PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.

PCMag UK

Google Unveils High-End 'Pixelbook Go' Chromebook for $649

The product promises to have all the main features of the $999 Pixelbook from 2017, but at a significantly lower price. You can also max out the specs to add a 4K display and an Intel Core i7 processor.

Michael Kan
 & Michael Kan Principal Reporter

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

Our Expert
LOOK INSIDE PC LABS HOW WE TEST
65 EXPERTS
43 YEARS
41,500+ REVIEWS

Google's bid to make higher-end Chromebooks more affordable has resulted in the $649 Pixelbook Go, revealed today at a press event in New York City.

The Pixelbook Go sports the main features of the $999 Pixelbook from 2017, but expands the display from 12.3 inches to a 13.3-inch touch-screen display.

As the product's name suggests, Google designed the Pixelbook Go for people on the move. It sports a grippable design, weighs barely 2 pounds, is 13mm thick, and can boot up Chrome OS in seconds.

Expect the device to have 12 hours of battery life (or two more hours than the 2017 model). Charging the Pixelbook Go's battery for only 20 minutes will also let you run the device for about two hours.

Google Pixelbook Go

In addition, Google went out of its way to tout the keyboard on the device. "We took the premium keyboard from Pixelbook and made it more affordable. So rest assured loud typers, we've got your back with our quiet Hush Keys," the company said in today's announcement.

Although the new Pixelbook Go starts at $649 with an Intel Core m3 processor, you can max out the specs with the $1,399 model, which includes a 4K display, an Intel Core i7 processor, and 16GB of RAM.

The company is taking pre-orders today in the US and Canada on the Google Store. The device will arrive in two colors: black and pink. The $649 and $849 models are set to start shipping Oct. 28. The more powerful models will arrive at a later date. You can check out the full specs.

About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Michael Kan

Principal Reporter

My Experience

I've been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I'm currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country's technology sector.

Since 2020, I've covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I've combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink's cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I'm now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I'm always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

The Best Tech I've Had:

  • My first video game console: a Nintendo Famicom
  • I loved my Sega Saturn despite PlayStation's popularity.
  • The iPod Video I received as a gift in college
  • Xbox 360 FTW
  • The Galaxy Nexus was the first smartphone I was proud to own.
  • The PC desktop I built in 2013, which still works to this day.

Read the latest from Michael Kan

Read full bio