Turns out that the LTE-enabled Samsung Chromebook Plus found yesterday won’t be the only new Chromebook from Samsung: Chrome Unboxed found pre-order listings for three additional models in a range of CPU and storage configurations. All three devices are currently shown at B&H Photo but none of them match the product number of the LTE model, so these are clearly different devices.
Here’s a rundown of the differences and the pre-order pricing:
XE520QAB-K01US: Intel Celeron 3965Y, 4GB of memory and 32GB of storage for $499.99
XE520QAB-K03US: Intel Celeron 3965Y, 4GB of memory and 64GB of storage for $549.99
XE520QAB-K02US: Intel Core m3-7Y30, 4GB of memory and 64GB of storage for $599.99
Note that all of these processors are 7th-generation chips; some have been around for nearly two years. It appears that Samsung is trying to keep its bill of materials low; or its profit margins high, depending on how you see it.
It’s also interesting that there will be a Chromebook Plus model with the Core m3, which is the same chip as in the Samsung Chromebook Pro, with one difference. The Pro, which about 1.5 years old, uses a 6th-generation Core m3 while this Plus model gets a boost by one generation.
So what happens to the Pro, based on this information? It likely either goes away or it gets refreshed with Core i5 or i7 processors and more RAM to compete at the higher end against the new Acer Chromebook 13, Dell Inspiron 14, Lenovo Yoga Chromebook C630 and the Pixelbook. Heck, maybe Samsung goes with a detachable Pro model to tackle the Pixel Slate. It’s difficult to say at this point, but I’d like to see a Samsung Chromebook with a little more horsepower.
