Jaytee
Summary: As a google fanboy, I still cannot recommend this device for the price theyre asking. Though very beautiful, it is stuck in BETA. Googles fresh-faced entry into the hardware business proves it has a lot to learn, as there arent enough exclusive Google "goodies" - other than the built in assistant - to warrant the purchase. Go with a cheaper Asus Chromebook C302 if you must, or the less expensive Macbook Air/Surface (yes, you can absolutely find them brand new, for less than a Pixelbook - dont give me that look). Pros: *The design is like nothing youve ever seen. Sleek and sexy. (However, see cons on this) *Touchscreen is very fast and responsive. *Chrome OS is super fast and a joy to use. No fuss, no maintenance. *Blazing fast processor and very little heat coming from the device. *Tablet mode allows for multiple viewing angles (but also see cons on this) *Keyboard is phenomenal and has excellent key travel w/ backlight. *Google assistant is built in and can recognize the "ok/hey google" command word. *Android apps are available and are continually improving. Cons: *The design is uncomfortable. In tablet mode, the corners are sharp the device is heavy. In laptop mode, the small keyboard footprint causes my wrists to rest on the edge of the device & on the table -- not on the silicon pads. This might not be a problem if you have smaller hands. *Accessories for this thing are nonexistent due to its "newness," or often have poor ratings. *The screen is very blue with high contrast - so blue that it hurts my eyes. While logging into the device, my profile picture often looks like a shiny ghost. This is also evident when comparing the color of the app icons to my phones. *Android apps... they exist but feel very.... BETA -- I dont care what Google says. While many of them work, youll notice from my pictures there are alignment issues. The apps just arent designed for laptop screens so they often appear stretched out or as a jumbled mess. *Google Assistant. Shes a lovely lady, but she has her bugs. Every time I ask her to show my reminders, she crashes...slap that big fat BETA stamp on your forehead. Side-note: The engineering team told me they are working on this issue. *EXE programs are missing entirely. Yes, we all know chromebooks cant run full programs, so why is this a con you ask? We have to go back to that big ole BETA stamp from earlier. Want Excel? Outlook? Word? Sure, try the Android app, but just beware you need an office 365 subscription -- not to mention these apps crash and are missing important features of their counterparts. (Example: I cant open two spreadsheets at one time.) Stick to Google Docs/Sheets. BIGGEST CON AKA DEAL BREAKER *Not enough exclusive OS features to draw consumers to the premium "Pixel" brandname. Bear with me....I understand Google loves spreading their services around to as many devices as possible, to reach as many people as possible -- but what on the software level makes this laptop any different from Asus or Acer? The only added addition is the google assistant which still seems to be in BETA. Where are the exclusive synergies between the Pixel 2 phone and this laptop? Why cant I send texts/files and check my phones status from this device? Why do I need 3rd party chrome extensions to do the aforementioned feature?