Chromebook Pixel Coming Next Week for $1299

Today Google announced the Chromebook Pixel, a new Chromebook with a display that rivals the MacBook Pro with Retina Display for the price of the 13-inch MacBook Air.

The Chromebook Pixel has a 12.85-inch display with a resolution of 2560×1700, which gives it a 3:2 resolution like the iPhone 4S. Like recent WIndows 8 Ultrabooks, the Chromebook Pixel has a multitouch display with Gorilla Glass. With it, users can interact with the web using touch. However, Chrome OS on the Pixel is the same as Chrome OS on other Chromebooks meaning it isn’t optimized for touch yet.

Inside the Chromebook Pixel is an Intel Core i5 CPU and Intel HD 4000 graphics, making it the first Chromebook to use an Intel Core CPU. The CPU and graphics are likely required to display the 4.3 million pixels on the display.

Chromebook Pixel also has 4GB of RAM and either 32GB of 64GB of SSD storage. That’s more storage than the Samsung Chromebook, but likely still not enough for power users. Google does include 1TB of Google Drive storage for three years with the Pixel, however.

The Chromebook Pixel is also the first Chromebook with an option for 4G LTE connectivity. The base model only includes Wi-Fi, however.

Other notable specs include an HD webcam, a backlight keyboard, two USB 2.0 ports, SD card reader and a mini display port.

Starting at $1299 the Chromebook Pixel is about the same price as the 13-inch MacBook Air. The Pixel has a higher resolution display than the MacBook AIr, but starting at $1199 the 13-inch MacBook Air can do more. The MacBook Air has more storage for photos, video, media or personal documents and it can run apps such as Photoshop.

The Chromebook Pixel is also about the same price as the Dell XPS 12 which also has a touch display. Like the MacBook Air, however, the XPS 12 can simply do more for the price.

The Chromebook Pixel is now available in the Google Play Store. The 32GB model with Wi-Fi only sells for $1299 and ships the 3-4 days. The 64GB model with 4G LTE sells for $1449 and will ship within 6-7 weeks.