JP
This chromebook is very capable with a powerful i5 processor and an adequate amount of memory to keep dozens of tabs operating at full speed. I wish there were a version of the i5 based Pixelbook with 16GB memory. The i7 based pixelbook with 16GB memory is almost twice the price; memory is what chromebooks love the most, few will need the power of the i7 processor. With 12 tabs open I am consuming 6GB of the 8GB available, so there is some wiggle room but not a lot. WIsh the memory was easily upgradeable. The power switch is near the front of the laptop on the side and I find myself pressing it accidentally as I reposition the laptop on my lap. A more conventional power button on the keyboard would make more sense. Thankfully chrome OS prompts me for what I want to do when its pressed. The screen is crisp and clear, but having become accustomed to monitors and laptops with 16:9 form factor its weird going back to a screen thats 4:3. Youtube is more cramped in 4:3 format. USB-C is in theory amazing, a single connector that can be used for power, video, audio, everything. However the realities of USB-C are that many devices are incompatible with each other. I have an HP USB-C docking station that is very good. The Pixelbook doesnt even recognize the device or accept a charge from the docking station. I would prefer one HDMI port to be present to eliminate the need for a dongle for presentations. The aluminum case is very sleek looking, but I do find it a little slick when carrying the laptop. I can see myself dropping this if I dont take care. The touchpad is totally amazing. Until you experience a touchpad this good, you dont know what youve been missing. The pixelbook is totally silent thanks to it having no fan. Shortly after setup I experienced very poor battery life, less than 2 hours and the laptop got quite hot. An Android service was using all available CPU cycles constantly. I did a powerwash, even though I had the pixelbook just 24 hours, the laptop works great now. Not sure what went wrong during initial setup. The beauty of the Chrome OS platform is that rests and power washes are a small inconvenience, setup is pretty much seamless. Te keyboard is a little cramped compared to larger laptops, I find myself pressing the wrong key more often than Id like. The operation of the keyboard however is awesome. The Google assistant feature is more useful than I thought it would be. It may become one of my favorite features. The ability to run Android apps coupled with android messages all on the Pixelbook means I can do pretty much all things I need to from this device. I can relegate my Pixel phone to only times Im away from home. This device can do pretty much anything you need, and does so quickly and without fuss. With some chromebooks Ive run low on storage, many come with just 16GB. This chromebook comes with 128GB, a huge amount of storage for Chrome OS. I wont have to send time managing disk space with this unit.