Google confirmed previous runmors and today introduced the Pixel, a $1,300 touch-screen Chromebook with a high-density display that rivals those found in Apple's Mackbooks. The Chromebook Pixel is made from an anodized aluminum alloy to create a smooth and durable surface, while the speakers are tucked away beneath the backlit keyboard.

It is powered by a 1.8 GHz Intel Core i5 processor, it has a 12.85" display (2560x1700) with a pixel density of 239 pixels per inch - the highest pixel density of any laptop - and a 3:2 photographic format. Apple's MacBooks with high-resolution Retina screens display slightly less pixels per inch. A MacBook Pro with a screen that measures 13.1 inches diagonally can handle 227 pixels per inch, while the 15.4-inch model is at 220 pixels per inch.

A 0.55mm layer of touch-enabled Gorilla Glass fused directly to the screen provides touch interactions while preserving picture clarity.



Pixel is 0.64" thin and weighs just 3.3 lbs. Other features include a touchpad made from etched glass, an SSD drive (32GB/64GB), a 720p webcam for clear video, three microphones, WiFi/LTE, Bluetooth, two USB ports, a mini displayport, a mic / headphone jack, an SD card reader and one terabyte of Google Drive storage.

As with previous Chromebook, the Pixel comes integrated with Google apps and services, including Search, Gmail, YouTube, Maps, and Google+ Hangouts.

Expect a WiFi version ($1,299) to be available next week, with an LTE version (Verizon, $1,449) coming in April. That's the same price as the cheapest MacBook Pro with a comparable screen, though the Apple laptop comes with 128GB of storage.

Specifications

Screen

• 12.85" display with a 3:2 aspect ratio
• 2560 x 1700 at 239 PPI
• 400 nit screen brightness
• 178° extra-wide viewing angle

Inputs

• Gorilla® Glass multi-touch screen
• Backlit Chrome keyboard
• Clickable, etched-glass touchpad
• Integrated 720p HD camera

Size / weight

• 297.7 x 224.6 x 16.2 mm
• 3.35 lbs / 1.52 kg

Industrial design

• Machined from anodized aluminum
• Active cooling with no visible vents
• ENERGY STAR® certified

CPU

• Intel® Core™ i5 processor (Dual Core 1.8GHz)
• Intel® HD Graphics 4000 (Integrated)

Ports

• 2 x USB 2.0
• mini display port
• SD / MMC card reader

Memory

• 4GB DDR3 RAM

Storage

• One terabyte Google Drive cloud storage for three years1
• 32GB solid state drive (64GB on LTE model)2

Audio

• Combo headphone/mic jack
• Built-in microphone array
• Integrated DSP for noise cancellation
• Powerful stereo speakers tuned for clarity

Battery

• Up to 5 hours of active use (59 Wh battery)3

Connectivity

• Dual-band WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n 2x2
• Bluetooth® 3.0
• Built-in LTE modem (LTE model)

Goodies

• One terabyte Google Drive cloud storage for three years1
• 12 free sessions of GoGo® Inflight Internet
• 100 MB/month for 2 years of mobile broadband from Verizon Wireless (LTE model).