Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 Review: The Best-Looking Chromebook, Rebooted

[SAMSUNG GALAXY CHROMEBOOK 2 REVIEW]

As the name implies, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 is Samsung’s follow-up to last year’s Galaxy Chromebook … but contrary to what you’d expect, this is not a sequel in the proper sense. Because as Android Central points out: almost everything on this machine is actually a downgrade from the original. 

Last year’s 4K AMOLED screen takes a step down to a Full-HD QLED; the storage and the camera count are cut in half; the Intel processors drop by a grade at each trim level; and the embedded S Pen and fingerprint sensor are deleted wholesale. While the chassis that carries all this is still available in the signature “Fiesta Red,” it’s also slightly thicker and heavier than the first one. 

In short: this is a midrange reboot of the original, and from one point of view it’s a much more reasonable computer. After all, Chromebooks have built a big part of their success on being the better value, and by eliminating all of the sweeteners from last year’s thousand-dollar model, Samsung has dropped the entry price of the Chromebook 2 to a more palatable $549 … or in the case of my higher-end review unit, a buck short of $700. But in the very competitive thick middle of the ChromeOS market, is that enough of a discount to make the Galaxy Chromebook 2 a contender? Watch Michael Fisher’s review to find out!

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[ABOUT MRMOBILE'S SAMSUNG GALAXY CHROMEBOOK 2 REVIEW]

MrMobile's Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 Review was produced following eleven days with a Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 review sample on loan from Samsung. Preproduction device running pre-release software. MrMobile does not produce reviews paid for by the subjects of those reviews; Samsung did not pay a fee or otherwise offer compensation in exchange for this coverage, and no company was given a preview of the content or offered copy approval rights concerning same. The lone sponsor of this video is Surfshark.

[PRODUCTS IN THIS VIDEO]

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook (2020) [Future PLC affiliate link]:

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 [Future PLC affiliate link]:

[LINKS]

The case for expensive Chromebooks [About Chromebooks]:

The $700 Galaxy Chromebook 2 could be the most interesting Chromebook of 2021 [Android Central]:

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Complete Walkthrough [TheUnlockr]:

The world’s second-most popular desktop operating system isn’t macOS anymore [Ars Technica]:

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[DISCLOSURES]

#galaxychromebook2 #galaxychromebook #chromebook #chromeos #samsung #laptops #notebooks #computers #tech

[TheMrMobile]

UPDATE: As promised, Sammsung sent me a replacement review sample, and as promised, here's your two-day follow-up! As you can see from the "Sammsung" gaffe there ... the double-keystroke problem is still present. But I'm happy to report that it's far less frequent on the replacement model, appearing only once in a while, which jives with both the Engadget review and Jaime Rivera's review at Pocketnow (up soon). Additionally, the audio problem from the webcam video recording is gone - the audio is much cleaner on the replacement device. My other conclusions from the video stand. Thanks for watching!

[TheMrMobile]

CORRECTION: The spec sheet says "SSD" but the Galaxy Chromebook 2 uses eMMC for internal storage. MrMobile regrets the error.

[electrofreak]

Seems to me they should have called this the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook FE

[ThomasTheTankEngine]

$700 for an i3 chromebook without an s pen... Nah I'm good

[crashmaster]

this is the gold standard of review videos :)

[TechnoLawyer]

How in 2021 are companies still putting garbage webcams in laptops? Anyone ever heard of zoom? Even once covid is over, unfortunately, video calls are never going away. Would it really require that much effort and price increase to slap the selfie cam from an s21 in there?

[Lollllllz]

Kinda weird they'd offer a celeron with that especially at that price.

[MegasXLR]

Not having a music play/pause button is a HUGE deal, believe me I know.

[NigelMelanisticSmith]

Has Mr Mobile ever reviewed M1? In terms of battery life, I hear those things do live up to the hype

[hoilst]

It's a good looking machine. I wish this sort of style and design would make it to regular laptops, but.

[orionshtrezi]

Honestly, I don't see the point of this

[AndroidDigest]

I reviewed this on my channel as well Let me just say that after I got used to the keyboard and after I updated the device, I had no issues with double inputs. This is a phenomenal device, a much more usable device then it's predecessor, And it's one of the better Chromebooks that's out. Just don't compare it to last year's $1, 000 model spec wise. Yes the specs are better but it overheats like crazy and has big issues with battery life. But if you compare to that model you will see all the things that this model is missing and be disappointed.

Instead realize that this is a fantastic Chromebook, but because Chromebooks go on sale so often, the price isn't extremely competitive yet. That's a little bit of a better way to look at it

[MarkyShaw]

Agreed. I really like some of the ~$500 Chromebooks like the HP x360. I'd consider others, but they absolutely must have a good webcam. We have amazing cameras squished in to Androids and iPhones, and they pull out this 720p like it was some leftover crap in their spare parts bin. Nice looking chassis though. Maybe revision 3 will be better. Will still keep my eyes on them. Especially if you're a Google Workspace user, Chromebooks are great for getting stuff done.

[Krp]

This guy's delivery just gets better and better!! ❤️

[matthewharhai]

Just bought one. Trading in my S6 Tablet which brought the price to a bit over $400. Couldn't say no! Will carry around for browsing and leave my high end Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 laptop at home.

[FlugPoP]

Haha, you keep teasing us with the AOL communicator.

[MikeCasper]

Looks like Surfshark is sponsoring every tech YouTuber that I watch.

[YgorCortes]

The price on this thing is outrageous! Damn...

[monarch]

It's the little things. Can't be more true.

Moving away from samsung to other company n I even miss how I was able to adjust the blue light filter to very low which I can't do now.

[I_am_Allan]

2:45 Michael is watching "Star Trek: The Next Generation", Season 4, Episode 20 "QPid" which ... was a humorous episode.
Worf: "I am *not* a merry man!"