Google’s Chromebook Plus Wants to Be a Cheaper Laptop With Artificial Intelligence

Following on from Microsoft’s Copilot+ for PC announcements last week, Google is updating Chomebooks with new AI features . These include the ability to right-click Gemini, create a faux background for video calls, and use the same Magic editor found on Pixel phones. There are also new non-AI features such as a GIF recorder and a new Game Bar. These are available on standard Chromebooks, while most of the new AI features will be limited to Chromebook Plus models.

Taken together, all of these new features allow Google to deliver on some of the promises it made when it first released the Chromebook Plus last October. But Google still appears to be delaying some launches until later in the year, as the company only announced some of its most exciting AI developments, including a Microsoft Recall-like “Where Have I Been” screen that appears every time you open your Chromebook.

There’s no all-new chip technology here, like in the Copilot+ laptops or M-series MacBooks . But since competing devices can cost well over $1,000, Google’s promise to sell Chromebook Plus laptops starting at $349 provides a great glimpse into what an affordable AI-powered computer might look like in 2024 and whether it will live up to the hype.

What is Chromebook Plus?

In October, Google announced a new Chromebook certification program called Chromebook Plus . While Google doesn’t make its own Chromebook hardware, the Chromebook Plus guarantees minimum specs and has some useful extra features.

For a device to be considered a Chromebook Plus, it must have at least a 12th Gen Intel Core i3 or AMD Ryzen 3 5000 processor, 8GB of RAM or more, 128GB of storage or more, a 1080p or higher IPS display, and a 1080p screen. or over a webcam with temporary noise reduction (which makes the video clearer).

This guarantees a certain level of performance, which Google says enables features like Magic Eraser , which debuted on Pixel phones. Chromebook Plus users can also blur the background during video calls or use OS-level noise reduction, allowing them to customize video even in apps that don’t support it. At launch, these were the only AI features on Chromebook Plus devices, which left a lot of hope.

The minimum requirements for Chromebook Plus devices have not changed for now, meaning today’s update is mostly a feature reduction. But there are also several new or updated devices on the way, including convertibles (laptops that become tablets). Some of them exceed Google’s minimum prices, but perhaps the biggest news here is that the cheapest option is now $349, which brings the starting price of Chromebook Plus devices down from $399.

I’ll focus most of this article on ChromeOS updates, but all of my testing was done on the new HP Chromebook Plus x360, a $429 convertible laptop with 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, an Intel Core i3 processor, and an Intel Core i3 processor. 14-inch touch screen with 1080p resolution.

Gemini on Chromebook Plus

The most notable addition to the Chromebook Plus is Gemini integration, both in the App Drawer (Google’s name for the taskbar) and right-click. Unfortunately, as with the Gemini on the Pixel 8a , it’s something of a parlor trick. Clicking the Gemini icon in the app drawer simply opens a Chrome tab for the Gemini web app and will not work without an internet connection. In the web app, Gemini will work as usual, meaning it won’t be able to help you configure Chromebook settings like Microsoft Copilot can on Windows.

To alleviate any disappointment and perhaps sell future subscriptions, Google is giving all new Chromebook Plus owners a free year of the Google One AI Premium plan along with purchases, meaning they’ll be able to use Gemini Advanced to access the latest versions of the chatbot. large language models.

There is one major feature here that really changes the way you use Gemini, but it’s pretty limited at the moment. “Help Me Write” allows users to select text, right-click it, and choose to have Gemini shorten, edit, insert emoji, or rewrite it using a specific prompt. It’s not something a chatbot couldn’t do before, but the convenience of placing these options on a right-click makes it feel like the next evolution of copy and paste. The catch is that so far this only works on social networking sites. Although I was able to get help writing emails in X (formerly Twitter) or LinkedIn, the option didn’t appear in Gmail or Google Docs. It’s unclear whether this will change in the future, but Google says that “websites that offer a separate right-click menu” are not compatible with Help Me Write.

None of the AI ​​presented here runs on the device, so you’ll need an internet connection to try it out.

Magic Editor on Chromebook Plus

Less noticeable but more useful than the current Gemini integration with Chromebook Plus is the full access to Magic Editor that Google promised to get when the Chromebook Plus program initially launched. You actually need to install it to use it, but setting it up is as easy as opening an image in Google Photos and clicking the glowing magic editor button.

The installation won’t take long and the results will be as smooth as a Pixel phone. You’ll back up your image, and then you’ll be prompted to touch, clean up, or outline the parts of the photo you want to edit. Once selected, you can delete, resize, or move the selected element, and generative AI will fill in any gaps you leave in the process.

Unfortunately, the results are about as good as those on Pixel phones. The background is blurred and the generated elements can blend into each other without any rhyme or reason. It’s fun for a prank or maybe if you really hate your ex and want him out of your selfie, but it won’t replace Photoshop anytime soon. While this is a unique feature that is more than just a shortcut to accessing the Internet, it also requires an Internet connection to work.

Generative AI wallpapers and backgrounds for video calls

Another promise Google made at the launch of the Chromebook Plus was the ability to create custom AI-generated wallpapers and backgrounds for video calls . It has finally happened, but implementation is seriously limited compared to expectations. When I demonstrated a preview of this feature at a Google event last year, I was able to generate images using any hint I wanted. The results weren’t always great, but the freedom was fun and gave Google’s generative AI a unique advantage over simply selecting something from Google images.

Users can now create suggestions only by selecting words from a list of pre-approved ones. For example, if you want to make a fruit-themed wallpaper, you can choose a color, fruit, and background color from a list, but you can’t request a background of “three bug-eyed bananas in astronaut suits.” helmets.” The results are now more consistent, but at the same time so limited and generic that there’s little reason to use these backgrounds instead of the more traditional hand-crafted ones. The reason I even suggested a “fruit theme” above is because more creative options are prohibited. If you are planning to use an AI background, I hope you like landscapes, letters, and food. As with Magic Eraser and Gemini, you will also need internet access.

More AI on Chromebooks in the future

Again, Google has big plans for the Chromebook Plus. The company says it is working on a “Help Me Read” feature that will allow Gemini to summarize text for web pages or PDFs with one right-click and answer additional questions. Again, a chatbot can’t do this right now, but right-clicking could be a great way to get people to actually use AI as it would be integrated into their current workflows.

There are also accessibility utilities in development that could be a real game-changer for those who need them, and perhaps even for those who don’t. The idea is to bring Project Gameface , which is currently available on Android, directly into ChromeOS. Chromebook users, whether the Plus model or the standard model, could then control their mouse, keyboard, and other input devices by smiling, blinking, or performing other gestures. This all sounds very cool, but it’s a little disappointing that we’re so far away from the launch of the Chromebook Plus, and most of the promised AI utilities to help bridge the gap between the Chromebook and a more traditional laptop are still just new items.

What could help Google is the possible launch of “Where Have I Been,” which sounds like a stripped-down version of Microsoft’s new Recall feature. It would be great to see this now to help compete more directly with Microsoft, because it seems like a genuine compromise between Recall’s promises and its security concerns. Like “Remember Where I Was,” I will remind users what they were doing when they returned to the Chromebook Plus, and even give them buttons to resume certain tasks. Unlike Recall, it won’t take a screenshot every few seconds. Instead, the computer simply records what tabs and programs you have open when it goes to sleep, and can even carry over suggestions from connected phones, such as articles you may have started reading on your mobile phone.

For some users this will just be another screen to close before getting started, but for others it will provide some useful shortcuts that, while not as powerful as Recall, pose a much smaller security risk.

Google says these updates will roll out “next year,” but dedicated users may eventually be able to test them out sooner using Chrome flags (I wasn’t able to access them during the testing period).

Non-AI Features

Given the limited nature of what’s happening today, and the somewhat shaky reputation Google AI has earned since its widespread adoption in search, non-AI Chromebook updates may be the most interesting announcements in today’s news, even if they aren’t the first. . -and-center in Google Messages. The best part? All Chromebooks have them, not just Chromebook Plus models.

Perhaps the most convenient of these is the ability to record a GIF when using the screen capture tool . Simply click the screen capture button (or use the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+Shift+Show Windows or Ctrl+Shift+F5 ), click the video icon, then select Record GIF from the drop-down menu.

Depending on the file size, the compression may not always be good—I tested this feature on about 10-second anime frames and found a lot of strange artifacts—but for shorter, more casual reactions on social media, this should prove more convenient than recording a video file and converting him in GIF.

Also handy is the new Game Bar, which gives users access to typical screenshot functionality and also features a key mapper for Android touch gaming. This will make playing games like Genshin Impact on a Chromebook much easier as you can assign the game’s touch controls to keyboard buttons and mouse input. Chromebook Plus users will also be able to capture video of their gameplay using the built-in face cam, although strangely the only way to disable the face cam is to disable webcam input altogether.

To make things seamless, you’ll also now be able to set up your Chromebook using a QR code and Android phone, which has definitely made the process easier for me since my Google password is on the long end. Likewise, you can now access your Google tasks directly from the date display in the bottom right corner of your Chromebook.

Is the Chromebook Plus worth it now?

Google’s revamped Chromebook Plus, thanks to price cuts and a few added AI conveniences, does a good job of using the cloud, making up for the lower hardware performance. But as a true AI computer, the Chromebook Plus is clearly still evolving. The AI ​​features here aren’t anything you couldn’t get anywhere else, mostly for free, so there’s not a good incentive to upgrade, especially if you already have a regular Chromebook. It’s actually quite disappointing that Google hides so many features under the Chromebook Plus banner. Since so much power is provided by the cloud, any device with an Internet connection can run them. For the most part, they can still do it; they just need to go to the Gemini web page first instead of using the AI ​​when right-clicking.

However, the promise of right-click AI is enticing, meaning the Chromebook Plus is worth a look as Google develops Help Me Write and Help Me Read features. If AI is to succeed, it needs to become ingrained in the habits of everyday consumers, and making it available to copy and paste is a smart move on Google’s part.

New Chromebook Plus Models

Along with Google’s feature announcements, a number of updated Chromebook Plus models are coming to market, including the following:

• $699: Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 with 14-inch 1920 x 1200 convertible touchscreen, Intel Core Ultra 5 processor, 8GB RAM, 256GB storage.

• $649: Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE with 16-inch 2560 x 1600, 120Hz, Intel Core 5 processor, 8GB RAM, 256GB storage.

• $499: Asus Chromebook Plus CX24 with 14-inch 1920 x 1080 display, 13th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM, 128GB storage.

• $429: HP Chromebook Plus x360 with 14-inch 1920 x 1080 convertible touchscreen, 13th Gen Intel Core i3 processor, 8GB RAM, 128GB storage.

• $350: Acer Chromebook Plus 514 with 14-inch 1920 x 1080 resolution, 13th Gen Intel Core i3 processor, 8GB RAM, 512GB storage.

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