Lenovo guarantees 17 hours of battery life on its new Chromebook Plus 14

For years now, most Chromebooks have run some number of Intel or AMD processor. The occasional machine used a MediaTek chip, however they have been typically underpowered and low-cost gadgets that have been exhausting to advocate. ARM-based processors have labored tremendously effectively for Apple on the Mac, they usually’re being utilized in an increasing number of Home windows PCs as effectively. Now, Lenovo (makers of my favorite Chromebook) and Google are giving ARM an actual shot with the $649 Chromebook Plus 14.

The businesses say the MediaTek Kompanio Extremely 910 chip and its AI NPU can deal with as much as 50 TOPS — however extra intriguing to me, Lenovo can be promising as much as 17 hours of battery life. I’ll consider that declare after I see it; mediocre at greatest battery life has plagued practically each Chromebook I’ve used in recent times. However switching to ARM might enhance on what Intel-powered Chromebooks have delivered, each by way of battery life and general efficiency.

Time for the nitty-gritty specs. Lenovo’s Chromebook Plus 14 is, as you’d anticipate, a 14-inch laptop computer that appears fairly much like a silver MacBook Professional. It’s definitely extra trendy and smooth than Lenovo’s extra utilitarian (and awkwardly-named) IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus. It weighs solely 2.58 kilos (a few pound lower than the Flex 5i) and is simply over .62 inches thick. Along with the Kompanio Extremely 910 chip, Lenovo is together with both 12GB or 16GB of RAM and as much as 256GB of storage. Lenovo isn’t skimping on the display screen, both. The 14-inch OLED panel could be outfitted with a touchscreen and has a 1,920 x 1,200 decision. The decision is comparatively modest, however completely in step with what you’d anticipate for the worth.

There are a number of different good touches all through. Lenovo’s newest is the primary Chromebook with Dolby Atmos sound through a quad-speaker system that features two downward-firing woofers. Audio high quality on laptops has elevated considerably in recent times, so I’m trying ahead to listening to what Lenovo can ship. The 5-megapixel webcam has a a lot increased decision than most different Chromebooks, and there’s additionally a fingerprint reader for safe logins.

All instructed, this Chromebook is on the dearer aspect in comparison with many different choices. However whenever you examine its specs and design with different Chromebooks on this value vary, Lenovo’s newest comes out trying fairly good. After all, we’ll want to ensure the MediaTek chip is highly effective sufficient and likewise see what battery life is like, however Lenovo’s monitor report is powerful sufficient that I’m trying ahead to seeing if we now have a brand new king of the Chromebooks.

New AI options

Provided that Google is relentlessly centered on including AI options in every single place you flip, it’s no shock that there are a handful of latest AI methods right here. First are two which are presently unique to Lenovo’s Chromebook Plus 14: Sensible Grouping and AI picture modifying within the Chromebook’s Gallery app. Google has been teasing Sensible Grouping for some time now; it’ll take a look at your open tabs and paperwork and ask if you wish to set up them right into a separate digital desk. And the Gallery app now has some AI-powered modifying options like eradicating backgrounds or turning your pictures into stickers.

Past these are a bunch of AI options which are coming to all Chromebook Plus laptops, a lot of which is able to really feel acquainted should you’ve paid consideration to what Google has launched to different platforms in latest months. For instance, now you can long-press the launcher and choose an space of the display screen to run a search. As typical, the default instance is procuring — see a pair of sneakers you need, spotlight it and let Google discover them for you. The combination does look good, although, with a pop-over window exhibiting you outcomes so that you don’t have to go away the app you’re utilizing.

Equally, Textual content Seize analyzes textual content in a picture and suggests issues like calendar appointments primarily based on what it reads. Or highlighting a picture of a recipe can pull the entire objects you want for it right into a Google Docs listing.

The Fast Insert key, which was first launched final yr on Samsung’s Galaxy Chromebook Plus, can now be used to generate and insert AI pictures into anyplace your textual content cursor is pointing — it’s not simply restricted to Google apps. Lastly, Google’s “assist me learn” device has a brand new “simplify” choice that may take advanced language (suppose scientific explanations) and put it in plain language to make it simpler to know.

Anybody shopping for a Chromebook Plus this yr will get a stable perk that Google first launched final yr: a full 12 months of the Google One AI Professional plan, which incorporates 2TB of Google Drive storage and entry to extra superior Gemini options (you may find all the exact details here). Provided that it is a $20 per thirty days plan, it’s a stable extra worth — on the very least for the storage, should you’re not all that inquisitive about Gemini.

As for Lenovo’s new {hardware}, I’m trying ahead to making an attempt it quickly to see if the ARM structure can ship the huge battery life and efficiency enhancements that the corporate is promising. However if you wish to throw down your money now, Lenovo’s Chromebook Plus 14 is on the market at Finest Purchase and on Lenovo’s site to order as of in the present day. (Observe that, a minimum of for now, solely the dearer model of the Chromebook Plus 14, with a touchscreen at 16GB of RAM, is on the market at Finest Purchase.)