There are various models of Chromebooks that come in different sizes, features, functionalities, and specs. Depending on their performance and specifications, they can either be high-end enough to give competition to Windows and Mac computers, or affordable enough to cost less than $200.

The latest entrant among the Chromebooks released in 2021 is Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Go. This Chromebook costs about $249.99, which is not the cheapest Chromebook you can buy. However, it offers a lot at this price point with a 14-inch screen. It also comes in a $349.99 model which has Wi-Fi and LTE mobile broadband you can access your emails when you are on the go.

However, before we go into this Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Go review, don’t confuse this Chromebook with Galaxy Book Go, which is a Windows laptop powered by ARM. The Go series products of Samsung are focused on offering better value pricing as compared to its other models.

With Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Go, Samsung has aimed to make this model the most straightforward Chromebook out there. And if you ask us, Samsung did almost reach that ambitious goal.

System

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Go comes with a Celeron processor that runs at 1.1 GHz and can increase up to 2.8 GHz whenever needed. This Chromebook is backed up by a 4GB RAM and comes with a storage capacity of 32 GB-64 GB. So if you want to load up your Chromebook with Android apps, you should get the 64GB model. However, if your needs are not that storage-hungry, you can happily use the 32 GB model.

Samsung has marketed Chromebook Go as a low-end Chromebook with specs that are on par with its rivals. With a 4 GB RAM at this price, you can comfortably do web browsing, navigate through your social media, and stream videos with no issue. Same is the case with lightweight cloud apps and web services. But if you try to push it harder and want to open a lot of tabs simultaneously or use heavy cloud apps, your PC will start getting ragged. So it’s wise to stick to Google Apps.

Design

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Go comes with a beautiful sandwich design. It features a sleek silver top and bottom case with a black inner tray and screen. The black part of the Chromebook is a little indented, which makes opening it very convenient.

You can also open the screen to fold back and lie flat at 180 degrees. As you reach beyond 90 degrees, your Chromebook will rest on the back edge of its display panel. The edge of the screen also comes with small rubber bumps to be used as feet. However, that may put a little too much stress on the bottom edge of the screen.

Keyboard

The keyboard of the Chromebook is perhaps the most exciting part of this Chromebook. It comes with a perfect balance of movement between the keys and a quick and seamless bounce back.  For anyone who types a lot on their laptops, they are going to love this keyboard.

It has a standard Chromebook layout with control keys for the system and the browser in top row of the keyboard. There is also a menu/search key instead of the Caps Lock key. The menu key will probably require you to tap on it multiple times so that the search bar and the icons stay visible on the screen instead of appearing and disappearing.

However, if you are buying this Chromebook for kids who are used to smartphones and glass tablets that require minimal physical feedback, the clunky keyboard may feel newer to them and take them a while to get used to.

Touchpad

The touchpad of Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Go is a buttonless pad with acceptable taps and glides easily. However, it has a stiff and sturdy click and is wider than a typical laptop touchpad.

Webcam

The webcam of Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Go is nothing special. It offers poor camera results with a soft-focus 720p resolution. The 1MP camera is just good enough for Zoom or Google meetings. However, you will have to be in a greatly lit area to get the most of your webcam. Or you can also attach an external webcam with better camera results.

But that is not the worst part about this Chromebook. The most subpar feature that we found in this Chromebook definitely has to be its display. This Chromebook does not come with a touch display, which makes it lose several points against its rivals that all have touchscreens. The absence of a touchscreen in this Chromebook reduces its functionality.

The display in Galaxy Chromebook Go only has a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels, which does not let you fully immerse into the screen as the experience feels un proportional. The smaller fonts on the display may not look very small. And there is very little smoothness in the display, as compared to expensive laptops. You may feel like you are not viewing enough on one screen and the experience will feel out of proportion.

The best way we can explain the display results of Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Go is that you may find the edges on your screen a bit fuzzy when you are browsing. That does not mean that the edges are out of focus. Instead, the results are not as sharp and clear as one would want them to be.

Therefore, the screen in Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Go definitely has to be the most subpar part of this laptop. If you are planning on buying a Chromebook, you will need to come up with some areas that you can compromise on. If the screen display in this 14-inch Chromebook does not mean much to you, then you can buy this Chromebook without any problem.

Ports

Talking about connectivity, this Chromebook comes with two USB-C ports, a standard USB-A port, a Micro SD card slot, and a headphone jack. You can use the USB-C ports to charge your Chromebook, connect external devices, or transfer data. It comes with a 45W USB-C fast charger that you can charge this Chromebook and other USB-C devices with.

There is also a USB 3.2 standard USB-A port that you can use to connect your flash drives or external hard drives. You can also connect an external mouse or keyboard with this port.

Since this Chromebook comes with 32 GB to 64 GB storage, you can add additional storage by using a Micro SD card of up to 2TB.

Battery

When it comes to battery life, the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Go can offer you up to 12 hours of battery. It features a 2-cell 5480mAh Lithium-Ion battery that will give you anywhere between 6-12 hours of battery life, depending on the intensity of your usage. This is a great battery performance considering this is a Chromebook. So you can easily take it along to your classes or to work without having to bring along the charger.

Conclusion

Today, Chromebooks are a great choice for people who only use their computers for social media, streaming, web browsing, or cloud storage. In Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Go, the Celeron processor is just enough to meet these demands. However, it may not be able to do so all at once. The keyboard, however, is great to use.

In terms of its display, we think that the 14-inch display does not make up for the poor resolution. You can get a smaller display with a better resolution at this price point and be happy with your purchase. So to put it simply, at $249.99, you can find a lot of improved features with better screen resolutions in other Chromebooks.

We hope this Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Go review helps you make an informed decision. Find out more reviews about your favorite Chromebook here.