The Samsung Chromebook Plus was one of the better grown-up Chromebooks of last year, and to follow up its success, we now have the Samsung Chromebook Plus (V2).
The V2 looks mostly the same compared to the 2017 Chromebook Plus, but there are a few important changes inside and out that should make it a much better experience for everyone — one of the most notable being the silicon that powers everything.
Samsung's ditching ARM processors and switching to the much more capable Intel Celeron 3965Y. From running Android apps, having multiple tabs open in Chrome, and more, this will allow the V2 to be considerably faster with just about every task. That Celeron processor is also paired with 4GB RAM, Intel HD Graphics 615, 32GB of expandable storage (up to 400GB via microSD), and a 39Wh battery.
As much as we love seeing the upgraded internals, the Chromebook Plus V2's screen is actually a downgrade compared to its predecessor. The 16:10 1920 x 1080 panel should be fine, but it's quite a bit different from the 3:2 2400 x 1600 screen on last year's model.
In regards to ports, we're looking at two USB-C ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, microSD card reader, and one full-sized USB-A 3.0 port. There's also a 1MP front-facing camera for video calls and a 13MP camera next to the keyboard that can act as a rear-camera when using the Chromebook Plus V2 in tablet mode.
If you're interested, the Chromebook Plus V2 is available both in-store and online at Best Buy right now for $499.99.
Updated June 28, 2018: Updated this article now that the V2 has been released.
