Samsung XE513C24-K01US Chromebook Plus
Samsung Electronics XE513C24-K01US Chromebook Plus is a February 2017 release 2-in-1 touchscreen laptop with a 360-degree rotating 12.3-inch display around a solid hinge so you can use it as a regular laptop or a tablet without a keyboard, and any mode in between. This is actually the first convertible and the first all-metal Chromebook machine we’ve reviewed so far and the one that gives you access to all your Android apps via Google Play. It includes a pen (first Chromebook to support Stylus) that lets you write on the display so you can take notes, sketch, doodle, take a screenshot and do anything you’d do with your fingers on a tablet or a touch display. What we’ve experienced so far with Chrome systems is almost everything is designed for online use, which is all right as most of us use computers for mainly surfing the net. But there are more offline apps these days and you can continue viewing and typing up your documents on Docs for example.
It has a 12.3-inch LED-backlit display made of Gorilla Glass 3 with an impressive quad HD 2400×1600 pixel resolution and 3:2 image aspect ratio which is less common than the widescreen 16:9 seen on the regular size laptops- both the widescreen viewing and the portrait mode on the tablet. And you’ll experience decent picture quality, it allows 4K video output and most people will find it easy to read the text on the screen. The graphics card is the integrated Intel HD 515 and is more than adequate for simple Chrome games (you will not be playing the demanding Windows games of 2015-2016). It includes a decent webcam on the top bezel (no Skype for Chromebooks yet but Google Hangouts) and stereo speakers for decent sound. Weighing just 2.4 pounds and measuring 11.04 x 8.72 x 0.55 inches- slim and lightweight- you can put it in your bag and take it wherever you go easily, as you’ll also get up to 8 hours of battery life on a single charge from the 2-cell lithium ion battery (5140 mah, 39 WHr) so it should take you through the day easily, with the processor Thermal Design Power- TDP at just 7 watts.
The one we’re reviewing is the Chromebook Plus with a hexacore M3 6Y30 processor at 0.9GHz to 2GHz speed, then there is the Chromebook Pro with an ARM OP1 processor and that is the only difference we know so far. M3 6Y30 has a Passmark benchmark score of 3056 and offers enough power for the usual Office and Multimedia. When we look at the technical specs closer, they both come with 4GB LPDDR3 memory and 32GB eMMC flash drive and obviously the Chrome OS. Connectivity options include the 802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 4.0, 2 x USB Type-C ports- Sleep and Charge USB, MicroSD Card Reader, Multi-Card slot, and a Headphone/Microphone combo. You will find many apps on Google Play Store for work and entertainment and many of them you can use offline. It includes a full-size keyboard with nicely spaced out keys, without the numeric keyboard but a good size responsive trackpad. This is probably the Chromebook with the highest specs we have seen so far, so it is not only just Samsung’s best. There aren’t any customer reviews out yet as the unit is due to be released but seems to be a winner already and the price is right.
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