Google Chromebook Pixel: 1.8GHz, 2560 x 1700 touchscreen display, $1,299

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Google, PC / Laptop

Today Google announced the Chromebook Pixel, a touchscreen notebook that seems to be Google's most confusing product offering. What's so weird about the Chromebook Pixel? We'll get to that shortly--first, let's go through a rundown of the specs.

Google is touting the Chromebook Pixel as the perfect notebook computer for anyone who spends the majority of their computing time in the browser and using cloud services. It's got a 12.85-inch display with a 3x2 aspect ratio, offering 18% more vertical space than a 16x9 display offers. Google is proud of this display, what with its 2,560 x 1,700 pixel resolution with 239 ppi density and 400nit brightness. Oh, and it's also a touchscreen, so you can interact with it directly with your fingertips.

Powering the Chromebook Pixel is a 1.8 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor paired with 4 GB RAM. You get two storage options that are tied to Internet connectivity--32 GB SSD with Wi-Fi, or 64 GB SSD with Wi-Fi and Verizon LTE. Both options give you 1 TB of Google Drive storage for all those files and images you want to be able to work with. An HD camera is onboard for video chat, and you get an "enhanced" glass trackpad, whatever that means. As far as ports go, expect two USB ports, mini DisplayPort, microphone and headphones port, and SD card reader. Wi-Fi is 802.11a/b/g/n, and Bluetooth is also included.

Pricing is where this all falls apart. Google is selling the Wi-Fi 32 GB Chromebook Pixel for $1,299, while the 64 GB Wi-Fi LTE version goes for $1,449. You can pre-order the Chromebook Pixel now on Google Play.