Skip to main content

Video provides peek at what may — or may not — be Google’s Pixelbook successor

Google Atlas Chromebook test 1

Google has been working on a Pixelbook successor code-named Atlas for some time — but it’s possibile the device might not be made by Google after all. A leaked video showcases a purported version of the device, and it looks very different from anything the company currently offers under its branding.

Originally spotted by About Chromebooks, the videos have since been pulled from the original Chromium Bug tracker source, but 9to5Google managed to take a snippet of it before it went offline. As seen above, the Atlas device departs from Google’s Pixelbook design elements and features a possible 4K resolution screen with thick bezels and a new 16:9 aspect ratio. The device in the video also appears to be a clamshell laptop, rather than a convertible. On the inside, the device features a “Product Name” branding on its hinge, rather than the “G” branding and logo seen on other Google prototypes.

A separate video provides a peek at the device’s keyboard; it looks similar to the layout of the Pixelbook, with the exception of the hamburger key being replaced with a power key. Putting the scopes of the videos together — and the typically reliable original source code from Chromium — one can assume that Atlas is no longer a Google product. As About Chromebooks points out, it might instead be a project of Samsung or another Google partner.

Future plans for Google hardware were recently put into question, so it would make sense if Atlas is no longer a Google project. A report from Business Insider indicated that the company canceled laptops and tablets as part of cuts to its hardware team. Manufacturing roles, however, were not impacted.

Still, Google is fresh off the release of the Pixel Slate, a rival to the Microsoft Surface and Apple iPad lines. It received a mixed reception, with a high price and software issues often cited as drawbacks. This rumored Atlas device looks to be quite different, and it would make an interesting addition to the growing family of ChromeOS devices.

Editors' Recommendations

Arif Bacchus
Arif Bacchus is a native New Yorker and a fan of all things technology. Arif works as a freelance writer at Digital Trends…
This Google Chrome feature may save you from malware
Google Chrome app on s8 screen.

There are probably hundreds of thousands of Google Chrome extensions out there, and with so many options to choose from, it can be hard to know whether the plugin you want to install is hiding malware nasties.

That could become a thing of the past, though, as Google is testing a feature that will warn you if an extension you installed has been removed from its Chrome Web Store.

Read more
What is MusicLM? Check out Google’s text-to-music AI
MusicLM prompt.

MusicLM is one of Google's experimental artificial intelligence (AI) tools that uses natural language models to interpret your instructions. But instead of chatting to you like ChatGPT, or helping you search, like Bing Chat, MusicLM is an AI that takes what you tell it and creates music based on it.

You'll need to join the waitlist to get access, but once you're in, you can start making music with Google's latest AI tool.

Read more
Check your inbox — Google may have invited you to use Bard, its ChatGPT rival
ChatGPT versus Google on smartphones.

AI chatbots have been the subject of much public fascination as of late, with the likes of ChatGPT continuously making headlines. But now, Google is finally getting in on the trend by soft-launching Bard for select Pixel users.

Bard is Google's AI chatbot that was previously unavailable to the public, but according to a report from 9to5Google, the company is inviting some of its most loyal and dedicated customers to give it a try.

Read more