Samsung Series 5 Chromebook 2012 Specs Announced

The Samsung Series 5 Chromebook released last year is going to be getting an update in early 2012. The current Samsung Series 5 Chromebook sells for $379.99 on Amazon.com. For those who don’t know, Chromebooks are basically laptops with Google’s Chrome OS instead of Windows installed. Chrome OS is all about working and storing in the cloud, so there’s a minimal amount of storage on a Chromebook itself and the OS is light weight and fast to start. Put simply, it’s like having a laptop with nothing but a Chrome browser installed.
So what’s new with the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook 2012 version? Not a whole lot to be honest, just an updated lid finish that is less shiny and glossy than the 2011 version and an Intel Celeron processor instead of Atom. Here are the known specs on the new Samsung Series 5 Chromebook:
Processor: Intel Celeron
Screen: 12.1-inch 300 nit display, 1280 x 800 resolution
OS: Google Chrome
Storage: 16GB SSD
Memory: 2GB RAM
Weight: 3.2lbs
Dimensions: 11.6 inches x 8.6 inches x 0.8 inches
Ports: Two USB 2.0, 4-in-1 memory card reader (SD, SDHC, SDXC, MMC)
Availability: June 2012
Battery Life: 8 hours
Price: $399 for Wi-Fi only version, $449 with Verizon 3G and Wi-Fi
Unrelated to laptops, Samsung will also be releasing a desktop version they’re dubbing the Chromebox. The Samsung Series 3 Chromebox will have the exact same internal specs as the Series 5 Chromebook. However, it will include a wireless keyboard-and-mouse combo and also have more ports including five USB 2.0 sockets, DVI, DisplayPort and a headphone jack. The cost of the Series 3 Chromebox will be $399 and availability is also slated for June 2012.

It’s doubtful Samsung sold a whole lot of the Series 5 Chromebooks, it’s one of those devices that early adopters and geeks will love but the fact it’s so hard to print and has limited capabilities will deter the average consumer. You can read our review of the Acer AC700 Chromebook to get an idea of what the limitations are you run into with the Chrome OS. That said, if you’re looking for a cheap and portable laptop that’s only use will be to get on the web, it could be a good option as a secondary computer to a more fully fledged Windows or Mac computer.