Samsung readying Galaxy Chromebook Go as potential budget alternative to Galaxy Chromebook 2 | ZDNet

Samsung’s original Galaxy Chromebook was released in 2020 with a high-end look, specs to match, and a $1,000 starting price tag. It was priced even higher than Google’s Pixelbook Go, but a grand for a Chromebook may have been too much for potential buyers, because the Galaxy Chromebook 2 was announced earlier this year with a scaled-down spec list and price. Nearly half the price of the original Galaxy Chromebook, the second version’s base configuration was built around Intel’s Celeron CPU instead of the Core i5 in its predecessor and a 1080p display instead of a 4K OLED screen, though it still retained the Fiesta Red color option.

Now the company appears to be setting its sights on even more budget-friendly terrain with the Galaxy Chromebook family, placing images and specs on its mobile press site for the Galaxy Chromebook Go. The details suggest a laptop that’s a far cry from the lofty heights of the original Galaxy Chromebook, but configured with moderate specs that could appeal to a wider audience with a price more in line with most Chromebooks.

Of course, we don’t know anything about the pricing of the Galaxy Chromebook Go or when it will be available for purchase. But Samsung has listed the key specs for the system, which is built around a dual-core Intel Celeron N4500 chip that’s based on more recent architecture than the Celeron 5205U processor in the Galaxy Chromebook 2. Nonetheless, it’s the least powerful of the Jasper Lake family of mobile chips for budget notebooks, capable of the basic tasks the Chrome OS is designed for, but not much beyond those.

While the Celeron N4500 appears to be the only processor option, the Galaxy Chromebook Go is a little more flexible when it comes to memory and storage, with RAM configurations of 4GB or 8GB, and 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB options for built-in storage.  The 14-inch display is slighter larger than the Galaxy Chromebook 2’s 13.3-inch screen, but with a lower resolution of 1,366×768 compared to 1,920×1,080, and no mention of the USI Pen support the Galaxy Chromebook 2 possesses.

As befits its name, the Galaxy Chromebook Go has the advantage when it comes to connectivity options compared to its pricier sibling: Whereas both the Chromebook 2 and Chromebook Go include Wi-Fi 6, the Go features the newer Bluetooth v5.1 as well as optional 4G LTE  In that sense, it’s similar to the recently announced Windows-powered Galaxy Book Go, though that laptop will have a 5G option coming later this year. Like the Chromebook 2, the Chromebook Go also comes with a pair of USB-C ports and a microSD card slot, though it lacks TPM security.

Considering the Galaxy Book Go’s starting price is $350 and includes a full HD 14-inch display, the Galaxy Chromebook Go should be priced lower. Presumably we will learn more details when Samsung holds its virtual Mobile World Congress (MWC) event on June 28. 

[Via Liliputing]