Samsung's Galaxy Chromebook 2 (or Galaxy Chromebook2) aims to prove that less is more; it was unveiled at CES 2021 and is available for pre-order now. It looks just as beautiful as its predecessor, but with a Full HD QLED screen instead of the original 4K AMOLED panel

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And while it may sound like a big downgrade, Samsung rates this laptop excellent battery life. If these assessments prove true, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 will solve the critical shortcomings of its predecessor and lower its price by several hundred dollars at the same time. If that happens, it could become the best laptop, or at least one of the best Chromebooks.

So should you be excited about the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2? Let's find out.

Samsung opened pre-orders for the Galaxy Chromebook 2 on Samsung.com and Best Buy on February 16. The former notes that if you pre-order now, "you can get it by March 1."

The entry-level Galaxy Chromebook 2 costs $549 and is powered by an Intel Celeron processor. Either way, it's a whole lot cheaper than the $999 Galaxy Chromebook - but that model had a Core i5 CPU (and a 4K OLED panel).

The first thing I noticed about the Galaxy Chromebook 2 was its sleek red paint - one of the best features of the original - which now covers the previously silver edges. And for those who don't want to stand out in a crowd, there is a silver option available. It is understandable that people do not want to stand out from the crowd.

At 12 x 8 x 0.6 inches and weighing 2.7 pounds, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 is a little thicker than the original (11.9 x 8 x 0.4 inches and 2.4 pounds), but no one wants to work from home and be a little thicker and heavier. If it delivers the battery life that Samsung promises (more on this later), we have no complaints.

And like the original, this is a 2-in-1 that makes for a sleek looking tablet when fully bent back. It also has dual USB-C ports and a microSD memory reader.

One positive thing about the new Galaxy Chromebook 2 is that Samsung says it has tweaked the keyboard for more comfortable typing. (Keyboards are always subjective, though).

I would have loved to see the Galaxy Chromebook 2's 1080p QLED screen in person at CES 2021. The original had a beautiful 4K AMOLED display, which is probably the biggest change in the entire product.

Samsung's QLED technology leads to a great screen, but only time will tell how great the Galaxy Chromebook 2's image quality will be. At this point, however, it is hard to imagine anyone being upset about the loss of 4K, as there is still a significant lack of 4K content outside of Disney Plus and Netflix's expensive premium tier.

We are optimistic about how the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 will perform. The original Samsung Galaxy Chromebook felt very high-end, partly because the Core i5 CPU and 8GB of RAM made Chrome OS sing like Adele crooning a chart-topping ballad.

The Galaxy Chromebook 2 is not that powerful, even when maxed out. The entry-level model has a Celeron 5205U processor and 4GB of RAM, while the more expensive model has a Core i3 processor and 8GB of RAM. For a speedy experience, the latter is probably sufficient. We will find out sooner or later.

Samsung claims up to 14 hours of battery life for the Galaxy Chromebook 2. We can't wait to put this Chromebook 2 through its paces in Tom's Guide's battery test (web browsing at 150 nits).

The original Galaxy Chromebook 2 only lasted 5 hours and 55 minutes, which is a real shame, and we think it's due to the 4K display.

If the Galaxy Chromebook 2 lasts as long as Samsung says it will, and if its processor doesn't make us yearn for last year's model (no one should ever say "2020 was better"), this attempt will be a success.

That said, it seems a bit peculiar that Samsung would release a device that performs less well than the device that triggered it. It will be interesting to see if Samsung has made the appropriate tweaks.