Lenovo has just announced the release dates and feature sets of its two latest Chromebook iterations ahead of today’s press conference and there’s something for everyone in the offering.
The new N-series of Chromebooks is comprised of the conventional clam-shell N20 and the more flexible N20P. Both offer the latest auto-updated version of Chrome OS running on Celeron processors, sport 720p 11.6-inch monitors, 4GB of DDR3L RAM, 3-second boot times, and the standard 16 GB internal solid state storage with 100GB of Google Drive space. Bluetooth 4.02, a full-size keyboard, 8-hour battery life, a pair of USB ports, HDMI, and a 2-in-1 (SD / MMC) card reader all come standard as well. That’s a roughly equivalent capability as the Acer 720, which is widely regarded as the best Chromebook on the market right now (for the last time Pixel, sit down).
However, the N20P upgrade immediately sets itself apart from both the N20 and all other Chromebooks with its hyperflexibility. Rather than stop at 120 degrees as most clamshell laptops do, the N20P can continue to curl back upon itself — a full 300 degrees — until its keyboard half is laying face down and acting as a stand for the 10-point, touch screen, a la the Yoga. At 3.1 pounds, the N20P is a touch heavier than N20, which itself weighs a scant 2.8 pounds. They will be available in July and August through the Lenovo website for $US279 and $US329, respectively.
We’re also hearing some rumblings of a special announcement during tomorrow’s press conference. However the current round of rumours of a possible full-flippable chrome os tablet-top, or perhaps a Pixel update (and hopefully a price cut), or another new series of Chromebooks potentially running Intel’s latest broadwell chips all seem more shots-in-the-dark that tips from those-in-the-know. No matter what’s in the works, we’ll be covering the announcement here, live, tomorrow morning and will bring you the latest developments from San Francisco as they happen.