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OPINION: Rumours have been floating round surrounding ‘Chromebook X’, a brand new label that may clearly point out high-end Chromebooks from their finances siblings. However because it at the moment stands, this doesn’t seem to be something greater than a change of branding, with no concentrate on really bettering Chromebook {hardware}.
The highlight is on Google this week, with rumours flying round a couple of model new verification system for its Chromebook line of laptops. Seen first on 9to5Google, the report claims that Google will probably be introducing ‘Chromebook X’ as a label for high-end Chromebooks. It’s price noting out of the gate that that is all at the moment hypothesis, with no affirmation from Google on the validity of those claims.
Placing apart the concept that this might all be wishful considering, I needed to take a better have a look at the thought of bringing in a Chromebook X label.
For starters, it’s very harking back to Intel Evo. For a extra detailed rationalization try our Intel Evo explainer, however in a nutshell, Intel Evo is a excessive badge of honour awarded to Intel-powered machines that hit a selected set of standards. This contains battery life, Wi-Fi 6E help, quick charging and extra. It’s a very simple means for customers to determine succesful laptops without having to know all the pc jargon that normally goes together with that.
However Chromebook X isn’t doing what Intel Evo does, no less than not in the identical means. 9to5Google claims that Chromebook X laptops should hit some standards. Essentially the most notable of those is the processor necessities. Chromebook X units might want to embrace both an AMD Zen 2+ (Skyrim), AMD Zen 3 (Guybrush) or Intel Core twelfth Gen (Brya and Nissa).
These specs look completely affordable, till you realise that the so-called Nissa line represents Intel’s N-Sequence chips, that are well-known for his or her affordability and usually function in laptops which might be below £400/$400.
Which means that, not like Intel Evo, Chromebook X will not be singling out one of the best of one of the best. Google could be setting a low bar by permitting verification for Chromebooks with the restrictions of an outdated or underpowered processor. Positive, not everybody wants a juggernaut laptop computer, but it surely feels a tad deceptive to label them as an “above common” Chromebook when that isn’t mirrored by the specs. This feels extra like an train in rebranding than any try to really enhance the {hardware}.
After all, Chromebooks could be highly effective units. The HP Dragonfly Professional Chromebook (2023) comes with an Intel Core twelfth Gen processor, which supplied incredible efficiency in our testing – no less than for a Chromebook. However as our assessments present, it could’t maintain up in opposition to lots of its Home windows rivals. And the $999 price ticket is nicely out of vary of what most Chromebooks price, which is without doubt one of the principal promoting factors of those laptops over Home windows and Mac units.
It doesn’t matter what label you stick onto a Chromebook, it has its limitations. That’s to not say that you must by no means contemplate attempting out a Chromebook, however I get the impression that the brand new Chromebook X moniker is an try to mitigate the sluggish development of {hardware} and as a substitute rebrand what’s already in the marketplace.
Including a Chromebook X sticker will not be going to unravel Google’s Chromebook downside. If Google desires folks to maneuver on from the concept that Chromebooks are all simply browser-in-a-box machines, then it wants to start out upgrading the {hardware} the place it counts. I’d like to see a brand new PixelBook that leads the cost.
And if not, then begin promoting Chromebooks on what they’re good at; easy searching, straightforward navigation and (normally) a really reasonably priced asking value. It looks as if Google is attempting to have its cake and eat it too, with newfound phrases which might be merely placing a recent coat of paint on what we’re already conversant in.
Ctrl+Alt+Delete is our weekly computing-focused opinion column the place we delve deeper into the world of computer systems, laptops, parts, peripherals and extra. Discover it on Trusted Critiques each Saturday afternoon.
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