Google Pixelbook Go 13.3" Chromebook - Intel Core i7, 256GB SSD + 16GB RAM - Just Black

Product Information

The Pixelbook is ideal for those who want a long-lasting, self-sufficient and travel-friendly Chromebook that just so happens to also have a glossy tablet mode for Android Play Store apps. If these strengths are not tempting, then a cheaper Chromebook like the Lenovo ThinkPad 13 or Asus Chromebook Flip with Play Store support can accomplish just as much and with a wider variety of integrated ports.

This is a gorgeous laptop. It’s slim, light, very nicely put together, and it has a big, bright 13.3in screen. With a comfy keyboard and large touchpad it’s a great all-round machine. And it houses, not an Intel Celeron as so many of its Chromebook brethren do, but a full-fat Intel Core i5 CPU. This is a proper laptop, in other words, albeit one that runs ChromeOS. The Pixelbook Go's camera is far better than those of most other ultraportable laptops, owing to its 1080p resolution. (Most laptop webcams are limited to shooting video in 720p.) This means noticeably better videoconferencing quality—the picture was free of graininess during my testing in a brightly lit office, something that even far more expensive laptops can't accomplish. Parents buying their college-bound son or daughter a Pixelbook Go will appreciate this feature. Where the Pixelbook Go stretches out a lead over all its rivals is battery life. Quite simply, it’s stunning in this regard. In our video rundown test, it lasted 14hrs 15mins, which is nearly five hours longer than the Dell Inspiron Chromebook 14 and nearly six hours longer than the Pixel Slate. This really is a laptop you can work on all day without plugging it in into the mains, perhaps more so than any other conventional laptop I’ve used. And the fact you can charge it via USB Type-C only adds to the convenience.

Weirdly, the most eye-catching part of the Pixelbook Go is its crinkle-cut underside. Aside from adding a little extra bit of grip, though, and giving you a talking point on the walk between meetings, it doesn’t have much point. The rest of the design is unfussy yet appealing. Its gently curved corners and flat lid feel friendly and approachable and I particularly like the smooth matte finish, which Google calls “finely painted magnesium”; it feels lovely under the palm.

Pixelbook Go is equipped with two USB-C 3.1 ports that can handle both charging and display output. (Image credit: Future) Performance First off, we’ll just say that it’s a damn shame that the Pixelbook Pen is excluded in the price of the Pixelbook, as it’s arguably crucial to the experience. However, we’re not about the say that the stylus isn’t worth the price of admission, because it 100% is worth it – if you can spare it.This falls very closely in line with Google’s promised number – 12 hours on a charge – which is rare for almost every laptop on the market at the time of its release. This is a testament to the benefits these companies enjoy from tuning their own hardware and software in tandem.