Google launches Chromebook Plus, promises ‘double the performance’ and AI capabilities

Google has announced Chromebook Plus, a new laptop category certification program that will offer more powerful Chromebooks with improved performance, more optimized software experience, and new AI features.

Know all about Google’s Chromebook Plus certification program and what the laptops with this label will offer. (Google)

In 2011, Google announced the first Chromebooks, a category of laptops that offered faster performance than traditional computers and were designed for web-based applications for tasks using the Google Chrome browser. Since then, Chromebooks have come a long way but it has continued to deliver its core offering of fast boot times and load times for apps, as well as being an easy-to-use device. More than a decade after its inception, Google has now launched a new certification program called Chromebook Plus, a label that will come with laptops that offer improved performance and the AI capabilities of the Google apps.

Announcing Google Chromebook Plus, the company said in a blog post, “With double the performance, Chromebook Plus offers built-in Google apps and powerful AI capabilities. It also offers Google Photos Magic Eraser and Adobe Photoshop on the web to help consumers boost their productivity, inspire their creativity and make everyday tasks intuitive. It's a laptop experience that optimizes hardware performance with software apps and tools, all at a starting price of $399”.

It should be noted that Google Chromebook Plus is not a hardware product by the company, but a certification program that ensures a basic requirement for hardware to enable the advanced ChromeOS software to be deployed. Laptop manufacturers will be working to build Chromebooks with these minimum requirements in order to be able to use the label Chromebook Plus.

Google launches Chromebook Plus

Laptop shopping can be confusing with a long list of specifications and technical details to go along with it. This can result in consumers not getting the desired performance when they buy a Chromebook from the market. In order to make it easier for buyers to purchase a Chromebook without being short-changed on the quality, Google highlights that the Chromebook Plus certification will come in handy.

Each Chromebook Plus laptop will feature the following hardware specifications:

• CPU: Intel Core i3 12th Gen or above, or AMD Ryzen 3 7000 series or above
• RAM: 8GB+
• Storage: 128GB+
• Webcam: 1080p+ with Temporal Noise Reduction
• Display: Full HD IPS or better display

The company also highlighted that eight new Chromebooks are being developed by Google's partners at Acer, Asus, HP, and Lenovo “to build a guaranteed standard of performance that people can depend on”.

As per Google, you can order new Chromebook Plus laptops from major retailers in the U.S. including Best Buy, Amazon, Walmart, and Target starting October 8, 2023. In Canada and Europe, new Chromebook Plus laptops will be available starting on October 9, 2023. The launch dates for the rest of the geographies will be announced by the company in due time.

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