The Chromebook category has always had a singular focus: simplified access to Google's web services through affordable hardware, often times well below the $350 mark. But with the introduction of the Chromebook Pixel, Google is attempting to prove that the Chromebook can be more than a cheap supplemental computer — it can also be the high-end machine of a cloud-based future. Sporting a stunning 2560x1700 touchscreen display, an anodized aluminum chassis, and an Intel Core i5 processor, the Chromebook Pixel shares more DNA with a MacBook Pro than a netbook.
Unlike its light, plastic-encased brethren, the Chromebook Pixel feels significant. It's made almost entirely a charcoal-tinted aluminum with a brushed metal finish. It's weighty at 3.35 pounds, which is on-par with most laptops of its size and only about a pound heavier than Samsung's 11.6-inch $249 Chromebook.
Despite its premium build materials, the design itself is actually kind of boring. The frame is dominated by flat surfaces and sharp edges, giving the Pixel is a box-like appearance. The sole distinguishing feature the exterior is a single LED strip on the top panel, which flashes red, yellow, and green when you open the lid and pulses blue during use. As early reviewers discovered, the light bar is actually host to a small easter egg integrated into the Pixel by Google's developers. Whenever the Konami code is entered into the keyboard, regardless of the app you're using, the light bar will spring to life, flashing a pattern of colors for a brief spurt. While ultimately a useless feature, it's a fun anecdotal addition.
The real star of the show, however, is what's inside the clamshell lid — the staggeringly beautiful touchscreen display. At 239 pixels-per-inch (ppi), the Chromebook Pixel narrowly bests Apple's acclaimed 220ppi MacBook Pro with Retina Display in terms of pixel density. What's even more impressive, however, is its touch control capabilities. Though not originally built for touch interfaces, Chrome OS detects swipes, taps, and other gestures with surprising accuracy and responsiveness. Scrolling through pages is fluid and natural and taps are registered with virtually no delay. Contextual menus are opened by a simple tap and hold and items can be zoomed-in or -out with a pinch.
The quality and responsiveness of the display is due, in large part, to the Pixel's 1.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with integrated HD 4000 graphics and 4GB of RAM. With a proper notebook processor, the Chromebook Pixel is lightyears ahead of its low-cost siblings with regards to performance.
But even if it's faster, prettier, and has a better display, the Chromebook Pixel is still a Chromebook. It's still just a stripped down, Linux-based machine whose sole purpose is to access web-based apps. Although the platform has evolved to allow for offline access to Gmail, Google Docs, Calendar, and locally stored images and videos, a bulk of the Chromebook Pixel's utility is dependent on your connection to the web. Fortunately, the Pixel comes in an LTE-enabled variant that reduces the pain of being away from a Wi-Fi hotspot.
But can constant connectivity and a sleek design make enough of a compelling case for the Pixel's $1,299 MSRP in face of more versatile PCs? I'll have to spend a little more time with it to find out, but for now, consider me cautiously optimistic.
Scott Lowe is IGN's resident tech expert and Executive Editor of IGN Tech. You can follow him on Twitter at @ScottLowe and on MyIGN at Scott-IGN.
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