A photo uploaded to the Chromium Issue Tracker could offer our first glimpse at the long rumoured Chromebook Pixel 2.
The first generation Chromebook Pixel released in 2013 had everything one could want in a Chrome device: sleek, industrial design, high-resolution touch display and hardware more than able to keep pace with premium notebooks from other vendors.
The starting price of $1299 meant it wasn’t cheap, but Google didn’t pitch it as anything other than a developer luxury.
Despite the high price tag the device seems to have sold well enough to warrant a successor. Google appear to be working on a Chromebook Pixel 2.
Spotted In The Wild?
A bug report recently filed by a Google employee working on the Chromium project (which includes Chrome OS devices) contained a photo of what is clearly the first generation Chromebook Pixel (the hinge alone is a giveaway).
The bug report the image appears with is related solely to the new, as-yet unreleased Samus development board and is attached to illustrate an issue affecting Samus, thereby ruling out the original Pixel, codenamed ‘Link’.
Does that mean that the Chromebook Pixel 2 will look a lot like the existing model? Will it reuse the same chassis and have the same screen size? Entirely possible based on this one photo. After all, the Pixel has a stunning design, so why fix what isn’t broken?
SAMUS
The ‘Samus’ board (named, like all Chrome devices, from a character in a computer game) the device in the photo runs on has been in testing for a long time at Google HQ. It’s rumoured to use one of Intel’s 5th generation Core M Y-series chips, and continue pushing a super high-density touch display, feature an interactive lightbar, backlit keyboard and other premium niceties.
Current board details available to view also suggest that, despite the fanless Intel chip inside, the model features two separate fans.
The first-generation Pixel packed a dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB RAM and a 12.85-inch touch display at a pixel-popping 2560 x 1700 resolution. Any successor would need to match, or at least maintain, those premium standards.
USB Type C
As unearthed back in July of last year, “Samus” uses USB 3.1 ‘Type C’ ports. This reversible new standard will make attaching peripherals easier, feature better charging capabilities and offer data transfer speeds of up to 10 Gbps. USB Type-C ports are due to start shipping on more consumers devices over the coming year.
The image is attached to a bug report that references issues with a DisplayPort USB Type-C adapter, but success with a HDMI to USB Type-C adapter.
Other than these latest tidbits, the rest of what a potential Chromebook Pixel 2 might or might not be remains unknown. RAM, release dates and retail availability are a little way off yet.
Would you buy a second-gen Pixel? What features would you like to see it have?