Google is getting ready to ship its first batch of Chromebook Pixels with 4G LTE connectivity. According to the Google Play store’s latest estimate, the $1,450 Pixels will be shipping on April 8, which is less than two weeks away.
In case you’ve forgotten about the Chromebook Pixels, there are two variants with two different price tags. While they share almost identical parts – from the 12.85-inch 2560 x 1700 pixel resolution touchscreens to the 1.8GHz dual-core Intel Core 15 processors and 4GB RAM – they have different storage capacities and network connectivity.
The premium version that will be shipping on April 8 has a 4G LTE chip in addition to Wi-Fi, so it can connect to Verizon’s 4G LTE network when you’re out and about. That’s why the $1,450 model comes with 100 MB per month of Verizon mobile broadband access that’s good for two years. But, as ZDNet reported, the Pixel won’t be able to hop onto Verizon’s 3G network when you’re outside of the 4G LTE service area, so you may not be able to enjoy the free broadband at all and will have to rely on your local wireless network for Internet.
According to GigaOM, once your two years of free mobile broadband from Verizon is over, you’ll be charged the following prices for contractless 4G LTE access:
- $10 for an unlimited day pass
- $20 for 1 GB of data for a one-month period
- $35 for 3 GB of data for a one-month period
- $50 for 5 GB of data for a one-month period
The $1,450 Pixel also has a 64GB solid-state drive, which is bigger than the 32GB SSD inside the $1,300 Wi-Fi only variant. Admittedly, that is not a lot of space for all your photos and movies, so both Chromebook Pixels will also get 1TB of cloud storage on Google Drive for free for three years. Pixel owners can also use the 12 complimentary sessions of GoGo Internet so they can access those files even when traveling in a plane. Google has to make its comparatively pricey Chromebooks worthwhile somehow.
