Google is setting a new standard with Chromebook Plus

Google’s Chromebooks have mostly been known as being more affordable alternatives to Windows and Mac computers. This is because ChromeOS has been designed to be easy on the hardware, allowing computer manufacturers to create simple laptops that can fulfill day-to-day tasks without breaking the bank.

But what if you’re a fan of ChromeOS but are hoping for something more powerful? If that’s the case, then you might be interested in Google’s latest announcement which comes in the form of Chromebook Plus.

Chromebook Plus will be a new series of Chromebooks that have a minimum standard of hardware that computer manufacturers need to follow if they want their devices to qualify as a Chromebook Plus device. This includes:

• CPU: Intel Core i3 12th Gen or above, or AMD Ryzen 3 7000 series or above
• RAM: 8GB+
• Storage: 128GB+
• Webcamera: 1080p+ with Temporal Noise Reduction
• Display: Full HD IPS or better display

Basically what this means is that if you need a more powerful Chromebook that can handle more demanding apps, offer better quality videos for video conferencing, and more, then Chromebook Plus computers will be able to guarantee a certain degree of quality and performance.

With this boost in performance levels, Chromebook Plus users can look forward to unlocking better features in software. For example, Google will be introducing the Magic Eraser AI feature for Google Photos in Chromebook Plus computers. There will also be File Sync that can take advantage of the larger minimum storage to download your Google Drive files offline so you can access them even without an internet connection.

Users can also look forward to doing more graphics-demanding tasks like editing photos or videos with Adobe Photoshop on the web and Adobe Express Premium, and users will also get three months free access whenever they buy a Chromebook Plus computer.

There will also be access to more AI features like generative AI backgrounds for more unique forms of customization, the use of Duet AI, and more.

Google has worked with a bunch of different computer makers to create new Chromebook Plus computers, such as Acer, ASUS, HP, and Lenovo. These new Chromebook Plus computers will be launching on the 8th of October so mark that date down if these new computers sound like something you might be interested in!