Google Pixelbook, which is a high-end Chromebook.
Credit: GoogleThe new Google Pixelbook is stunning. Is it good enough to make a run at the Apple MacBook Pro? Read on.
The configurations I've been using are:
--The late-2017 Google Pixelbook (listed at $999 currently $899) with a 1.2-GHz Intel Core i5-7Y57 (7th Generation) 8GB of memory, and 128GB of storage.
--The mid-2017 13-inch MacBook Pro with 7th Generation Intel Core i5 (base speed of 2.3 GHz), 8GB of memory, and 128GB of storage (and no Touch Bar). It's listed at $1,299 but is typically sold at major retailers with hefty discounts (more on that below).
Note:
Some readers may believe a better comparison would be between the Pixelbook and the 12-inch MacBook. I think a more apt comparison is between the budget 13-inch MacBook Pro, as reviewed below, and the Pixelbook. But I will add some notes below to address this.
This is a concise (not exhaustive) review and is meant to be a quick-read. I'm going to rate the laptops on six key metrics in order to keep the comparison as concise as possible but with additional notes at bottom.
Design: 12.3-inch Google Pixelbook -- there's thin and there's really thin. The Pixelbook is how I imagine Steve Jobs might have redesigned the MacBook Air in 2018. (In fact, Apple hasn't significantly redesigned the MBA since circa 2010 and it appears headed for extinction, replaced by the 12-inch MacBook and MacBook Pro). The Pixelbook's thinness (a tablet-like 0.4-inches) and weight (2.4 pounds) make it a totable wonder (something I definitely notice when I put it in my bag). Despite this, the all-aluminum chassis feels very solid/durable.
The Pixelbook also has a 360-degree hinge and its touchscreen can fold into various modes including tablet, tent, and stand modes.
The 13.3-inch MacBook Pro is just over 3 pounds but (as I've written before) it's built like a tank with its sturdy all-aluminum construction. And, despite the larger display, appears smaller. That's because it makes more efficient use of its real estate (frame/chassis) than the Pixelbook, i.e., the display bezels are narrower and the depth (at 8.36 inches) is actually less than the Pixelbook (8.7 inches) though it's slightly wider and quite a bit thicker (0.59 inch) than the Google laptop. (See photo below).
Winner: Both excellent. No winner in this category. The Pixelbook is jaw-droppingly thin, totable, and sturdy with good weight distribution. But the MacBook Pro is a more efficient design and looks really good too.
Performance: Both laptops have Intel 7th Generation processors. In other words, neither uses the latest quad-core 8th Gen chips that have recently appeared on thin-and-light laptops like the late-2017 Dell XPS 13 and late-2017 HP Spectre 13 (review). The on-paper difference between the MacBook Pro and Pixelbook is: Apple uses a 15-watt Intel Core i5 processor (on the low-cost model that I'm using) while Google uses a very-low-power Core i5 Y series 4.5 watt chip on my config.
More wattage typically means better performance. But not in this case. The Pixelbook is incredibly fast in day to day use with no lag. I've put it to the test running lots of Chrome tabs (a dozen or so), a photo editing app, social media apps, and Microsoft Word. (Yes, you heard me right. Microsoft Office is now available for the Chrome OS -- more on that below.)
(See Pixelbook raw benchmark performance here and here. And MacBook Pro 13 without Touch Bar benchmark performance here and here.)
The Pixelbook's snappy performance is related to the efficiency of the Chrome OS. I can say that because I have a 2016 HP Chromebook 13 with an Intel 6th Gen Y series processor that is also plenty fast. In short, the Chrome OS pops. You're just not going to get that kind of zero-lag performance on a Windows 10 ultraportable or 12-inch MacBook that use very-low-power Intel Y series processors. I can make that claim too because I have used 12-inch MacBooks extensively (and owned a couple) and am now using a 2017 Windows 10 ultraportable with a Y series processor. There's really no comparison, i.e., Google Chrome OS is just plain fast.
Winner: Pixelbook. The 13-inch MacBook Pro is no slouch but the Chrome OS makes things fly.
Battery life Both the MacBook Pro and Pixelbook have very good battery life. I will give a range because people use laptops often in (very) different ways. And will also give (my version of) real-world scenarios. Not benchmarks.
PixelBook: 41 watt-hour battery (WHr) rated by Google at up to 10 hours.
MacBook Pro 13: 54.5 WHr battery rated by Apple up to 10 hours.
My daily routine involves "productivity" -- aka, MS Office work -- light photo editing, video watching, social apps, music listening, web-based research etc.
Best case: The Pixelbook, with intermittent use throughout the day (totaling 4-5 hours each day), has lasted for two days without needing a recharge (per the activity described above). The MacBook Pro is in the same ballpark.
Worst case: Constant use with processor-intensive tasks, and -- like any device -- you'll see a remarkable drop in battery life. Only a few hours for both the Pixelbook and MacBook Pro.
(Some tips for extending battery life include turning down screen brightness, no video binging, no extended/heavy gaming, and being cognizant of running browsers with dozens of tabs, i.e., some tabs can run performance-sucking background processes.)
Winner: Pixelbook (but not by much). Chrome OS is really a mobile OS running on a laptop and better suited for conserving battery power.
Display: The MacBook has 13.3-inch 2,560-by-1,600 Retina display (227 ppi). The Pixelbook a 12.3-inch 2,400-by-1,600 (235 ppi) touchscreen.
MacBook Pro: Apple is really good at making sure its displays are the best. The MacBook Pro DCI P3 (color gamut) rating is very high (good). And nits (brightness) is very high too.
Pixelbook: the Pixelbook's touchscreen display is bright and beautiful. Of course, "beautiful" is subjective and very unscientific. But my impression nonetheless. That said, NotebookCheck said the Pixelbook display has some "drawbacks" (see NotebookCheck paragraph under the heading of "display"). I didn't notice the drawbacks (such as backlight distribution and response times) but that's what they saw in their testing.
Winner: MacBook Pro 13. The MBP wins for color gamut and brightness. Display technology is a religion for Apple and it shows.
Ports: Both the Pixelbook and MacBook Pro have two USB Type C ports. The MBP supports Thunderbolt 3 and the Pixelbook supports 4K display output.
Winner: Neither stands out.
Price/bang-for-buck: this, for obvious reasons, is paramount for most people. It means a decently configured system at a reasonable price with good quality.
Winner: Pixelbook. Priced regularly at $999.
Note that the MacBook Pro config I'm using can be had (discounted) for about $1,150. If you can find one on sale for that price (at places like B&H Photo), that closes the gap a lot. But not completely. The Pixelbook comes out on top notwithstanding.
Pixelbook (late 2017) foreground and MacBook Pro 13 (mid-2017). The Pixelbook has two pads on either... [+]
Overall Winner: Pixelbook (with a qualifier). A great convertible design, good performance, good battery life, and a beautiful display.
Qualifier: The Chrome OS won't run some popular applications. As I said above, though it now runs Microsoft Office and Microsoft OneDrive, Office is not the full-blown version you get on the macOS or Windows. And while you can run things like Photoshop Express and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC (and more Photoshop apps are available on the web), the full PhotoShop application isn't available. Of course, applications like iTunes aren't available, though there are workarounds, as Google spells out here.
But I'm not going to go through a litany of apps not available on Chrome because that's not the case anymore. Chrome is moving rapidly in the other direction: more and more popular apps are available and you can also run Android apps. So, it's approaching parity with the Mac and Windows.
I really like the ChromeBook platform now because it's secure, stable, easy to use, and self-maintains. And Chrome OS is more like mobile operating systems such as Android and iOS -- a refreshingly clean break from the old, creaky DOS/Windows/Mac platforms.
Note that the MacBook Pro 13 (mid-2017) is well designed and has top-notch quality and I would recommend it highly. And you can find one these days -- as stated above -- discounted for about $1,150 with a 128GB SSD, 8GB RAM, and Intel 7th gen processor. That's a good deal.
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Addendum — biometrics: Both the Pixelbook and low-cost MacBook Pro are missing fingerprint readers and facial recognition. (Though you get a fingerprint reader on the $1,799 MBP 13 with Touch Bar.)
Addendum — keyboard: With the goal of keeping the comparison as concise as possible, I left out the keyboard comparison. That said, I found no glaring problems with the keyboards/trackpads on either laptop. Both laptops' keyboards/trackpads are excellent, imo. That said, the MacBook Pro has a Butterfly keyboard, which has limited travel and the tactile feedback can be less than satisfying for some users. I may be in the minority but I like the MBP's Butterfly keyboard.
Addendum — audio: The MacBook Pro 13 wins handily on audio. But that doesn't mean the Pixelbook's audio is bad. It's tinnier than the MBP's but acceptable.
Addendum — 12-inch MacBook: Some readers may believe it's better to compare the 12.3-inch Pixelbook to the 12-inch MacBook. Maybe I'll try that in a future comparison. That said, I believe the Pixelbook is a closer competitor to the low-cost MBP 13 (with "low-cost MBP" being the operative phrase) than the 12-inch MacBook. To be honest, it never entered my mind to compare the Pixelbook to the 12-inch MacBook until I finished writing the review/comparison above. The 12-inch MacBook is really in a class by itself and performance and keyboard size, for example, don't really compare, imo. But, again, it's worth including the 12-inch MacBook so I may update this review in the future to include it.
