The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus delivers great performance and extended battery life in a thin, lightweight and smooth-feeling design. It can feel strangely wide, and it’s not exactly set at a low price, but it gives Chromebooks a good name.
Delgado and Steel Design
Fast performance
Beautiful 15. 6 inches screen
Comfortable and accurate keyboard and touchpad
A tad wide
Strange location of the “plus” key
Samsung’s Galaxy Chromebook Plus ($699) surprised me. With a similar aesthetic appeal to the M3 MacBook Air, the long battery life of the Dell XPS 13 and the snappy connectivity of a Galaxy phone, it encapsulates all the best traits of the devices I’m a fan of — and it does it well.
While Chromebooks have done an admirable job of locating their position in an ever-expanding computing market, they have rarely caught my attention purely because of their lack of raw strength compared to the competition. But the Galaxy Chromebook Plus repositions my expectations for the better, offering fast functionality for vital everyday tasks, such as browsing the web, streaming and running documents online, in a premium steel design. Diversity and light.
Is it on the pricey side for a Chromebook? Sure, even when compared to the exemplary Lenovo IdeaPad Flex Chromebook Plus ($499). Plus, accessing quick-access features via the “Plus” key that’s on the Caps Lock key can get some getting used to, and this is certainly a wider laptop than most. But these can be excused thanks to its vibrant, 15.6-inch AMOLED display and premium-feeling keyboard and touchpad.
The Galaxy Chromebook Plus is the first Chromebook I see running (which I do while writing) and, for other reasons, it is one of the most productive Chromebook, see the rest of my review.
The Samsung Chromebook Plus isn’t meant to blow your socks off in terms of sheer performance (especially on paper), like a $1,299 Dell XPS 13 or $1,099 M3 MacBook Air, but it’s not meant to. What it does do well is just about everything else, but it still nails it in the power department in terms of Chromebooks.
Sporting an Intel Core 3 100U CPU, the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus offers more than enough performance to run every app that’s available on a Chromebook. Thanks to connectivity to the Play Store, I even got Android app games such as Balatro and Call of Duty: Mobile up and running without any hiccups.
I had no issues launching apps post haste and switching between the 20 Chrome tabs I had open, with some playing YouTube videos. Chromebooks generally excel and web-based apps, so I was impressed to see the Galaxy Chromebook Plus jump around without any noticeable sluggish pace. And this shows in our testing.
Even when they’re on par with other Chromebook notebooks, like the $499 Lenovo IdeaPad Flex Fromebook Plus and the $649 Acer Chromebook 515, the Galaxy Chromebook Plus beat them in Geekbench 6. Geekbench 6. Cut in Internetxprt Test, A a Reference which compares the functionality on Internet devices, but has stood out. However, it is beaten in our Jetsstream 2 reference.
Doing everyday tasks such as typing away in Google Docs, browsing images in Google Photos, going on video calls on Google Meet and playing a few rounds of Balatro all felt smooth. Plus, I didn’t even hear a peep out of the Galaxy Chromebook Plus — it was quiet as can be with minimal fan noise under heavy load.
You have to hand it to Samsung for making this 15-inch Chromebook Plus as slim, attractive and lightweight as it is, especially when it finds enough room to even add a number pad to the keyboard. Heck, I even think it does a better job than the M3 MacBook Air.
I took the Galaxy Chromebook plus with me a short vacation in Ireland and I was surprised to see how gentle I felt in my computer bag. Being able to get a 15 -inch thin pocket book without challenge and paintings on a surface is a decent advantage, even if the computer is wider (more on this topic later).
He is also the spectator. The Chromebook’s steel chassis and Neptune Blue finish give it a premium look and feel, and it pairs perfectly with any plaid or coffee table thanks to its minimalist design.
What really inspired me was its keyboard and touchpad, the former being correct for typing thanks to the striking but quiet keys and a wonderful distance. Making full use of the chassis also leaves enough area for a virtual pavement, which the figures will appreciate beautifully. As for the touch panel, it is giant and gives forged and passable presses.
As someone who has had a wrong idea that Chromebooks are less expensive machines, the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus has in fact shown me badly.
With a 15. 6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) AMOLED display, the Galaxy Chromebook Plus delivers wonderfully colorful images, even if its solution is just as sharp at 1080p. Still, it’s hard to beat a full-size AMOLED display, especially when streaming my favorite TV shows and movies.
I decided to catch up on ”Squid Game” season 2 and was pleased with the eerily poppy colors of the playground setting during “Red Light, Green Light.” Colors are punchy, the visuals are smooth and there’s just enough detail here to offer that “wow” factor when there’s an impressive sight to behold (like money going into the overblown glass piggy bank when players are, erm, knocked out in the Korean smash hit).
As our demonstration verification effects show, the screen provides enough brightness to make the reflection shine too much, when the volume of the colors range reaches the right point.
With Google Gemini at your disposal to do quick paintings of express search queries, edit images temporarily, or translate live, I found that the Galaxy Chromebook Plus was right to seamlessly connect my accounts and devices as soon as I was given it started. From without delay, detecting my Google Pixel buds a series to linking my pixel to access my texts, images, and rather connectivity here anything as discovered seamlessly on a Windows laptop.
Of course, like an iPhone with a MacBook, this is simpler for those with an Android phone or other Google-based devices that attach seamlessly to a Chromebook. Still, I was pleased to see how undeniable it is to attach this Galaxy Chromebook Plus to my device ecosystem.
Chromebooks deserve to be known for their battery life, as they are basically internet-based machines, but not all Chromebooks have proven this to be true. The Galaxy Chromebook Plus, on the other hand, nevertheless gives us the battery you were hoping for. It’s not a MacBook Air M3 (over 15 hours) or equivalent, but it still does a smart task in the Chromebooks box.
With more than 11 hours of autonomy, the Galaxy Chromebook more than its competitors, and that even compares it with one of the Chromebooks on the market.
There are many failures in the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus, even though it leans towards the most expensive aspect of the Chromebook. This is rarely a great challenge for those who can make a complete use of online applications of the Google suite, however, there are some other peculiarities to discuss.
The Galaxy Chromebook Plus ships with a complicated “plus” tap that lets you open other quick access options, such as Google Drive or Google Meet, Chrome Navigation History, and search for everything you’re looking for. The only thing he loses? The lock key for a must-have, easy-to-bear capital letter, and it’s a one-touch location that many other people can use permanently.
Instead of simply pressing the Caps Yetton and turning it on, you will have to click the Caps option before it turns on. It absolutely adjusts the function of the key, and although you can press Shift+ or press FN+ caps to set the caps lock, I still can’t think that it would be more suitable on another engaged key. It’s a small tidbit, but preferably this useful AI type key would be used elsewhere.
Many modern laptops have gone to an appearance of 16:10 to make the most of their compact designs and longer screens, but the Galaxy Chromebook Plus turns out to have gone in the opposite direction.
Although this is not a problem, this computer is noticeably wide, which makes it a bit annoying to place on a table, a seat on a plane or train, or even a small coffee tablet.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that Samsung managed to include a number pad to the Chromebook without making it feel cramped but be warned that the width comes with a few extra inches compared to other Chromebooks, Windows laptops and MacBooks.
The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus is finally putting Chromebooks back on my radar, which I never expected to happen. It’s a completely capable notebook for most people, as it’s snappy in the places that count the most. Having a suite of apps on the Play Store further expands its helpfulness, but it’s the AMOLED display, comfortable keyboard and touchpad, wicked battery life (for a Chromebook) and lightweight design that really makes this Chromebook shine.
Even with its “more” touch location, spacious chassis, and more beloved charging than the Maxes, it’s still one of the top productive Chromebooks I’d recommend. If you’re looking for a less-loved 2-in-1 device, check out the Acer Chromebook Spin 714.
Darragh is the PC editor of Tom’s consultant and is fascinated by all things strange about technology. His work can be seen on Mag Mag, Mashable, Android Police, Shortlist Dubai, Proton, Thebit. nz, Reviewsfire, and more. When you check out newer devices and all things PCs, you can be found for long, dreaded runs, watching horrific movies about sharks, and looking for time to play.
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