The Pixelbook earns the ‘pixel’ when it comes to the 3:2 display. At 235 ppi with accurate color reproduction, the Pixelbook display rivals some of the best around, Chromebook or otherwise. It’s in the same class as the 227 ppi 13-inch MacBook Pro and the 267 ppi Surface Pro 6. The Pixelbook Go's scores were average for its category of high-end Chromebooks, which includes models like the Acer Chromebook 714 and Lenovo Yoga Chromebook C630 in addition to steeds from Google's own stable. Less-expensive Chromebooks perform far worse—around 200 on WebXPRT and around 100 on CrXPRT. Powered by an 8th Gen Intel® Core™ (m3/i5/i7) processor for faster browsing, gaming, and seamless 4K output to an external monitor. Compare m3, i5, and i7 processors

In real-world numbers, the Go has one of the best battery life endurances we’ve ever tested on a Chromebook. It lasted over 13 hours in both our web browsing and video loops tests. We saw good performance in the Pixelbook battery too, but the Go was our clear winner in this scenario. The Pixelbook Go is no Pixelbook 2The Pixelbook Go's camera is far better than those of most other ultraportable laptops, owing to its 1080p resolution. (Most laptop webcams are limited to shooting video in 720p.) This means noticeably better videoconferencing quality—the picture was free of graininess during my testing in a brightly lit office, something that even far more expensive laptops can't accomplish. Parents buying their college-bound son or daughter a Pixelbook Go will appreciate this feature. But if money's no option, the Google Pixel is the best damn Chrome OS machine you'll find because it provides a level of usability, performance and style you won't find on any other Chromebook. The Bellroy sleeve also offers a wedge mode that lets you to turn it into a stand, elevating the screen closer to eye level and allowing you to type on keys raised at an angle, which can prove more comfortable. Frustratingly, the wedge position requires you to fold a flap inside the sleeve to a position that doesn't quite feel natural or correct. Overall, with its different design and cheap build quality, the Pixelbook will remain the go-to for high-end Chromebooks, at least for now until the Pixelbook 2 arrives, while the Pixelbook Go seems better value in its cheaper configurations.

Despite this solid build quality, the Pixelbook Go is featherlight. It weighs 2.3 pounds and measures 0.5 by 8.1 by 12.2 inches (HWD), extremely competitive dimensions for an ultraportable with a 13.3-inch display. Compare them with those of the MacBook Air (0.6 by 8.4 by 12 inches, 2.75 pounds) and the Pixelbook (0.4 by 11.4 by 8.7 inches, 2.46 pounds). Still, we’d feel much more confident editing photos on this laptop screen than most other Chromebooks. As for the 4K Molecular Display option, while we haven’t experienced it in person, we find it to be completely unnecessary for a Chromebook.

Energy Management

Also, for its price, the Pixelbook Go's Geekbench 4 numbers aren't that much worse than the latest MacBook Air, at least with the configurations we’ve tested. That’s quite an impressive feat for a Chromebook – and, ironically, quite a feat for the MacBook Air. One huge benefit of Chromebooks is that they normally all come with squeaky-clean installs of Chrome OS, and naturally the Google Pixelbook Go is the cleanest of them all. However, this also means that this laptop doesn’t really offer anything truly unique in terms of software or features that isn't already offered by other Chromebooks. Everything about the Pixelbook feels premium except its pedestrian 0.9-megapixel webcam. Sure, the selfie I shot with the notebook delivered accurate greens in our office's rooftop shrubbery and the reds of my T-shirt, but the leaves of those plants and most of the strands in my hair were lost in blurriness.