The Chrome Cast

This week on The Chrome Cast, we take a look back at the tentpole moments of 2023 and how things changed over the last 365 days not just for us here at Chrome Unboxed, but for ChromeOS, Chromebooks and Google, too. From Chromebook Plus to the Dragonfly Pro to AI and more, we spend a good bit of time unpacking all the stuff that made 2023 the year that it was.

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On this episode of The Chrome Cast, we begin by talking about the amazing deals out there right now for Chromebooks under $300, and the conversation simply took off from that point. We’re in a stage in the Chromebook story where Chromebook Plus is a relevant player in the overall narrative that is driving prices for great Chromebooks down to pretty remarkable places.

Just a few years ago, I loathed talking too much about affordable Chromebooks because most of them were flat-out bad and not fun to use. At the end of 2023, however, that is less and less the case, and there are so many great Chromebooks under $300 at this point that I think the landscape for Chromebooks and ChromeOS will look quite different by this point in 2024.

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On this episode of The Chrome Cast, we really did attempt to continue with our one-subject-per-podcast format this week, but in talking about ASUS' newly-launched ExpertBook CX54 Chromebook Plus, our conversation diverged to include not just ASUS' new, top-dog Chromebook, but Chromebook Plus, the HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook, Intel Core i3 performance, and Intel's new Core Ultra-branded chips for laptops across the board.

Obviously, the main focus of our discussion is all about this wildly-over-the-top new Chromebook that came out of nowhere, however, and there's just a lot to talk about with this surprising new device that could be the Chromebook to beat in 2024.

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For this episode of The Chrome Cast, we're sticking with our new format of sticking to a single topic. And this time around, we've decided to work through our "Best Chromebooks" list for the end of the year live on the podcast. There was no planning for this and you can listen as we talk through and create the list that will likely become what we're thinking will be our first-ever "12 Chromebooks of Christmas". How's that for a bit of multitasking?

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For this episode of The Chrome Cast, we’re trying something a bit different. Instead of trying to cover a week’s worth of stuff in a single, 90-minute show, we’re going to break our episodes into topic-specific segments and publish more often. This way, you don’t have to give over an hour to listen and we have the flexibility to jump in and produce a new episode with a bit more ease. It’s a win-win!

For this episode, our discussion topic circles around the issues with ChromeOS 119 and the missing Chromebook Plus features that could be happening because of it. On Friday, I realized my Chromebook Plus features were simply gone from the Flex 5i, and after a bit more digging, I also realized ChromeOS 119 has been pulled from the Omaha server responsible for pushing updates to all Chromebook devices. Something’s off for sure, and if you’ve been affected by it, this episode should provide a bit of insight.

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This week on The Chrome Cast, our discussion is largely dominated by the naming mess that Chromebook Plus is facing right now. Sure, there are 8 “new” Chromebook Plus devices that were launched with the announcement, but as of mid-October, a bunch of other existing devices also got the full Chromebook Plus upgrade.

The issue? If you don’t know better and walk into a store or are browsing online, looking for Chromebook Plus (as the marketing is pushing consumers to do), you may pass on many fantastic devices that are Chromebook Plus through-and-through but don’t have anything in the listing to tell you that is the case.

Think of the Acer Chromebook 516 GE, a device I’ve lauded for nearly a year at this point as one of my favorite devices. As I type this right now on that exact device, it kills me to think consumers may walk right by it simply because there’s no label that tells them this is a Chromebook Plus. The fix would be a simple name change and inclusion for devices like this in any and all Chromebook Plus marketing, but I don’t know if or when we’ll get there.

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This week on The Chrome Cast, loosely everything we discuss circles around one, large topic: Chromebook Plus. From the myriad of deals on Chromebook Plus devices to discussing the prowess of Chromebook Plus processors and the possibility of new Chromebook Plus tablets, this week’s show largely stays focused on Chromebook Plus.

We also discuss the curious case of the Pixel Tablet as well: a device still stuck in limbo, trying to figure out what its purpose truly is. With the Google Assistant set to start gaining Bard’s capabilities and new Nest Hub-like features on the way to the Pixel Tablet, perhaps there’s a future where owning this odd tablet from Google really starts to make a lot of sense.

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This week on The Chrome Cast, we begin by talking about our latest giveaway: 3 Lenovo Chromebook Slim 3i Chromebooks! While these devices don’t have Chromebook Plus on the lid, they are Chromebook Plus through-and-through. As my favorite Chromebook Plus model thus far (and the first I plan to review), I’m beyond excited to be able to give away three of these excellent Chromebooks courtesy of Lenovo.

From there, we move on to talk about the fact that there are no real differences in devices like the Slim 3i and the Chromebook Plus Slim 3i: it’s just a new branding on the lid. And after we get through some discussion on the state of Chromebook Plus right now and the situation with the ChromeOS 118 update, we move on to examining the latest Chromebook Plus model to arrive at the office – the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 – and the fact that we now have all of the new Chromebook Plus devices in the office to begin weeks worth of reviews.

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This week on The Chrome Cast, we discuss the potential for a new Chromebook Plus model that could be on the way from Samsung. From the heights of the Samsung Chromebook Plus/Pro and Galaxy Chromebook to the oddly-named and poorly-executed devices like the Galaxy Chromebook Go and Galaxy Chromebook 2 360, Samsung has been on a rough path in the ChromeOS space for years at this point.

But their comeback could be solidified with a well-thought-out Chromebook Plus model that looks to be in the works with a new device codenamed ‘Pirrha’ that has been in development since July. Could this device signal a return to form from Samsung? And if so, when will we see it? This topic dominates our discussion this week, but we also hit on some other Chromebook Plus stuff and a bit about the wild deals we’re currently seeing in the market on an ongoing basis.

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Today on The Chrome Cast podcast, we get into all of the hardware and software details from the Chromebook Plus announcement that we didn’t have time to cover in our episode last week. If you listened to that episode, you know that the Chromebook Plus certification represents the biggest change to Chromebooks we’ve seen since we started our coverage in 2015 and so there was a lot to talk about from a big picture perspective. But from a consumer standpoint, the hardware requirements and software features are what will impact your overall experience of using a new Chromebook Plus-certified device.

So for this episode, we take a deep dive into each of the new 8 Chromebook Plus models that were a part of this announcement and the improved software experiences that will accompany all Chromebook Plus models. We wrap things up with some discussion of generative AI on Chromebook Plus models and on the new Pixel 8. We hope you enjoy and make sure to follow The Chrome Cast on Spotify, Google Podcast, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts so that you don’t miss more Chromebook Plus discussions coming soon.

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