The Samsung Chromebook Plus, first announced at CES 2017, is a hybrid laptop capable of flipping round to become a handheld tablet. There are a number of reasons to get interested in this new device, for example the compact slim line design or the class leading screen but the real breakthrough is the out of the box support for Android applications.

Chromebooks have built up a steady following over the years but they have always ended up in a certain niche. The always online cloud based approach is good for security and collaboration but also somewhat limiting in what you can really usefully do. By introducing Android application compatibility the Chromebook world has got a whole lot more interesting.

There is an alternative version featuring an Intel M3 processor, check out the Pro model here.

Build Quality

The Chromebook Plus has been getting some welcome attention thanks to it’s compact and lightweight design. The thin premium build makes it stand out from the competition right now, but this does come at a price. Some people find the shape a little off putting, the screen is an unusual 3:2 ratio making it a squarer shape. Whilst this is surprises some expecting a more normal 16:9 laptop type screen ratio it actually makes sense when you remember this is designed to work as a tablet with full access to Android tablet applications.