Dell, HP working on premium Chromebooks that could match the Pixelbook

• Five high-spec Chromebooks could be on the way from Dell, HP, and other major computer companies.
• "Nami" hardware family expected to challenge Google Pixelbook with Kaby Lake processors, high-res displays.
• Premium Chrome OS devices could come to market as early as Fall 2018.

---

A new wave of premium Chromebooks could be on the way later this year from leading computer firms like Dell and HP to take on the Google Pixelbook.

According to the folks over at XDA-Developers, there could be as many as five high-end Chrome OS devices on the way running Intel's Kaby Lake processors backed by as much as 16GB of RAM, and sporting high-resolution displays.

Editor's Pick

Google Pixelbook review: is it worth $999 now?

Google's previous Chromebook Pixels were pretty mixed bags. The original launched in 2013 for $1299 and its successor for $999. The hardware was definitely worth the cash, but the software wasn't. Chrome OS was a glorified …

Details regarding new enterprise-level devices surfaced thanks to the discovery of a new Chrome OS master board dubbed Nami, which will allegedly form the base hardware standard for the quintet.

The five devices go by the codenames Akali, Pantheon, Sona, and Vayne, with the final Chromebook sharing the same name is the parent board, Nami. According to the report, Vayne is in development at Dell, while Sona is by HP.

Each machine is expected to adopt the 360-degree convertible form factor like the Pixelbook, have backlit keyboards (with the exception of Akali), support Linux apps, and "Wake on Voice" for Google Assistant.

The new Chromebooks could hit the market as early as Fall 2018, although development is still in the early stages.

When Google launched the Pixelbook last year there were many who questioned the logic behind pushing premium Chrome OS hardware, with Chromebooks traditionally positioned as affordable alternatives to traditional Windows laptops.

Following its successes in the education market, however, it appears as though Google is once again looking to crack the enterprise sector. The report suggests that the new Chromebooks could hit the market as early as Fall 2018, although development is still in the early stages.

This isn't the first we've heard about high-end Chrome OS hardware being in the pipeline. Only time will tell if expensive Chromebooks will catch on, but there's no doubting that it's a contentious topic. Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

from Android Authority https://ift.tt/2w59C5R
via IFTTT