The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 has leaked again, revealing a February 2021 release date and a handful of of major hardware features.
Seasoned tipster WalkingCat (@_h0x0d_) tweeted a slide showing the Galaxy Chromebook 2, in the same black and red colour scheme as seen in last week’s design leak, alongside a specs list. This claims the Galaxy Chromebook 2 will be the world’s first QLED Chromebook, meaning Samsung will be taking the panel technology from its high-end TVs and slapping it in a Chrome OS laptop for the first time.
In some ways this could be seen as a downgrade from the original Galaxy Chromebook’s OLED screen, but QLED has some benefits of its own, like much higher brightness. QLED panels are also cheaper to produce, which could cut the price of the laptop overall. WalkingCat’s follow-up tweet, which simply reads “p.s. how about 699?,” suggests a much lower MRSP than the $999 Galaxy Chromebook, though this price isn’t given in the slide itself so might just be speculation.
Still, there’s more good news in the “targeted battery life” being listed as 12 hours-plus. In our Samsung Galaxy Chromebook review we found the original laptop ran dry after only 5.55 hours, so any stamina upgrade would be very welcome. Wi-Fi 6 also makes a return, having featured on the last model.
However, it’s also worth noting that the Galaxy Chromebook 2’s weight is given as 2.75 pounds, heavier than the 2.3 pound Galaxy Chromebook – possibly due to either a larger battery, a thicker QLED panel, or both. The processor is also listed as a 10th-gen Intel i3 chip, a step back from the 10th-gen Core i5 powering the original Galaxy Chromebook.
We could therefore be seeing Samsung take a drastically different approach to the Galaxy Chromebook 2 than it would take with any of its smartphones or other laptops. Instead of aiming for blanket upgrades, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 could make a few beneficial tweaks while scaling back certain specs to lower the price.
This might disappoint fans hoping for a direct upgrade, but it does make at least some sense: Chromebooks were originally intended to be cheap, relatively low-power but long-lasting laptops, not premium ultraportables. These leaked specs appear to take the Galaxy Chromebook 2 back in that direction.
In any case we shouldn’t have to wait long to see the Galaxy Chromebook 2 in the flesh. The slide gives a February 2021 launch date, so it could be revealed as part of Samsung’s Galaxy S21 reveal event on January 14 then fully released the following month.