Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. Legacy Archives

Chromebook Pixel vs MacBook Pro with Retina vs Samsung Series 3 Chromebook: In-depth comparison

By
Add as a preferred source on Google

chromebook pixeThe release of Google’s Chromebook Pixel yesterday took quite a few people by surprise. Not only was the announcement a shock, but so was the price. Considering that previous Chromebooks have all been relatively inexpensive machines that offered more than a netbook, but less than a full-fledged system, the Pixel’s $1,299 price tag is a big deal. Google is entering notebook territory that’s been home to portables with premium design cues, such as the HP Envy Spectre, the Acer Aspire S7, and Apple’s MacBook Pro. Google’s Chrome OS previously ran with the $400-and-under crowd, so will consumers want the same stripped down operating system in a luxury package? 

The Pixel sits somewhere between the Samsung Series 3 Chromebook and the MacBook Pro with Retina display. But what do you get for your money with each system? We break it down below.

Recommended Videos
 

Chromebook Pixel

chrome-pixel_dt
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Retina MacBook Pro

macbook_dt
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Samsung Series 3

Samsung-Chromebook-Series-3-review_180x139
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Dimensions  11.72″ x 8.84″ x 0.64″ 12.35″ x 8.62″ x 0.75″  11.40″ x 8.09″ x 0.69″
Weight  3.35 pounds 3.57 pounds  2.1 pounds
Processor  1.8 GHz Intel Core i5 dual-core 2.5 GHz Core i5 dual-core  1.7 GHz Exynos 5200
RAM  4GB 8GB  2GB
Screen Size  12.85″ 13.3″  11.6″
Resolution  2560 x 1700 2560 x 1600  1366 x 768
Storage  32GB SSD 128GB SSD  16GB SSD
Networking Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, optional
LTE modem		  Wi-Fi, Bluetooth  Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Ports Mini display port, 2 USB,
SD card reader		 HDMI, 2 Thunderbolt,
2 USB, SD card reader		  HDMI, 2 USB, SD card reader
Webcam  720p HD 720p HD  0.3 megapixels
Operating System Chrome OS Mac OS X 10.8 Chrome OS
Battery Life  5 hours  7 hours  6.3 hours
Price $1,299 $1,499 $249

While you certainly get a lot of pixels for the price, and extreme portability, it’s hard to ignore the fact that for $200 more, the MacBook Pro offers a complete operating system with an easily accessible file system, a more powerful processor and RAM configuration, and two more hours of battery life. 

That’s not a complete diss on Chrome OS, though. It’s still a very young OS and definitely has advantages if you primarily use your computer for e-mail, Web browsing, and video streaming. If your life is deeply embedded in the Google ecosystem and you’re okay with that, go Chrome. However, we still think $1,299 is a lot of dough for a limited OS and would favor the less expensive Samsung Series 3.

Meghan McDonough
Meghan McDonough
Former Contributor
Meghan J. McDonough is a Chicago-based purveyor of consumer technology and music. She previously wrote for LAPTOP Magazine…
Topics
AI companies may be gobbling up old books, and I really hope they aren’t destroying them
Booksellers are seeing mysterious bulk orders for old books, and some suspect AI companies
Book, Publication, Text

Secondhand booksellers have noticed a curious pattern over the past few months. Large orders are coming in for old books that often share no obvious subject, author, or genre, leaving sellers wondering who wants them and why.

According to The Guardian, booksellers in the U.K. and Ireland have received bulk orders covering everything from agricultural texts to racing biographies. Some buyers reportedly use opaque aliases, send orders to the same freight warehouses, and pay full price without negotiating bulk discounts. Similar activity has also surfaced in the U.S., Australia, and Europe.

Read more
Claude is getting ambitious with watermarking, and I can smell the problems from a mile away
Claude’s text watermark could flag AI involvement even when it only helped with translation or editing
Claude website open on laptop

Anthropic wants to make AI-generated text easier to identify, and on paper, I have very little reason to complain. The company is experimenting with an invisible watermark that can be baked directly into text generated by Claude.

It sounds like a sensible idea. AI-generated text is everywhere, and knowing where something came from could certainly help. Moreover, Anthropic isn't simply hiding a marker somewhere inside a document. Its approach changes how Claude selects words to create a statistical pattern that can later be detected.

Read more
I switched from Windows to Mac after 25 years, and it’s the trackpad that converted me.
Well, that rhymes.
Computer, Electronics, Laptop

I’ve been using Windows laptops for almost 25 years. In that time, I never once seriously thought of buying a MacBook. In fact, I can honestly say I had never used one at all until I bought my MacBook Air M5 six months ago. Never borrowed one for a weekend, spent an afternoon at an Apple Store, or even played with one at a friend's house. Macs, to me, were just expensive computers for those who edited videos, made logos, or liked drinking expensive coffee.

My change came completely by accident.

Read more