With the launch of Chromebook Pixel, Google made a strong entry into the high-end ultrabook segment. A few months earlier, Google had released a low cost ultrabook, Samsung Chromebook Series 3 which created quite a stir in the market. Priced at merely $249, it became a favorite among people who were ready to make the switch to a Cloud based OS. As opposed to this, the Chromebook Pixel is priced at close to $1300 and is competing with the likes of MacBook Pro and Acer Aspire S7 among others.

Chromebook Pixel – Review

The Chromebook Pixel comes with a third generation Intel Core i5, 1.8GHz dual-core processor, 4GB RAM and 32/64GB hard drive. It also boasts of high resolution Retina touch screen display usually found in Apple MacBook products. The Chromebook Pixel weighs 3.35 pounds and it sports a 12.85-inches display. The design is flawless, the touchscreen functions brilliantly and the Chrome OS is just as smooth as it looks. In terms of performance, the Chromebook Pixel will not give you any reason to complain.

On the flip side though, $1300 is a hefty price to pay for an ultrabook that runs on a cloud based OS. The Chrome OS comes with its share of limitations – you can’t use regular programs like Microsoft Office and Photoshop. Sure enough, there are alternatives like Google Drive and Pixlr but it can take a while to get used to them. Additionally, they might not compare to Microsoft programs in terms of performance and productivity.

As a result of these limitations, the Chromebook Pixel caters to a very select audience i.e. people who primarily use their laptops for online browsing or who are comfortable using Cloud based alternatives for traditional programs. Additionally, one has to be willing to pay quite a lot of money for an ultrabook that might not meet his or her basic technical requirements.

How does it compare with its competitors?

As soon as the Chromebook Pixel was launched, comparisons were made with MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. The Apple MacBook Pro comes with high resolution Retina display which makes for unbelievable clarity and sharpness in terms of display. In terms of technical specs, MacBook Pro is way ahead of Chromebook Pixel with a third generation Intel i7 2.3 GHz quad-core processor, 8/16GB memory and 256 GB hard drive. Additionally, one gets to use the iOS which is a full-fledged operating system with an array of programs as opposed to cloud based Chrome OS. However, these features come at a high cost as the MacBook Pro with Retina Display is priced close to $2000.

One can also compare Chromebook Pixel to Acer Aspire S7, an ultrabook which runs on Microsoft Windows 8. This ultrabook from Acer ships with Intel i7 1.9GHz dual-core processor, 4GB memory and 256 GB hard drive. Microsoft has made a very conscious effort to ensure that the Windows 8 OS supports a touch-friendly experience and the results are evident. The touchscreen is more receptive than other operating systems and the ultrabook performs without any glitches. Again, this ultrabook doesn’t come cheap either. Priced at close to $1600, it is a few hundred dollars expensive than the Chromebook Pixel.