Specifications:
- 13.3-inch 1920x1080p . touch screen
- Intel Core i5-8200Y 1.3GHz processor
- 16GB RAM
- 128GB SSD
Although Google’s most recent Chromebook, Pixelbook Go seriesno longer the fastest Chromebook book — that title now belongs Chromebook Dell Latitude 5300 — Google Pixelbook Go is more than fast enough for most students. With its low-power 1.3GHz Core i5-8200Y processor, it scores a decent 83 on Principle technology‘ CrXPRT 2 Chromebook Benchmark.
The body of the black Pixelbook Go has a magnesium alloy lid with an easy-grip ribbed bottom base. This makes this Pixelbook hard to drop. Speaking as someone who broke a laptop or two in a fall, this is a good thing. At 2.3 lbs and 12.2 x 8.1 x 0.5 inches, it’s also very light.
The model I tested had 16GB of RAM, a 128GB SSD, and a 13.3-inch 1920x1080p touchscreen. To power the display, it uses Intel UHD 615 graphics.
The Corning Glass display is very nice. With the power of 615, it is bright and displays colors much better than its rivals. This is the only Chromebook I’ve seen and I love watching movies on it. The Pixelbook Go’s 1080p webcam is also superior. I have no qualms about Zooming with teachers and classmates with this setup.
The keyboard, on the other hand, doesn’t have much travel. I can work with it, but I prefer the typing of one of the other models. However, the touchpad works fine for me.
The ports, or rather the lack of them, are annoying. All you get is a single USB Type-C port and headphone jack on the left and another USB-C port on the right — that’s all. To charge the Pixelbook Go, you’ll need to use one of those USB-C ports, so whenever you’re charging, you’ll only be using the one available.
However, when it comes to battery life, Go is still the champ. With a four-cell, 47 W/H battery, it delivers a useful life of 11.5 hours. This beats the others with ease. It’s not just a benchmark — while I was still flying to Europe for pre-pandemic work, I was able to work from Atlanta to Barcelona for free.
So for me, the Go is the ideal Chromebook to do everything. Fast enough to be useful, the display is great, and it just goes on and on and on and on. The Pixelbook Go model I reviewed isn’t cheap at $999, but if you need a great Chromebook that can last through all night and morning research, this is the model for you.
