac using Photoshop and Final Cut Pro.) Our office is structured around Google's infrastructure, so migrating to a Chromebook simplifies things for me. This machine has been rock solid for me so far. The performance is great and the 4k screen is amazing! I think the red color is pretty cool, too. The drawbacks, as others have mentioned, are the battery life and heat. I occasionally unplug to work on the couch. I have not allowed the battery to run down all the way, but it looks like I would get about 5 hours of battery life and the computer does get quite warm on my legs. However, I purchased this to be a desktop replacement along with a keyboard, mouse, and 32" monitor, so the short battery life was not a deal killer for me.

Purchased this Samsung Galaxy Chromebook because I wanted a new Chrome OS decide that I wouldn't have to worry about for quite sometime. This has high-end specs throughout! Best video panel in the biz. New 10th gen it processor, you name it, it has it. 2 exceptions: battery life is lacking due to the 4K display and no backlit keyboard. Battery life I can live with since it is a use at home device but really miss the backlit keyboard. Lots of bells and whistles but if you don't need them the Google Pixelbook Go would do just as well at $300 less.

This Chromebook has everything you would want, great screen, very good performance, top notch build quality, and so light. I was worried about the battery life, but I am getting close to six hours, which for me using just at home is good enough. I also have Steam installed on it, and play older games. I wish the battery life was better, but I am very glad I got it.

I have been looking forward to this chromebook for a while! First thing I wanna get out of the way, the keyboard DOES have a backlight. I don't know why people are saying it doesn't. I love chromebooks. I had a Asus chromebook, upgraded from that to a pixelbook which was phenomenal. Also had a pixel slate. The galaxy chromebook is faster than both, but definitely more so than the pixelbook. Closest laptop i have ever seen to the build quality of the chromebook. Like everyone said, great display, size, weight...and not great battery. It definitely drains fast. Lasts longer than the pixelbook though, because the pixelbook lost power quickly in stand by mode. If you ever bought a pixelbook or pixel slate, this is worth the upgrade. Would it have been great if the battery was better? Yeah. But not worth returning. I can't recommend this enough, coming from a person who will recommend a chromebook over a windows computer.

From the moment you open the box, this Galaxy Chromebook just strikes you as one of the most beautiful laptop devices outside of the realm of some Apple devices. Aside from its beauty and striking metallic red color, this device is extremely thin measuring only 0.39" and super light weight at only 2.29lbs. The workmanship is unbelievable as well, perfectly honed aluminum chassis, very pleasant keyboard to type on, even though it's very flat and not that much key travel, but there is no room for that in such a thin package. The touchpad works great, is smooth and has a good click to it if you decide "touch or tap-clicking" is not for you. Also built-in to the keyboard, right above the backspace key is a very user friendly fingerprint reader that works quite well, I registered multiple fingers so I can also use it form different angles. On the upper left-side of the keyboard there is a camera built-in as well, that allows you to take photos or videos when the Chromebook is in 360 tablet mode. Moving up to the main feature - the beautiful 13.3" 4K AMOLED display which is just a marvel to look at, in any lighting conditions. The colors are vivid, the brightness and contrast are amazing and the touchscreen functionality works as well as any high-end smart phone or tablet, whether you're in laptop mode or tablet mode. The screen is super thin and sturdy with the same polished aluminum sides as the base unit. The screen also works really well with the included stylus, which is another nice-touch that only other high-end laptops or Galaxy Note smart phones come with. In terms of performance, given the specs that rival full-fledged laptops, this Chromebook can run anything you throw at it. I've had at least a dozen Chrome tabs open, while watching a show on Netflix and it could easily run twice as much. It does get a bit warm when you put it through its paces, but not even closely as hot as a Core i7 4K laptop I use on a daily basis. Speaking of watching shows and videos, the sound is plenty loud, clear and well defined, firing out both sides thru the stereo speakers built-in to the palm rest base. Even though I've only used it for about a week, this has become my favorite device, and will definitely be the device I take on travel. I was able to install many of the popular streaming apps from the Google Play store, such as Netflix, Prime Videos, Photos, Music, HBO, Showtime, ATT WatchTV, Tablo, just to name a few. Now, there seems to be a lot people complaining about battery life. Personally, I was quite impressed by it. It fully charged in just over an hour, while I was using it. I've used it on and off for a couple of days at the default 50% screen brightness on a single charge, granted I have it setup to go to sleep when not in-use. It does preserve battery life quite well while in sleep-mode. I would say I got about 6.5 hours worth of actual use, out of which about 2 hours were watching Netflix and Prime videos, the rest were web browsing. I bet if you crank up the brightness all the way and watch a long movie with the sound all the way up, you'll get less than 4-hours of battery time, but that would be true for any other device out there, and nothing out there is as stunning and as thin as this Galaxy Chromebook is, so just plug it back in to recharge and enjoy! As for Cons, other than shorter than expected battery life (by some), the cameras are subpar, especially if you're used to cameras found in smart phones. As far as I can tell, Samsung doesn't even list the specs of the cameras. Also, the price is quite high for a Chromebook, but you definitely get what you pay for, considering the beautiful aluminum super light/thin packaging and stunning 4K AMOLED display.

I will admit I really wanted to like this laptop. First, the pros - 1. Excellent build quality (5/5) - haven't seen anything better not even Apple compares especially if you get the Fiesta Red color 2. Super light and portable (5/5) - weighs in at a little over 2 pounds which is super portable - not sure how they fit all this in such a slim and light package 3. Beautiful screen (6/5 - is that even possible? yes it is with this display!) - Did I say this yet? You will want to open it up just to start at the screen. It is a looker - what else can I say? 4. Works great (4/5) - is fast even though it is still rocking 10th gen Intel hardware - so it certainly could be better but not noticeable at all in day to day working 5. Supports Linux (3/5) - Now this could be said of all Chromebooks but linux on this machine (once you get past some of the package hiccups and get it setup fully) works great. It runs apps like Opera and others just like they would run natively. So to those that say Chromebooks are only for web-browsing, think again - this Chromebook (and many others) fully support Linux and most apps so you are never really missing out. I have tonnes of Linux apps and everything works perfectly. No need ever for a Windows or Apple laptop... Unfortunately, there are some cons to this device which I hope Samsung takes note and fixes in a future iteration - 1. Unreliable trackpad - Not sure if this is a hardware / design flaw or can be fixed with software but my trackpad would stop working after a while of use and I had to let the chromebook cool down to begin using it again. Now, of course one could plug in a mouse but the reason I bought this chromebook is for the portability and I don't want to carry a mouse with me everywhere. There's loads of Reddit comments about users experiencing the same issue and Samsung has done very little to address this issue per my understanding. This could be related to the system heat issue which brings to me my next con. 2. It gets hot - again this may be related to a Samsung design issue with not including a fan (for the slim and light design) but frankly, mine clocked over 150 degrees F in light youtube use which is hot! This may be causing other issues with the hardware (see the trackpad issue above). Fortunately, haven't experienced it in light browsing but it still gets warm to the touch 3. Crashes occasionally from sleep - Luckily, this was due to a firmware issue with the SSD drive and was fixed with a bit of Developer mode trickery that I found on Reddit. So do look it up if you have the same issue with waking up from sleep as you likely have the old firmware and an update has been posted although not on Samsung's website. 4. Battery - Know this has been said over and over again so I'm not going to belabor the point but the battery life is barely 3-4 hours which is unacceptable in this day and age. But I know why that is - due to the lovely 4K display! So there you have it, it is a great device if the cons are not deal breakers for you and if Samsung can get its act together and fix the firmware issue / and potential trackpad issue that mine was having

This is the best Chromebook I have ever owned period, except for 3 areas. 1.) The battery. Died extremely quick off the charger. I'm talking like 4 to 5 hours fast. 2.) Gets really hot on your lap. Bad design to not have the vents that the new galaxy Chromebook 2 has. 3.) Speakers were not the best. Other than those complaints, I thoroughly enjoyed this Chromebook. It was extremely lightweight and the screen was simply gorgeous. I did return it. I just could not get passed the battery issue.