Google Launches Chromebook Pixel for $1,299

Google unveiled the Chromebook Pixel today morning. And it is, indeed, an extremely high-end Chromebook to date, with specs that would be impressive if it were a Windows Ultrabook or a Mac. The knockout spec is the screen resolution: it has a 12.86″ screen with 2560 -by-1760 pixels, for a density of 239 pixels per inch (that’s 4.3 million pixels)  — the highest of any laptop ever, says Google. That’s high enough that it’s in the territory that Apple calls “retina” — Google’s Chrome honcho, Sundar Pichai, says that users will “never, ever see another pixel.”

The Screen has a  3:2 aspect ratio, an Intel Core i5 processor and a whopping 1 terabyte of free storage on Google Drive for three years.Google will also soon launch a version with a built-in LTE radio and has partnered with Verizon to offer 100 MB/month for two years of mobile broadband and with GoGo to offer 12 free in-flight Wi-Fi sessions.

The basic Wi-Fi version of the Pixel will retail for $1,299 in the U.S. and £1,049 in the U.K. The Pixel is now available on Google Play and will also be available at select Best Buy locations in the U.S. and Currys PC World in the U.K. tomorrow. The LTE version ($1,449) will ship in the U.S. in April. The other difference between the LTE and Wi-Fi models is that the LTE version will ship with a 64GB solid-state drive and the Wi-Fi version will only have 32GB.

Google did not disclose who its hardware partners are, but the company did say that the device is being assembled in Taiwan.

Hardware specifications

INPUTS
Gorilla® Glass multi-touch screen
Backlit Chrome keyboard
Fully clickable, etched-glass touchpad
HD Webcam