Though it lacks some of the superpowers of Windows and macOS—like support for the most demanding desktop applications and AAA games, windowing, and device compatibility—Google’s ChromeOS desktop OS has its advantages: It keeps itself up to date automatically and quickly, has no history of viruses, and starts up faster than the two more established OSes.
Today, Google is giving it even more power to go along with a new class of computers it's calling Chromebook Plus. All Chromebooks also get the Material You personalized interface design language that arrived in Android 12 in 2021.
Chromebook Plus: Double the Specs, Same Low Price
All the features Google announced today will show up on Chromebook Plus devices (read all about them here), which double the current minimum specs for Chromebooks but still start at an affordable $399. That doesn’t mean you have to buy a new Chromebook, though. Existing computers that meet the specifications below will be automatically upgraded with these new capabilities, though they won't necessarily bear the "Chromebook Plus" moniker.
- CPU: Intel Core i3 12th Gen or above, or AMD Ryzen 3 7000 series or above
- RAM: 8GB or more
- Storage: 128GB or more
- Webcam: 1080p or higher with Temporal Noise Reduction
- Display: Full HD IPS or better display
What's New in ChromeOS for Chromebook Plus?
Google Photos Magic Eraser
Currently, only Android users who are Google One subscribers can take advantage of this spiffy Google Photos feature. But Chromebook Plus owners will also be able to use Magic Eraser to take unwanted items out of their photos, with an AI-generated background filling in the voids. This is great for things like removing powerlines or human interlopers that take the attention away from loved ones in a picture. (In testing, however, I got better results with Photoshop’s Remove Tool.) A nifty option in Google Photos Magic Eraser is Camouflage, which mutes distracting colors, like a bright mauve coat overpowering a beautiful waterfall scene. The tool automatically picks the new color to harmonize with the image.
Photoshop (Sort of)
As part of launching Photoshop for the web for Creative Cloud subscribers, Adobe is offering three free months of Photoshop on the web, along with the premium version Adobe Express, to those who buy a new Chromebook Plus. These apps include Adobe’s Firefly generative AI, so they require Chromebook Plus' more powerful hardware. The web version has a simpler user interface than the installed software you see on Windows and macOS, but includes “some of Photoshop’s most popular innovations, ranging from core editing tools and quick actions to presets and more,” according to Adobe press materials. Adobe Express Premium includes loads of stock content and full editing and exporting capabilities.
Enhanced Video Calls
Chromebook Pros will get access to videconferencing enhancements like improved clarity and lighting, background noise cancellation, and blur backgrounds. The AI-powered capabilities put the computers on equal footing with Windows and Mac devices and work with Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom. You access the new controls from OS dialog boxes rather than inside the videoconferencing app.
Video Editing (Yes, Video Editing!) on a Chromebook
To show off the updated computers’ power, Chromebook Plus users get 25% off the already reasonable $29.99 price for LumaFusion, a full timeline-based multitrack video-editing application. PCMag has yet to evaluate this software, but stay tuned.
File Sync
Since the Chromebook Plus devices require a higher storage capacity, Google added a File Sync option. This simply means that, though your files are all still synced with Google Drive in the cloud, you’ll have access to all of them even when the computer isn’t connected to the internet. Handy for those long flights with no Wi-Fi.
Material You
With a Sept. 28 update, all Chromebooks get the more customizable, more delightful Material You design treatment. This means more appealing rounded dialog buttons and your choice of color themes. You choose a base color, and ChromeOS builds a palette of colors that look good together. "There’s a desire for technology to inspire emotions. Material You is here to do just that," says April Kuo, Director of UX for ChromeOS. "Material You on ChromeOS is a more humanistic and modern approach to our overall design language—one that celebrates the tension between design sensibility and personal preference."
Phone Hub
For compatible phones—including the Pixel 4a+, Xiaomi 13/13 Pro, OnePlus 11, Oppo Find N2, Motorola Edge, Nothing Phone (1) and Phone (2)—this updated desktop-to-smartphone integration lets users grab any photo shot on the phone. It also supports in-line replies to messaging apps and app streaming, which allows for viewing and using a mobile app on the desktop. Phone Hub also includes an Enable Hotspot option for internet access on your computer if no Wi-Fi is available. (Windows Phone Link offers many of these same features for recent Samsung phones.)
Cloud Gaming
With heavy gaming being a weak spot for ChromeOS compared with Windows, the new Chromebook Plus spec-compliant computers ameliorates the situation somewhat. Users will get three months free of GeForce Now Priority tier, which offers up to 60fps 1080p gaming. And they can also run Xbox Game Pass games via a PWA they can install from Xbox Cloud Gaming.
What's Coming to ChromeOS in 2023 and 2024? (Hint: AI Is Involved)
Google is a little behind Microsoft when it comes to including generative AI features in its desktop OS, with the latter recently having launched Copilot in Windows, not to mention Bing Chat. Google’s Omri Amarilio, however, previewed things for ChromeOS like writing suggestions, text-prompt-based image generation, automated task management across devices and apps, and video call AI background generation. Here’s an example of an AI-generated wallpaper of a cat painting in the style of van Gogh:
