At CES 2017, Samsung took the veil off two new Chromebooks, namely the Samsung Chromebook Pro and Chromebook Plus. Both have been largely uncovered in terms of what hardware components make them tick, but although the Chromebook Plus has already been launched on Amazon via pre-order for the price of $449, pricing details for the Samsung Chromebook Pro remained unknown. This was until more recently when Samsung’s Adam Kuhn confirmed in an interview with J Tech TV on the CES show floor that the Chromebook Pro variant equipped with an Intel Core M3 processor will be priced at $549.
Chromebooks seem to have increased in popularity over the past year or so, and this year at CES Samsung has rejoined the Chromebook game with two brand new models. Both the Samsung Chromebook Plus and Chromebook Pro are somewhat unusual for the category they reside in, primarily for the fact that they adopt a 2-in-1 form factor, with a 12.3-inch display module being attached to the base through a 360-degree hinge. Albeit, more Chromebook manufacturers seem to have aligned their vision with 2-in-1 designs this year, and as an example, ASUS also unveiled a 2-in-1 Chromebook at CES 2017, called the ASUS Chromebook Flip C302. But getting back to the matter at hand, the Samsung Chromebook Pro boasts a QHD display with a resolution of 2400 x 1600, and features an Intel Core M3 processor under the hood, coupled with 4 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage. Save for the CPU, these are the same hardware specifications flaunted by the Samsung Chromebook Plus; however, the Chromebook Plus is powered by a different (less powerful) processor, specifically the OP1 hexa-core CPU.
Needless to say, the Samsung Chromebook Pro will have a price tag higher than the Chromebook Plus’ by $100, for a total of $549. The extra $100 will ensure a more powerful processor drives the Samsung Chromebook Pro, but whether or not the extra cost is worth it remains to be seen. For users who may want to buy one of Samsung’s Chromebooks for light personal use, the Chromebook Plus could be the right choice, but prospective buyers who can spare an extra $100 will likely have substantially more processing power at their disposal. Either way, the Samsung Chromebook Pro is expected to hit the shelves this spring.