🗂️Keep in Mind Google’s Chromebook Plus Wants to Be a Cheaper AI Laptop

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Hot on the heels of Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC announcements last week, Google is refreshing Chomebooks with new AI features to match. These include the ability to summon Gemini with a right click, generate AI backgrounds for video calls, and use the same Magic Editor as on Pixel phones.

There’s new non-AI features as well, like a GIF recorder and a new Game Dashboard. These are available on standard Chromebooks, while most of the new AI features will be limited to Chromebook Plus models.

Taken together, all of these new features see Google fulfilling some of the promises it made alongside its first Chromebook Plus rollout in October of last year. But Google still seems to be deferring some rollouts to later in the year, as the company only previewed a selection of its more exciting AI developments—among them, a Microsoft Recall-like “Where Was I” screen that pops up every time you open your Chromebook.

There isn’t any brand new chip technology here, like there is with Copilot+ laptops or M-series MacBooks. But since competing devices can cost well above $1,000, Google’s promise to sell Chromebook Plus laptops starting at $349 provides a great look at what a low-cost AI computer might look like in 2024, and if it lives up to the hype.

What is a Chromebook Plus?​

Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt

In October, Google announced a new certification program for Chromebooks called Chromebook Plus. While Google doesn’t make its own Chromebook hardware, Chromebook Plus guarantees a minimum spec loadout, and comes with some handy extra features.

For a device to be considered a Chromebook Plus, it must have at least an Intel Core i3 12th Generation or AMD Ryzen 3 5000 CPU, 8GB of RAM or more, 128GB of storage or more, a 1080p IPS display or above, and a 1080p or above webcam with temporal noise reduction (which makes videos appear clearer).

This guarantees a certain level of performance, which Google says enables it to turn on features like Magic Eraser, which debuted on Pixel phones. Chromebook Plus users can also blur their backgrounds in video calls or use audio noise cancellation on an OS-level, allowing them to tune up their video even in apps that don’t support it. These were the only AI features on Chromebook Plus devices at launch, which left a lot of promises to fulfill.

The minimum requirements for Chromebook Plus devices hasn’t changed now, which means today’s update is mostly a feature drop. But there are seven new devices on the way, including convertibles (laptops that become tablets). Some of these go above and beyond Google’s minimums, but perhaps the biggest news here is the cheapest option is now $349, which drops the starting price for Chromebook Plus devices down from $399.

I’ll be focusing on ChromeOS updates for most of this article, but all of my testing was done on the new HP Chromebook Plus x360, a $429 convertible laptop with 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, an Intel Core i3 processor, and a 14-inch 1080p touchscreen.

Gemini on Chromebook Plus​

Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt

The most prominent addition to Chromebook Plus is Gemini integration, both in the app shelf (Google’s name for the taskbar) and when you right click. Unfortunately, like with Gemini on the Pixel 8a, it’s somewhat of a parlor trick. Clicking the Gemini icon in the app shelf simply opens a Chrome tab for Gemini’s web app, and won’t work without an internet connection. Once in the web app, Gemini will function as usual, meaning it won’t be able to help you adjust your Chromebook’s settings, like Microsoft Copilot can with Windows.

To help alleviate any disappointment, and probably to sell future subscriptions, Google is giving all new Chromebook Plus owners a year of the Google One AI Premium plan free with their purchases, meaning they’ll be able to use Gemini Advanced to access the chatbot’s latest large language models.

There is one substantial feature here that genuinely changes how you use Gemini, but it’s pretty limited for now. “Help me write” allows users to select text, right-click it, and choose to have Gemini shorten, elaborate on, insert emojis into, or rewrite it using a specific prompt. It’s nothing the chatbot couldn’t do before, but the convenience of putting these options on a right-click makes it feel like the next evolution of copy-paste. That catch is that it only works on social media sites for now. While I was able to get writing help on X (formerly Twitter) or LinkedIn, the option wouldn’t show up on Gmail or Google Docs. It’s unclear whether that will change in the future, but Google says that “websites that offer a separate right-click menu” are not compatible with Help me write.

None of the AI here works on-device, so you’ll need to be connected to the internet to try it out.

Magic Editor on Chromebook Plus​

An unedited photo of a car (left) vs. the same photo after being edited with Magic Editor (right) Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt

Less prominent but more useful than Chromebook Plus’ current Gemini integration is full Magic Editor access, something that Google promised would come when it initially launched the Chromebook Plus program. You’ll actually need to install this to use it, but getting it set up is as simple as opening an image in Google Photos and clicking the glowing magic editor button.

Installation doesn’t take long, and the resulting process is about as smooth as on a Pixel phone. You’ll back up your image, then be prompted to tap, brush, or circle the parts of the photo you want to edit. Once selected, you can delete, resize, or move your selected element, and generative AI will fill in any gaps you leave in the process.

Unfortunately, the results are about as good as on Pixel phones, too. Backgrounds are blurry and generated elements might blend together with little rhyme or reason. It’s fun for a gag, or maybe if you really hate an ex and want them out of your selfie, but it’s not going to replace Photoshop anytime soon. And while it’s a unique function that isn’t just a shortcut to the web, it also needs an internet connection to work.

Generative AI wallpaper and video call backgrounds​

Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt

Another promise Google made upon launching Chromebook Plus was the ability to create custom, AI-generated wallpapers and video call backgrounds. This is finally here, but the implementation is seriously limited compared to expectations.

When I demoed a pre-release version of the feature at a Google event last year, I was able to generate imagery using any prompt I wanted. The results weren’t always beautiful, but the freedom was fun, and gave Google’s generative AI a unique edge over just picking something off Google Images.

Now, users can only make prompts by selecting from a list of pre-approved words. For instance, if you want to make a wallpaper with a fruit theme, you could pick a color, a fruit, and a background color from a list, but you couldn’t ask for a background of “three bananas with googly eyes wearing astronaut helmets.”

The results are now more consistent, but also so constrained and typical that there’s little reason to use these backgrounds over more traditional, handcrafted ones. The reason I even suggested a “fruit theme” above is that more imaginative options are off-limits. If you’re planning to use an AI background, I hope you like landscapes, letters, and foodstuff.

Like Magic Eraser and Gemini, you’ll need internet access for this as well.

More Chromebook AI to come​

Credit: Google

Again, Google has big plans for Chromebook Plus down the line. The company says it’s working on a “Help me read” feature that will allow Gemini to summarize text for web pages or PDFs on a right-click, and answer follow-up questions. Again, this is nothing the chatbot can’t do now, but putting it on a right-click could be a great way to get people to actually use the AI, as it’ll be integrated into their current workflows.

There’s also accessibility utilities in the works that could prove to be a genuine game changer for those who need them, and possibly even those who don’t. The idea is to bake Project Gameface, which is currently available on Android, directly into ChromeOS. Chromebook users, whether on a Plus or a standard model, could then control their mouse, keyboard, and other input devices by smiling, blinking, or performing other gestures. It all sounds very cool, but it’s a bit disappointing that we’re this far out on the Chromebook Plus launch and most of the promised AI utility that’s meant to help bridge the gap between a Chromebook and a more traditional laptop are still just novelties.

What might help Google is the eventual launch of “Where Was I,” which sounds like a stripped down version of Microsoft’s new Recall feature. It’d be great to see this go live now, to help more directly compete with Microsoft, because it seems like a genuine compromise between Recall’s promises and its security concerns. Like Recall, Where Was I will remind users what they were up to upon returning to their Chromebook Plus, and even give them buttons to resume certain tasks. Unlike Recall, it won’t take a screenshot every few seconds. Instead, the computer will simply take a note of which tabs and programs you had open when it goes to sleep, and can even port over suggestions from connected phones, like articles you might have started reading on mobile.

For some users, this will just be another screen to dismiss before getting started on work, but for others, it will provide some useful shortcuts that, while not as powerful as Recall, provide much less of a security risk.

Google says these updates will roll out “in the coming year,” but dedicated users might eventually be able to test them out early via Chrome flags (I couldn’t access them in my testing period).

Non-AI features​

Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt

Given the limited nature of what’s going live today and the somewhat shaky reputation Google AI has earned since being widely implemented into search, Chromebook’s non-AI upgrades might be the most exciting announcements to come out of today’s news, even if they’re not front-and-center in Google’s messaging. The best part? They’re on all Chromebooks, not just Chromebook Plus models.

Maybe the most convenient of these is the ability to record a GIF when using the screen capture tool. Simply press the screen capture button (or use the Ctrl + Shift + Show Windows or Ctrl + Shift + F5 shortcuts), click the video icon, then select “Record GIF” from the dropdown menu.

Depending on the file size, the compression might not always be great—I tested the feature out on about 10 seconds of anime footage and got plenty of strange artifacts—but for shorter and more casual social media reactions, it should prove more convenient than capturing a video file and converting it to a GIF.

Also convenient is the new Game Dashboard, which gives users access to typical screenshot functions, but also comes with a key mapper for touch-based Android games. This will make it far easier to play games like Genshin Impact on a Chromebook, since you’ll be able to assign the game’s touch controls to keyboard buttons and mouse inputs. Chromebook Plus users will also be able to capture videos of their gameplay with the included face-cam of themselves, although oddly enough, the only way to disable the face-cam is to turn off webcam input altogether.

In a move towards seamlessness, you’ll also now be able to set up your Chromebook using a QR code and an Android phone, which definitely made the process simpler for me, since my Google password is on the long end. Similarly, you can now access your Google Tasks right from the date display in your Chromebook’s bottom-right corner.

Is Chromebook Plus worth it now?​

Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt

With a price drop and a few extra AI conveniences, Google’s updated Chromebook Plus program does a decent job using the cloud to make up for lower hardware performance. But as a proper AI computer, Chromebook Plus is clearly still developing. The AI features here aren’t anything that you couldn’t get elsewhere, largely for free, so there’s not a good incentive to upgrade, especially if you already own a regular Chromebook. In fact, it’s pretty disappointing that Google is locking so many features behind its Chromebook Plus banner. With so much being powered by the cloud, any device with an internet connection could conceivably run them. For the most part, they even still can; they’ll just need to navigate to the Gemini web page first, instead of having AI on a right click.

That AI on a right click promise is tantalizing, though, which means Chromebook Plus is worth paying attention to as Google develops its Help me write and Help me read features. If AI is to take off, it needs to work its way into regular consumer habits, and seeing it readily available when you go to copy and paste is a smart move on Google’s part.
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