Samsung brings Intel Celeron, live support to Chromebook 2

Though the 11.6-inch laptop looks the same as its current Chromebook 2, Samsung made some changes inside and should you need help, it's now just a click away.

Joshua Goldman Managing Editor / Advice

Managing Editor Josh Goldman is a laptop expert and has been writing about and reviewing them since built-in Wi-Fi was an optional feature. He also covers almost anything connected to a PC, including keyboards, mice, USB-C docks and PC gaming accessories. In addition, he writes about cameras, including action cams and drones. And while he doesn't consider himself a gamer, he spends entirely too much time playing them.

Expertise Laptops, desktops and computer and PC gaming accessories including keyboards, mice and controllers, cameras, action cameras and drones Credentials

More than two decades experience writing about PCs and accessories, and 15 years writing about cameras of all kinds.

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Joshua Goldman

Oct. 17, 2014 6:00 a.m. PT

2 min read

If you put Samsung's new 11-inch Chromebook 2 next to the Chromebook 2 it released in April, you probably wouldn't be able to tell them apart save for its silver lid.

The lid does have the same leather-like treatment as the earlier model, though, making it look and feel a bit nicer than the plastic lids of other Chromebooks. The new version also has the same 1,366x768-pixel-resolution LCD, the same wide, comfortable keyboard with curved keys (it's still not backlit, too) and the same big, responsive touchpad.

The biggest changes are on the inside. The display housing, the corners of the body and the ports have all been reinforced with metal to make it more durable. It's also running on an energy-efficient 2.58GHz Intel Celeron N2840 processor instead of the Samsung Exynos processor found in the previous Chromebook 2, which might be the reason this version is capable of up to 9 hours of battery life.

samsung-chromebook-2-11-6-inch-intel-celeron-product-photos14.jpg — Sarah Tew/CNET

Intel HD graphics, 2GB of memory, 16GB of internal storage and 802.11AC wireless and Bluetooth 4.0 round out the rest of the specs, making it all in all a pretty typical Chromebook.

However, what's out of the ordinary is the live video chat support Samsung includes with this model.

Powered by Google Helpouts, Samsung Support can be contacted through the Chromebook Help menu installed on the laptop. Samsung says the support team is ready to answer questions about the hardware and Chrome OS basic usability and features, but any technical troubleshooting will be redirected to Google. That matches what we experienced with the support call we made.

The service, which is currently in beta, will be available Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST. The support is for the life of the product, but right now that only means the Intel-based Chromebook 2. Samsung is planning to roll out service to other devices, but a schedule has not been determined yet.

Still, if you were considering getting someone a Chromebook who is perhaps not so tech-savvy, having tech support to help with the transition from a Windows or Mac computer to a Chromebook is a pretty good selling point.

The 11.6-inch Samsung Chromebook 2 with Intel Celeron is available for preorder on Samsung's site now for $250 and will be widely available the week of October 20.