Many tech companies, try to release a huge number of models of their products to meet the different needs and budgets of their customers.

While it’s a good thing that there’s a device for everyone, it also means more confusion for the customer.

This is the case with the Samsung Chromebook Pro and Plus. There are only very minor differences between the two models, which brings us to the question: which one is better?

Chromebook Pro vs. Chromebook Plus

Read on for a complete comparison between the two models.

Technical Specifications

Both the Samsung Chromebook Pro and Chromebook Plus have almost identical specs, with the only relevant difference being the processor.

Chromebook Pro

• Display: 12.3-inch 2400×1600 (3:2) LCD
• Processor: Intel Core m3-6y30
• Memory: 4GB LPDDR3
• Storage: 32GB
• Audio/Video: 720p webcam, stereo 1.5W speakers
• Ports: USB-C (2), headphone/mic, microSD card
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11ac dual-band, Bluetooth 4.0, accelerometer, gyroscope
• Input: Touch screen, pressure-sensitive stylus
• keyboard, trackpad
• Battery: 39 Wh (5140 mAh), USB-C charging
• Dimensions: 280.8 x 221.6 x 13.9 mm
• Weight: 2.38 pounds

Chromebook Plus

• Display: 12.3-inch 2400×1600 (3:2) LCD
• Processor: Rockchip RK3399 ARM hexa core CPU
• Memory: 4GB LPDDR3
• Storage: 32GB
• Audio/Video: 720p webcam, stereo 1.5W speakers
• Ports: USB-C (2), headphone/mic, microSD card
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11ac dual-band, Bluetooth 4.0, accelerometer, gyroscope
• Input: Touch screen, pressure-sensitive stylus
• keyboard, trackpad
• Battery : 39 Wh (5140 mAh), USB-C charging
• Dimensions: 280.8 x 221.6 x 13.9 mm
• Weight: 2.38 pounds

Chromebook Pro vs. Chromebook Plus: Processing Power

With the processor being the major difference between the two models, it makes sense to compare between them based on their performance and processing powers.

The Chromebook Pro sports an Intel m3-6y30 chip, while the Chromebook Plus is equipped with a Rockchip RK3399 ARM chip.

Both price and speed should shape up your decision on which one is more suitable for you.

The Intel Core m3 chip is much faster than the Rockchip ARM processor, and it can load web pages twice as fast.

It’s also more expensive, which is expected.

This is clearly illustrated in the performance benchmarks of the two chips. In Octane scores (Google’s synthetic Javascript benchmark), the Intel Core m3 chip found in the Pro version scores a figure between 21,000 and 23,000, which is pretty impressive.

On the other hand, the ARM chip used in the plus only scored about 10,000, which isn’t too bad but not really the best.

Even though Octane is a synthetic benchmark, it can be a pretty good indicator of real-world performance.

Chromebook Plus vs. Chromebook Pro:

Real-life Performance

On paper, the Chromebook Pro is much faster than the Chromebook Plus, but is the difference actually felt in the day to day use?

Well, yes and no.

It highly depends on the type of tasks you’d usually do on your Chromebook. If you mostly do simple tasks like casual web browsing, editing documents, creating spreadsheets, and setting reminders, the Chromebook Pro won’t feel that much faster than the Plus to you.

Per contra, if you do intensive tasks that require high processing power, like gaming, photo editing, video processing, and heavy web browsing, the Chromebook Pro will definitely feel smoother compared to the Plus.

While the Google Play Store will be available on both models, some Android apps won’t perform on the Pro as well as the Plus due to the different CPU architecture.

Most of the apps you can use on a Chromebook will work well on both models, but the Intel processor that makes the Pro faster than the Plus is also considered a disadvantage when it comes to the overall user experience of the apps due to compatibility issues.

This is mostly a problem with the Android operating system and not a problem with the hardware.

A developer uses the same instructions to create a universal app that should work similarly on any processor architecture. There are no separate instructions for different CPUs.

However, some apps use a specialized code that doesn’t make them 100% compatible with Intel chips.

This includes graphic intensive apps and games. You can install them, but they won’t run as they should.

Some developers are trying to provide better support for Intel chips, but since Google won’t ever force developers to do so, this may not have a huge impact.

We still think it’s in Google’s best interest that all apps performance perform flawlessly on any Chromebook, regardless of the type of architecture used in its CPU.

However, keep in mind that ARM chips are much more efficient than Intel chips when it comes to battery life. It kinda makes sense because higher performance requires more juice.

The Chromebook Plus costs $492 while the Pro version costs $592.

Whether or not the extra processing power is worth the $100 difference is completely up to you.

Most users will be satisfied with the performance of the Chromebook Plus, but the Pro certainly has its audience too.

Final Recap-Samsung Pro OR plus?

The Chromebook Pro and Plus are more or less the same device with a different brain.

Both models feature a beautiful design, sharp display, excellent build quality, and great usability. It’s what’s on the inside that’s different.

The first thing you should consider before deciding which one you should get is to benchmark your current Chromebook using Octane.