The Bellroy sleeve also offers a wedge mode that lets you to turn it into a stand, elevating the screen closer to eye level and allowing you to type on keys raised at an angle, which can prove more comfortable. Frustratingly, the wedge position requires you to fold a flap inside the sleeve to a position that doesn't quite feel natural or correct. The Pixelbook Go not only sports a keyboard with comfortably spaced keys, but also top-firing speakers. Sure, they’re a bit small and, as a result, somewhat tinny in the high-end, but these speakers beat the vast majority of laptops of this size, normally found with bottom-firing speakers. Before I joined the tech-journalism ranks, I wrote on topics as diverse as Borneo's rain forests, Middle Eastern airlines, and Big Data's role in presidential elections. A graduate of Middlebury College, I also have a master's degree in journalism and French Studies from New York University.

In both cases, however, we tend to find that Intel Core processors feel zippier, maybe even overkill, for basic Chrome OS functions. It’s when you dive into the Android and Linux aspects that you may feel the pinch of these “Y” chips. Chromebooks aren’t meant to run AutoCAD or Destiny 2, but you should see good performance using web applications and non-graphics-heavy Android apps. Portability Overall, with its different design and cheap build quality, the Pixelbook will remain the go-to for high-end Chromebooks, at least for now until the Pixelbook 2 arrives, while the Pixelbook Go seems better value in its cheaper configurations.As for Google Assistant, the service can be activated either using a dedicated keyboard button or via your voice, if you don’t invest in the Pixelbook Pen. However, the latter only works when the laptop is logged into – waking the Pixelbook with a ‘Hey, Google’ voice command is in the works, we’re told. The Pixelbook Pen works beautifully as a stylus, offering plenty of pressure response as well as tilt support, which makes drawing on the display a pleasure. The display’s snappy response helps the digital ink follow close enough behind the pen that any delay is indiscernible. Since our wider suite of benchmarking software doesn't work on Chrome OS, I evaluated the Pixelbook Go's performance on a casual basis during a few days of use. The system went through a firmware update when I first turned it on, taking just a few minutes as opposed to the hour or more that major Windows and macOS updates can last. Once updated, the Pixelbook Go proved exceptionally snappy at starting up (13 seconds from pressing the power button to the appearance of the login screen) and installing apps. There's no denying that the Pixelbook feels great to hold and use. The chassis itself sits with the best that Lenovo, HP, and Dell have to offer in the lightweight subnotebook convertible category while remaining firm and surprisingly unyielding. It would be quite the competitor in the mainstream Ultrabook space in the unlikely event that we see a Windows-based Pixelbook.

The aluminum chassis and very thin design are the primary highlights of the Pixelbook. Its matte silver surfaces detract fingerprints and feel almost identical to the outer lid of the XPS 13 in terms of texture and rigidity. The notebook feels stronger than the Lenovo Yoga 900 series down to its corners and even the hinges. Applying pressure on the outer lid or keyboard center results in very minimal warping as does twisting the base or lid with absolutely no audible creaking. The Pixelbook is proof that it's possible to create a very thin convertible notebook while remaining inflexible. Also, for its price, the Pixelbook Go's Geekbench 4 numbers aren't that much worse than the latest MacBook Air, at least with the configurations we’ve tested. That’s quite an impressive feat for a Chromebook – and, ironically, quite a feat for the MacBook Air. I've appeared on CBS News, in USA Today, and at many other outlets to offer analysis on breaking technology news.Lasting for more than 16 hours on our battery rundown test, the Pixelbook Go is an excellent choice for a laptop to accompany you on your next flight, or even just a day of meetings with no chance to visit a power outlet. It's not technically rugged but the Pixelbook is the most durable Chromebook you can buy. We dropped 11 of the most popular Chromebooks from heights of 2.5 feet and 4.5 feet onto carpet and concrete, and the Pixelbook came out on top. In fact, Google's laptop looked like it had just been taken out of the box for the first time, even after our brutal side-drop test from 4.5 feet. That’s what tips the balance in favour of a five star Best Buy award for me. With battery life this good and a keyboard this usable, I’ve found myself searching for reasons why I wouldn’t use Pixelbook Go over any other laptop.