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Leaked images give us our first look at Google’s next-gen Pixelbook 2

Published Sep 20th, 2018 8:37AM EDT
Pixelbook 2 Release Date
Image: Google

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When it comes to Chromebooks, there’s the Google Pixelbook and then there’s everything else. Google’s Pixel smartphone hardware has always been pretty good, but the Pixelbook hybrid laptop is a cut above the rest. It features a gorgeous all-aluminum and glass design as well as impressive specs like Intel Core processors, up to 16GB of RAM, and up to 512GB of SSD storage. It also has a sky-high price tag to match, with prices starting at $999 — though you can save about $200 by getting them on Amazon. You get what you pay for, as they say, and we were blown away by the Google Pixelbook when we reviewed it last year. Now, with less than three weeks to go until Google’s big Pixel 3 event, it appears as though a big leak gives us our first look at the device’s successor, the Google Pixelbook 2.

Google will host a big press conference on October 9th, and we all know what the main focus will be. That’s right, the company’s Fall 2018 smartphone lineup will finally be unveiled. We know just about everything there is to know about Google’s Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL because the phones have been leaking for months. In fact, a shipment of Pixel 3 XL test units was allegedly stolen in Eastern Europe and units were then sold to a bunch of Russian bloggers. As a result, we’ve seen a bunch of hands-on reviews and videos of the Pixel 3 XL, which is certainly the more exciting of Google’s two new Pixel phones.

While the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL will likely get the most stage time at Google’s big event, an equally exciting device will also be unveiled. The Pixelbook 2 is expected to take everything we love about the original Pixelbook and make it even better. Now, thanks to a leak of what appear to be genuine photos of Google’s next-generation hybrid laptop, we likely know exactly what to expect in terms of design.

A blog called About Chromebooks published the images on Wednesday, and they show a Pixelbook device that most certainly isn’t the first-generation model available in stores now. We can see several key design changes including USB-C ports on the display instead of the keyboard, a new hinge design that suggests the display can be removed and used as a true tablet, and a flat power button on top of the screen. According to a screenshot obtained by the same blog, the power button has a fingerprint sensor built in.

No specs were shared alongside the image leaks, but we don’t have every long to wait before the Pixelbook 2 is made official. Google’s big Pixel 3 event is scheduled to take place on October 9th in New York City.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.