I bought my Chromebook Pixel direct from Google, fully expecting to return it within the 15-day return period once I had taken it for a spin. But, you know what? It was so good... I kept it! Despite the hefty price tag.Having used other Chromebooks such as the "cheep and cheerful" Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch), and being more concerned with their function rather than their form, I surprised myself by falling in love with the potentially gimmicky and indulgent features that set the Chromebook Pixel apart from other Chromebooks:
1. The display really is awesome, even when simply browsing the web and noticing the sheer sharpness of the on-screen characters.
2. The sound is really awesome, nice and loud despite the fact that you can't see the speakers (which are hidden under the keyboard).
3. The touch screen is surprisingly useful for scrolling up and down through web pages and documents, and I seem to be able to hit the right buttons on screen with less hit-and-miss than I have experienced (for example) when operating the Microsoft Surface (32GB) web browser in desktop mode.
4. I love the solid feel and square simplicity of the aluminium casing on the Chromebook Pixel.
As explained in The Chrome Book (Third Edition): The Essential Guide to Cloud Computing with Google Chrome and the Chromebook, all Chromebooks are born equal in the sense that you should be able to do pretty much the same things on all of them. But it's so much more pleasurable to do those things on this beautiful machine. And I didn't expect to say this!
Why four stars rather than five? Only the price. But I guess that if you want quality... you have to pay for it.
So, all in all, this is a great deal, once you factor in the free storage and the free 4g LTE allowance. Tip: if you have a Verizon business account, get in on unlimited data plans and then you're golden. The other bonus for me for this is obviously the display, the touch screen, the stability, and the integration with Android/Chrome devices.I bought this straight from the Google Play store, but Amazon's price is competitive. No matter where you get yours from, I think that you are really going to like it.
Speed. This machine, with its i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and 32GB SSD is every bit as fast as my Quad Core i7 windows machine that has twice as much RAM and also has a SSD. As long as you are on a good network connection, everything you do on this machine is pretty much instantaneous.
Build quality. Apple has nothing on this machine in terms of build quality. It is solid. In terms of build quality and materials, it is equal to a MacBook Pro and better than my HP Elitebook. Solid quality.
Screen. The screen is the main reason I bought this machine, and I wasn't disappointed when it arrived. The resolution is awesome for someone who likes to fit a lot of data on the screen at a time (in spreadsheets) or just someone who likes crisp beautiful graphics. I love the aspect ratio, resolution, and touch interface.
Touch. Speaking of the touch screen, I don't use it that much. It works great, and I love having the option of reaching up and touching the screen to do things.
Keyboard. The keyboard on this machine has a great feel. I love typing on it.
Storage. Having only 32GB of onboard storage scares me. I would never replace my primary computer with something so `cloud based'. That said, this is not my primary computer. Therefore, not having the space onboard to store all my stuff isn't a big deal, and is actually in line with the way that I work.
OS. I still prefer Windows 7 for my primary computer, but for an ancillary machine like this, Chrome is fine. It works great. The only way someone could use this as their only computer is if everything they do is available in the Cloud. If you need to run productivity software like Adobe Acrobat, Photoshop, or Premiere, on your machine, than you'll need to stick to Windows or Mac.
If you know what you are getting into with Chrome, then I strongly recommend you check this computer out. It is obviously more expensive than the other Chromebooks, but it is fair considering the build quality and what you get for the money.This is a lovely device, and although the price tag might make one wince, if you have the means there is no other screen like this in the world. It makes a hell of a difference once on arrival and continues to dawn on you as you use it over the course of days/weeks.OK, let's be clear. The Pixel is something special. It is a work of art, an engineering triumph, and a game changer. You really have to experience it to fully understand it. I have been using Chromebooks for a couple of years, the first Acer model, then the Samsung 5 550 model. Both decent for what they cost, but with limitations as far as quality and performance. Samsung performed better, Acer actually had the nicer display. So I use them and I understand ChromeOS and the experience it delivers. I also understand the virtues it brings and the trade-offs you make in exchange. I have some excellent Windows Notebooks accumulated over the years, a tablet and other similar devices. So I know the gear, the OS, and what to expect.
I read probably every review of the Google Pixel online and all the comments. Thankfully, there were some good reviews in all the chaff. But...you really have to see, touch, and use the Pixel to know. That said, I ordered mine sight unseen...a man of faith. ;)
I have always felt the physical limits of the low cost devices were a mixed blessing. Yes, cheap is good and has it's attractions. But if you spend untold hours online as I do, you begin to long for a nice keyboard and, especially, a nice display for tired eyes. Also, as someone who enjoys art, photography and videography as hobbies, a good display is something I require. I appreciate the value of having a good one and am willing to pay for it. Life is too short to endure the crappy displays so prevalent these last many years. Thankfully, that's now changing.
So...to me, the Google Pixel, while expensive, was something of which I could understand the value proposition on offer. The minute I got mine, I knew. This was what I had been looking for, not just in a Chromebook, but as my primary computing device. Yes, damn expensive (even though I got a very good deal on mine), but worth every penny to me.
Incredible display, gloriously clear text and beautiful colors and images. Excellent keyboard, one of the best I have used on a notebook. And absolutely the best trackpad/touchpad I have ever used in my life. What a joy! I feel no need for an external mouse at all and that's exceptional, because I feel that way about no other notebook. Perfect right out of the box. No false taps or errors. It simply works. (For those who have experienced the truly abysmal touchpads on many recent highend notebooks, this will catch your attention and I hear your sigh of relief!)
An "intelligent" back-lit keyboard...best I've used (in a thin ultra-portable size device). Fabulous tactile feel and response. And the perfect size and shape! The Pixel is exactly the right size. That is no small thing. And the screen is exactly the right size and the perfect ratio (3:2), same as my photographic images. At working distance, the width is correct for your eyes and the height as well. I can live with wide displays and even prefer them for certain things. But the 16:10 and 3:2 ratios have always seemed the best to me for general use.
The quality of the display and the appearance of text reminds me of the very expensive typesetting machines I used many years back when I worked in publishing. They had very expensive high resolution monitors for displaying fonts with precision...just as the Pixel. My eyes are loving this.
The build quality. The elegance of the design. If you have to work long hours online and then you are crazy enough to also want to play longs hours online...well, then you might rejoice at using such a finely crafted rig, one where you enjoy it every time you open the lid, or feel the solid mass and quality as you pick it up. I value good gear highly, so this is a natural pleasure for me.
The speakers are also outstanding. The stereo separation is excellent. The tonal qualities are very good for a small unit such as this. Music is very pleasant. Good clarity, plenty of volume. The tonal range seems very good, bass is meager, of course, but overall the sound is very good and you can get by without headphones or speakers (though, of course, either will improve the sound). Sound while watching videos/movies/Netflix/Amazon Instant Video and so on is also fine. Never did I feel I had to go looking for my bluetooth speakers. Perfectly acceptable sound for a portable device.
It is nice to use something where everything feels right, works well, and you never think...oh, I wish it had a better screen, or keyboard, or whatever. That is worth a little extra in my book. Watching movies is fantastic. Great contrast, black levels, detail, color...and it was weird at first. I am so used to having to adjust the screen for the best image...here the image quality is constant...no need to adjust the display angle...move left or right, stand up, sit down...the image still looks great. Amazing. Good image quality and a good video/movie experience are a hard requirement for me and the Pixel delivers.
The free terabyte of cloud storage is nothing to sneeze at, either. It's free for three years. At the end of three years, you get to keep everything you have stored there indefinitely, but must pay if you wish to add more. Google Drive as it's called is well integrated with the File Manager and is very easy to use and quite convenient. It's worth $1800 if you bought it outright, so a nice bonus. (If you are a small business, this is something to consider. A terabyte of Google managed storage at your disposal and an excellent high-end notebook...hmmmm.)
The Pixel comes in a nice box with a magnetic latch (mirroring that of the Pixel display). There is no manual, per se, but there are extensive 'getting started' items in an included app of that name and plenty of info online and on the unit itself. And, of course, if you've already used a Chromebook, as I have, then you're all set. There are a bunch of useful apps preloaded, such as the main offline apps you might want (Gmail offline is very nice), and it automatically syncs up with your apps, bookmarks, and other content as ChromeOS is designed to do. So, whichever of my chromebooks I use, I can access everything and it will always be up to date. Sweet!
At about 8.75 x 11.75 inches (slightly larger than a sheet of paper) it's very portable and easy to handle. And the solid feel and heft are a pleasure in use. This rig is about as close to perfect as you can get as far as design and build. It really is that good. Really.
The ChromeOS which elicits so much comment and sometimes scorn is, in my view, an equally great asset. I have been in IT nearly all my life and have been living and breathing computers and tech since I was a child. I have owned and used an incredible variety of units, from the Commodore, Apple, Amiga days til now, and worked with Linux in the late 80's and 90's, back when only a few hundred people had ever heard of it. I have spent countless hours installing and maintaining both hardware and software. I know the nitty, gritty details quite well. I have power-user rigs at hand. Maybe that's why I understand and value what Chromebooks are all about. First of all, the security. For daily use, nothing beats a Chromebook for security. Reliability. Synchronization across all of your chrome devices. Ability to easily wipe the unit clean and start fresh -without losing anything, without having to constantly backup and manage disk, without having endless updates, viruses, and other annoying problems popping up. The Chromebook is the most stable, reliable, secure computing environment I have ever used. The hardware and OS are designed for security from the ground up. Back in my UNIX Sys V days I championed thin clients and I still appreciate their virtues.
Chromebooks are the perfect notebook for 80% of the people who just want to do the common things like read email, surf the web, post their photos, watch streaming video, listen to music, and so on. Very few people actually edit video or photos at any level that requires Sony Vegas or Photoshop. Having spent many hours helping friends and colleagues with computer and software issues, I know how happy they'd be with a Chromebook if they made the switch. But, though it's popularity is growing fast, it's still a small part of the overall market. That may well change. The Pixel stands as a beacon as to what is possible.
I just use it. It works. I enjoy what I'm doing and can focus on what I am doing and not the tool I am using to do it. Though, as a techie, I do stop now and then to admire the elegance of the Pixel. For me, it is well worth the price I paid.
Pros:
Very fast web surfing, faster than any of my windows notebooks. Web pages look great, easy to scroll and zoom.
Gorgeous 2560x1700 Display has beautiful colors, contrast, and detail. Everything looks good.
Solid aluminum body looks great, feels great. Top quality build.
Keyboard is one the best I've seen. Intelligent back-lighting works very well. Use Alt-BackSpace for DELETE. ;)
Touchpad/Trackpad might be the best in existence. Works exceptionally well.
Elegant design means a pleasure to use, everything just works and well. Ultra-portable.
Chromebooks are very secure, data syncs automatically across devices, very stable and reliable.
Includes a Terabyte of Google managed online storage (an $1800 value) probably the best quality cloud storage on offer.
Has a touch screen that works well.
Cons:
Expensive. (But you get what you pay for.)
ChromeOS wifi connect can be flaky sometimes (a known software issue which hopefully will be fixed by an update).
Keyboard missing keys like Delete, Home, End, Page Up/Down, etc. (There are equivalents, like Alt-BackSpace for DELETE)
ChromeOS still maturing. An occasional minor quirk here and there.
Battery life is only 5 hours or so, could be better. Mitigated a bit by the nearly instant on/off cycle of the Pixel.
Display is glossy and reflections can be an issue in some lighting situations, but very bright screen means usually a minor issue.
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