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CES 2020: Hello Samsung Galaxy Chromebook with 4K AMOLED screen and 10th-gen Intel chips!

The CES 2020 show floor hasn’t opened yet but already we’re seeing some innovation: Say hello to the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook announced on Monday morning! This is a true flagship 2-in-1 Chromebook, the first with an AMOLED display – and in 4K to boot – that will start at $999 when it becomes available later this quarter in choice of Fiesta Red or Mercury Gray colors

The 13.3-inch AMOLED touchscreen has super slim bezels around the top, left and right sides and supports a resolution of 3840 x 2160 as well as Ambient EQ for brightness.

Samsung hasn’t yet shared the brightness figure but says the panel will get a software upgrade after launch to support HDR400 content, indicating that the screen is capable of 400 nits at maximum brightness when viewing supported content.

The aluminum chassis is slim too, making the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook just 9.9 millimeters thick.

That means no room for a full-sized USB port but you do get a pair of USB Type-C interfaces, one on each side. And of course, there’s a garage to house the included stylus as well.

Above you can see one of the two 2W speakers tucked away in the side near the front of the chassis and a microSD card slot for storage expansion. Samsung has wasted no space here.

Being a Chromebook, there’s the standard Chrome OS keyboard, which is backlit, and multitouch trackpad. Samsung also added a small camera sensor at the top left of the chassis above the keyboard. I’m curious how that will work.

There’s no dedicated Google Assistant key – that’s generally reserved for Made By Google devices such as the Pixelbook Go – but the Assistant is built into Chrome OS.

Samsung worked with Intel’s Project Athena specifications, announced at last year’s CES, to meet that effort’s requirements here.

The idea is that certified Project Athena devices will offer instant wake from sleep, a minimum of 9.5 hours battery life with a four-hour recharge in 30 minutes, USB-C charging, and being in a connected state even when in sleep mode.

So it’s no surprise that Intel is inside and powering the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook. There will be a range of processor options but they’ll all be the newest 10-generation Intel Core choices.

As I understand it, the $999 base model will use an Intel Core i5 processor with Intel’s Wi-Fi 6 solution. Given the thinness of the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook, I’m surprised Samsung squeezed a U-Series chip in there since they typically require a fan.

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I’ll take a closer look at the device and get further details such as expected battery life at Samsung’s CES booth once the show floor officially opens up on Tuesday, but in the meantime, here’s a rundown on the specifications:

CPU10th-gen Intel Core processors
GPUIntel UHD Graphics
Display13.3-inch UHD touchscreen,
16:9 aspect ratio, with stylus support
MemoryUp to 16 GB DDR3
StorageUp to 1 TB, UFS/microSD slot
for expansion
ConnectivityWi-Fi 6 (Gig+), 802.11 ax 2×2
Note: No mention of Bluetooth
but I’m sure it’s there.
InputBacklit keyboard, multitouch trackpad, 1MP camera, 8 MP webcam on keyboard, dual array microphone
PortsTwo USB Type-C, combination
microphone/headphone jack
Battery49.2 Whr
Weight1.04kg (2.3 pounds)
SoftwareChrome OS automatic update
expiration date: TBD
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Depending on the detailed configuration and option pricing, this is clearly Samsung’s push for Chromebooks in the business and power-user markets.

I’m not sure why it’s taken so long for the company to push the envelope with high-end processors and an AMOLED display, but I’m excited to see this new device. More to follow when I get some hands-on time!

author avatar
Kevin C. Tofel

7 thoughts on “CES 2020: Hello Samsung Galaxy Chromebook with 4K AMOLED screen and 10th-gen Intel chips!

  1. Why, WHY ruin such a beauty with a narrow 16:9 display? Only 15″+ displays can get away with it.

  2. So I guess it finally contains some aHW video decoder? Android phones can often play some high-quality H264/5 content better than highest-end Chromebooks at the moment.

  3. Thanks for posting this awesome product announcement from Samsung. The new Galaxy Chromebook with it’s AMOLED 4K display in a 2.3 lb premium build is a genuine stunner!

  4. HD (16:9) aspect ratio may cause a few gripes; but 3:2 would probably drive up the cost. Otherwise, it checks a lot of (my) boxes: UHD, very lightweight, thin bezels, Core i5, built-in pen; micro-SD. Almost automatically, the spec sheet easily makes this device the new one-to-beat. The clinchers, though, with be (1) how ** LOUD ** are the speakers; (2) how responsive is the keyboard; (3) how long is the battery life; (4) how effortless is the Bluetooth connection; (5) is it a sturdy as it is portable.

    1. I hope to get answers to some or all of your questions when I get some hands-on time this week. Stay tuned!

  5. Now is the time for AMD chips, not Intel. Given that Valve and Google are teaming up to get Steam on ChromeOS for AMD, in a high-end device, that seems like the better move.

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