Google Announces Pixelbook Go Chromebook Starting At $649

Today at Google's highly-anticipated Pixel 4 event the company announced an entirely new Pixelbook.

The Pixelbook Go isn't exactly a sequel to the Pixelbook, but it's a complement to an existing and excellent product, and brings the Pixelbook line to a more accessible price point without sacrificing features. All the while, the Chromebook can last for up to 12 hours on a charge. That model has an 8th Gen Intel Core i5 CPU, with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. But with a price of $649, it's not that surprising.

How much does it cost?

The Pixelbook Go looks to be one of the most powerful Chromebooks around, but as usual, anyone who buys it needs to be fine with the restrictions of ChromeOS.

It has a magnesium alloy chassis painted in a matte plastic texture created to be more grippable than most laptops. Google has also implemented a fast-charging system that can give you two hours of battery life with just a 20-minute charge.

The Pixelbook is available for pre-order starting today but the Core i5 (16GB version) has a waitlist while the Core i7 version is listed as coming soon.

It will be available in the United Kingdom in January. Although this is the cheapest laptop Google has released to date, it's still quite premium, and leaves us hoping this machine doesn't use bargain-basement eMMC storage.

If pre-orders are available now in the United States, while those in the UK don't start until early 2020, it's safe to expect a USA release date sometime in late 2019.

The Pixelbook Go is, unsurprisingly, a follow-up to the original Google Pixelbook.

Google Stadia launches November 19
Google's plan is to eventually make the service free next year, through a "Stadia Base" tier that'll cap the resolution at 1080p. In a separate blog post published during the keynote, Google added that servers will open to the public at 12PM EST/9AM PST.

The Pixelbook starts at $999, making it one of the most expensive Chromebooks on the market.

On the performance end, you'll have a choice of Intel 8th generation Core m3, i5, or i7 processors. It can also go up to 256GB of storage and 16GB of RAM.

It boasts a touchscreen starting at Full HD resolution that can go as sharp as 4K.

It has what Google calls a "grippable" design with a ribbed underside to make it easy to carry. Aside from that, customers can also choose to have their new Pixelbook Go with up to 16GB RAM and 256GB solid state drive.

The Pixelbook Go has a price tag of $649 and will be available in two colours - Just Black and Not Pink.

The Pixelbook Go has a 13-inch display with 1080p and 4K options.

The Pixel 4 phones, in two sizes, headlined a NY press event at which Google also announced its first moderately priced laptop, first wireless earbuds and upgrades to its to well-reviewed Wi-Fi router and burger-sized smart speaker.

The Pixelbook Go features a 1080p webcam that films in 60 frames per second as well as an ambient light sensor. Further, there are two USB Type-C ports (one on each side) and a 3.5mm audio jack.