All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editors independently of our parent company. Some of our stories contain affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may receive an affiliate commission.
Samsung may not have released the Galaxy Chromebook 2 until March, but the laptop is already on sale. You can buy the Galaxy Chromebook 2, with an Intel Celeron processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage, direct from Samsung for just $ 450. That’s $ 100 less than the normal price. When you come across the model with a Core i3 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage, you pay just $ 500 and save $ 200 off the normal price. It’s worth noting that no trade-ins are required to receive these discounts, unlike most of the deals that you get direct from Samsung.
Buy the Galaxy Chromebook 2 from Samsung starting at $ 450
The original Galaxy Chromebook was a high-end machine that, in hindsight, was probably overdone. Samsung realized this and brought the laptop back to the ground with the changes to the Galaxy Chromebook 2. The design is largely the same, but Samsung has completely removed the built-in pen and fingerprint sensor from the laptop. While these were nice perks, they aren’t necessary to create a solid Chromebook. Samsung also removed the 4K display and instead used a 1080p QLED panel on the Chromebook 2, which, while being a downgrade, looks impressive nonetheless.
The best processor that you will find on this laptop is the 10th generation Intel Core i3. It’s not as powerful as the original Core i5, but it still does good Chromebook-friendly tasks like handling dozens of Chrome tabs open. And we appreciate the long battery life – the Galaxy Chromebook 2 lasted almost 12 hours in our tests, so you can easily get through your work day.
Overall, Samsung upgraded its original machine to the better, more practical Galaxy Chromebook 2. It’s still expensive for a Chrome OS laptop, but the solid performance, attractive design, and above-average display are well worth the extra money. Especially for those who want to use this laptop as their daily driver.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buy recommendations.