Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Chromebook | 6 Rounds of Battle

With the latest Galaxy Chromebook 2 in the market, it’s imperative to feature a Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Chromebook showdown to settle once and for all, who sits on the throne of the best Galaxy Chromebook.  

Though the older Chromebook supports more features than its successor, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 tries to make up for it with a substantial price cut. The latest Chromebook 2 from Samsung offers value for money while still downgrading on its features. 

If you’ve been confused over which Chrome OS laptop to choose, you can take a sigh of relief. In this article, we’ve given a comparison guide on Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Chromebook over various factors including design, performance, battery life, and more.

While the original Galaxy Chromebook is the flashier of the two, its successor comes off as a more budget-friendly Chromebook. Read along the article to find out how each of the Chromebooks fairs in a 6 round face-off.

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Chromebook

At almost half the price of the original Chromebook, the latest Galaxy Chromebook 2 laptop stands out for an entirely different user market. Without further ado, let’s begin the face-off:

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Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Chromebook | Quick Specs Overview

Category	Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2	Samsung Galaxy Chromebook
Price	$299.99 – $699.99	$499.99 – $999.99
Processor	Intel Celeron 5205U Intel Core i3-10110U	10th Gen Intel Core i5
RAM	4-8 GB	8 GB
Storage	64-128 GB	256 GB
Display	13.3″ QLED 1920x1080px	13.3″ AMOLED 3840x2160px (4K)
Ports	2 USB Type-C ports microSD card slot  Audio jack	2 USB Type-C ports UFS/microSD card slot Audio jack
Features	Backlit keyboard Active Pen support	Backlit keyboard  Garaged Active Pen  Project Athena certified Fingerprint sensor
Dimensions	12″x8″x0.55″	11.92″x8″x0.39″
Weight	2.72 lbs	2.29lbs
Battery	Up to 13 hours	Up to 7 hours
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 4.0	Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 4.0

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Detailed Comparison of the Galaxy Chromebooks

1. Design and Features

Who comes out on top in this round of Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Chromebook?

Both Galaxy Chromebooks sport a similar lid design. Along with the silver Samsung logo on the center-left side, both Chromebooks share a gray Chromebook emblem located at the top-left corner of the lid. 

With the dual 360-degree hinges, the Galaxy Chromebook, as well as the Galaxy Chromebook 2, can be transformed and easily switched between the tablet and tent modes. 

While the first-generation Galaxy Chromebook included the Samsung S Pen, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 doesn’t even support the stylus. This reason alone makes the Galaxy Chromebook have a clear edge over its successor.

A bunch of other features that the new edition of Galaxy Chromebook lacks are the fingerprint scanner which you can find at the top-right corner on the original model and a camera on the keyboard deck that you can notice near the function keys of the 1st-gen Galaxy Chromebook. 

In addition to that, the Galaxy Chromebook has a more compact design as well. With the dimensions – 12 x 8 x 0.6 inches (~ 2.7 lbs), the Galaxy Chromebook 2 feels slightly thicker and heavier than its predecessor, having dimensions of 11.9 x 8 x 0.4 inches (~2.3 lbs).

2. Display

Who comes out on top in this round of Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Chromebook?

The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook duo has a similar 13.3-inch screen size with major noticeable differences in their display specs. While the first-gen Galaxy Chromebook houses a 4K AMOLED panel, its successor comes with the world’s first QLED-equipped Chromebook display screen.

Even though the QLED technology on the Galaxy Chromebook 2 provides a balanced power-efficient and vivid display, it still doesn’t match the superior visuals that the 1st-gen Chromebook boasts with the 4K AMOLED screen.

Both the Chrome-operated systems exceed the average DCI-P3 color gamut coverage of 70%. While the newer Chromebook with QLED display racks up a coverage score of about 84%, it is outperformed by its predecessor’s 4K panel with a score of 159%.

3. Performance

Who comes out on top in this round of Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Chromebook?

Now that we’ve covered the display aspect, it’s time for a performance comparison of the Galaxy Chromebook duo. While the original Galaxy Chromebook comes with a 10th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, Samsung’s 2nd-gen Galaxy Chromebook hosts a 10th Gen Intel Core i3 processor.

Even though both the Chromebooks are packed with 8GB of RAM, their overall performance score on the Geekbench 5.4 falls short of the average Chromebook benchmark score of 2590. Yet the 1st-gen Chromebook, with a 2232 benchmark score, performs slightly better than its successor which managed to get a score of 2163 over the Geekbench CPU performance test.

On the browsing front, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 outperformed its successor, yet again, with a score of 105-92 in favor of the original Chromebook from Samsung on the Jetstream 2.0 web browsing performance test.

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4. Number of Ports

Who comes out on top in this round of Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Chromebook?

Both the Galaxy Chromebooks sport two USB-C ports along with a headset jack and micro-SD card slot but in different locations. Whereas the first-gen Galaxy Chromebook hosts a USB-C port and a headset jack on the left side and another USB-C port and a microSD card slot on the right side, its successor sports the USB Type-C, headset jack and the microSD slot on the left side, and another USB-C port on its right.

5. Keyboard and Touchpad Features

Who comes out on top in this round of Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Chromebook?

The Galaxy Chromebook 2 has an upper hand over its predecessor in regards to keyboard contrast and visibility. The white letters on red keys over the red-finish chassis on the 1st-gen Galaxy Chromebook make it a nightmare for visually impaired users. 

This has been corrected through its successor’s keyboard that sports black keys with white letters that give a well-balanced contrast with the fiery red chassis.

Apart from this slight advantage, as mentioned above, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 doesn’t feature the fingerprint scanner and the keyboard-deck camera like with its original Chromebook model. This is, sort of, justified with the down pricing of the newer Galaxy Chromebook 2. 

For the touch aspect, both Chromebooks offer smooth-surfaced and responsive touchpads that support Chrome OS gestures such as 3-finger swipe (for switching Chrome tabs) and 2-finger scrolling. The point of difference comes with the less spacious 3.9 x 2.4-inch touchpad on the Chromebook 2 over the Galaxy Chromebook’s 4.6 x 2.3-inch touchpad. 

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6. Battery Life

Who comes out on top in this round of Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Chromebook?

Since the original Galaxy Chromebook emanates a 4K, AMOLED display, it actually doesn’t stand much of a chance against its power-efficient QLED-enabled successor in the battery endurance face-off.

The Galaxy Chromebook lasts for about twice as long as its predecessor. While the original Galaxy Chromebook lasts up to a decent 7-hour usage, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 can survive up to 13 hours of usage on a single 100% charge.

Wrapping Up

This concludes our article on the Face-off: Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 vs Galaxy Chromebook. Over the 6 rounds of battle, the original Galaxy Chromebook comes out on top as the winner of this ultimate showdown of the Samsung Chromebooks. If you want a cheaper and not-so-heavy usage-specific laptop, you can opt for the Galaxy Chromebook 2. Comment down below with your choice of Chromebook among the two.

Feature Image Credit: Laptop Mag