Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 Review: Budget, Excellent Display

Samsung Chromebook Plus V2: At First Glance

Samsung is one of the world’s most successful Chromebook manufacturers, with a popular lineup of Chrome OS laptops. The Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 is the successor to one of Samsung’s most successful Chromebooks, the Samsung Chromebook Plus.

The Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 is an exact replica of its predecessor with slight changes in its design. They both feature an Intel Celeron processor, the same type of battery, and the same graphics card.

However, the Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 is a bit more expensive than its predecessor, the Samsung Chromebook Plus. Specifically, the Samsung Chromebook Plus v2 starts at a price of $299.00 when I published this review in October 2021.

Having said all that, let get to know the Samsung Chromebook Plus v2 more in subsequent sections below.

Samsung Chromebook Plus V2: Design, Dimension & Weight

The Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 is an attractive laptop with rounded edges and a build quality that befits its price tag. The laptop’s lid is made of powdered aluminum, whereas the keyboard deck and bottom are made of plastic.

Don’t let the plastic fool you though, as this laptop is really sturdy and rigid. Despite its sturdiness, the laptop’s dark gray color scheme makes it appear fairly boring.

The Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 is a 2-in-1 convertible laptop with a 360-degree rotating display. As a result, you’ll be able to use this device in four different modes: laptop, stand, tent, and tablet.

Moreover, thanks to the laptop’s sturdy display hinges, you can seamlessly transition between these modes. Additionally, the hinges hold the display in place with minimal flex, even while using the pen to tap on the screen.

Speaking of the display, the Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 comes with a 12.2-inch touchscreen display. Just like its predecessor’s display, the Chromebook Plus V2’s display has a WUXGA (1920 x 1200) resolution.

The display, however, features an unusual 16:10 aspect ratio rather than the 3:2 aspect ratio that its predecessor’s display has. The aspect ratio of a display is the relationship between the display’s width and height.

Nonetheless, the 16:10 aspect ratio of the Chromebook Plus V2’s display strikes the perfect balance between width and height. Therefore, offering users an enjoyable viewing experience.

In terms of color vibrancy, the Plus V2’s display is definitely in the upper tier for such a low-cost laptop. This laptop’s display appears as clear and colorful as laptops costing twice its price or much more.

Furthermore, contrast also appears to be good, with black texts standing out against white background. My only complaint about the display is the brightness.

Not that the laptop’s display brightness is particularly poor, but it’s not as bright as the display on its predecessor. However, that is not a significant issue as contents and movies were crisp and clear, but it is worth mentioning.

Moving on, the Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 comes with two webcams. One of the webcams is a back-facing webcam that has an Auto-Focus feature for capturing the perfect shot.

The second webcam, on the other hand, is a mere 720p HD webcam, which is best suited for video conferencing.

Audio quality on the Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 is just average. The laptop’s two stereo speakers on the bottom are adequate for watching YouTube videos.

However, they completely lack bass. So, if you really want to enjoy movies on the Chromebook Plus V2, a headphone or external speakers are recommended.

The keyboard and touchpad on the Chromebook Plus V2 are some of the bests I’ve ever seen on a Chromebook. The island-style keyboard, in particular, is very snappy and has just the right amount of key travel.

However, the keyboard isn’t backlit, just like the keyboard on its predecessor. The touchpad, on the other hand, is wide, responsive, smooth, and its integrated click buttons also have the right amount of key travel.

Just like its predecessor, the Samsung Chromebook Plus v2 comes with a stylus pen. This pen is stored in the slot on the right side of the laptop.

Furthermore, the pen functions well, but it is kind of small compared to the larger pens the Google Pixelbook offers. But still, the pen is very responsive and it is okay for jotting down notes or drawing.

Apart from writing or drawing, you can also make use of the pen to take screenshots.

As for port selection, the Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 comes with a pretty decent amount for a low-cost Chromebook. On the left side, there are two USB Type-C ports – any of them can be used to charge the laptop.

On the right side, you’ll find a USB 3.0 port, a headphone jack, and a micro SD card slot. For wireless connectivity, the Chromebook Plus V2 features Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11 ac (2×2) WIFI.

Regarding the Chromebook Plus V2’s size and weight, it is pretty slim and lightweight but not like its predecessor. The Chromebook Plus V2 measures 288.2 x 208.2 x 17 – 17.7 mm and weighs 1351.7 g.

Its predecessor (Chromebook Plus), on the other hand, measures 288 x 208 x 16 – 17.7 mm and weighs 1329 g. However, when compared to the Acer Chromebook Spin 11, the Chromebook Plus V2 is slimmer and weighs less.

Specifically, the Acer Chromebook Spin 11 measures 296 x 206 x 20.9 mm and weighs 1401.6 g.

In conclusion, for such an affordable laptop, the Samsung Chromebook Plus V2’s design is rather outstanding. In addition to its impressive design, its touchscreen display is just amazing.

Based on these reasons, I will rate the Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 a nine out of ten in this design review section.

Samsung Chromebook Plus V2: Processor (CPU) Performance

As mentioned in the “My Initial Thoughts” section above, the Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 features the same processor as its predecessor. Therefore, the Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 comes with an Intel Celeron 3965Y processor just like the Samsung Chromebook Plus.

Furthermore, the Intel Celeron 3965Y processor has a dual-core, as well as a 2 MB cache memory. Also, it has a 1.50 GHz base frequency and doesn’t have a maximum frequency.

Additionally, the Intel Celeron 3965Y is a low-power entry-level processor mostly found on tablets and cheap laptops. Therefore, the processor’s capabilities are limited to handling simple computing tasks such as word processing, video streaming, and internet browsing.

However, since the Chromebook Plus V2 uses ChromeOS, which is designed to be less demanding, most users shouldn’t have a problem with the processor. However, if you put too much workload on the laptop like opening tons of browser tabs, it will slow down.

Unfortunately, ChromeOS doesn’t support the usual benchmark test like Cinebench R11, which I do perform. Therefore, measuring Chromebook Plus V2’s processor performance is kind of hard.

Thankfully, I was able to download an Android version of Geekbench 4 benchmark on Google Play store. I was able to download the android version because Chromebooks supports android applications.

GeekBench 4 is a processor benchmarking tool that carries out series of heavy workloads/tasks on a device’s processor. Then it calculates how long the processor takes to complete the tasks. 

The faster the processor completes the task, the higher the GeekBench 4 score. Based on the GeekBench 4 test results, the Chromebook Plus V2 got a score of 3,646 points.

Unfortunately, this score is behind the 6,685 points scored by HP’s Chromebook x2 which uses an Intel Core m3-7Y30 processor. 

In conclusion, the Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 is basically capable of handling simple computing tasks. Moreover, it performs woefully on a benchmark test I performed to measure its processor performance.

Therefore, I will rate the Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 a seven in this processor review section.

Samsung Chromebook Plus V2: Memory (RAM) Performance

Just like its predecessor, the Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 features a single RAM slot with 4 GB standard memory. Unfortunately, this memory can’t be upgraded because the maximum memory capacity the laptop supports is also 4 GB.

Besides that, the memory is soldered to the laptop’s motherboard. Therefore, removing the memory or upgrading it is impossible.

However, 4 GB RAM should be sufficient, even if it’s not for complex tasks. To test the capabilities of the Chromebook Plus V2 with its 4 GB RAM, I carried out a multitasking test. 

For this multitasking test, I had about a dozen tabs opened on Chrome browser while streaming a song on Spotify. It took some seconds for the browser tabs to open, but still, the laptop’s performance was satisfactory. 

Testing the laptop’s memory performance isn’t complete if I don’t carry out a benchmark test. Hence, I performed a CrXPRT benchmark test.

CrXPRT is a web-based benchmark test that measures how a computer can handle everyday computing tasks like web browsing e.t.c. So, based on the CrXPRT test results, the Chromebook Plus V2 recorded a score of 120 points.

Comparatively, the HP Chromebook x2 performed better, recording a score of 196 points. However, the Lenovo 500e Chromebook performed less, recording a score of 106 points.

In conclusion, the Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 performance is pretty okay with 4 GB RAM. Therefore, I will rate the Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 a seven out of ten in this memory review section.

Samsung Chromebook Plus V2: Storage Options & Performance

For storage, you can either get the Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 with 32 GB or 64 GB of eMMC storage. Moreover, this type of storage is embedded into a device’s motherboard and they are mostly found on smartphones or budget laptops.

Additionally, the eMMC storage isn’t as fast as an SSD or even HDD found in most Windows PCs. However, they are fast enough for ChromeOS laptops.

Therefore, opening files or sending files on the Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 is very fast. Moving on, my review laptop came with 64 GB eMMC storage.

For a Chromebook, 64 GB of storage space is quite sufficient. This is because Chromebooks aren’t designed to save many files on their local eMMC storage.

Instead, they come with 100 GB Google Drive cloud storage, which is free for two years. Cloud storage is a reliable and efficient type of storage.

Moreover, as long as you are connected to the internet, there is no chance of losing saved files even when using other devices. Furthermore, despite having 100 GB Google Drive, the Plus V2 also features an SD card reader for storage expansion.

That makes it three storage options – eMMC storage, 100 GB Google Drive storage, and SD Card reader. This is quite impressive for a laptop below $300.

As a result of its impressive storage options, I will rate the Chromebook Plus V2 a nine out of ten.

Samsung Chromebook Plus V2: Graphic Card Performance

Just like its predecessor, the Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 features an Intel HD Graphics 615. As expected, this graphics card is an integrated graphics.

Therefore, it doesn’t have a dedicated VRAM.

Furthermore, the graphics card has a 300 MHz base GPU frequency and an 850 MHz boost GPU frequency. When I mentioned above that the graphics card is integrated, I meant that it is soldered into the laptop’s CPU.

Therefore, before it can perform, it has to share a memory with the CPU. As a result, running graphics-demanding apps or games would be impossible on the Chromebook Plus V2.

However, it is capable of running casual games and most android games. For instance, games like Alto’s Odyssey and Cover Fire ran smoothly on the Chromebook Plus V2.

When I say “smoothly”, I mean without any slowness or lag. However, not only the gaming performance of a device can determine how good its graphics card is.

Therefore, I conducted a WebGL Aquarium test to further determine the laptop’s graphics card performance. The WebGL Aquarium is a graphics website-based benchmark test that evaluates a computer’s 3D graphics rendering capabilities.

On the WebGL Aquarium test, the Chromebook Plus V2 rendered 500 fish at an impressive 52 frames per second. In comparison, the Chromebook Plus V2 performed significantly better than the Acer Chromebook Spin 11.

Specifically, Acer’s Chromebook Spin 11 which uses an Intel HD Graphics 620 rendered 500 fish at 40 frames per second. Moreover, when compared to its predecessor, the Chromebook Plus V2 once again prevailed.

Its predecessor, the Samsung Chromebook Plus rendered 500 fish at 50 frames per second. It is worth mentioning again that the Chromebook Plus V2 and its predecessor use the same graphics card.

Finally, I will rate the Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 an eight out of ten in this graphics card review section. This is because it performs better than its predecessor and competitor in a graphics benchmark test.

Samsung Chromebook Plus V2: Battery Life & Performance

For battery, the Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 uses a 39 Wh Li-Ion battery just like its predecessor. As advertised by Samsung, the Chromebook Plus V2’s battery can last up to 10 hours of runtime.

However, it really hard to believe manufacturers’ claims about their laptop’s batteries. For this reason, I carried a battery test to discover the Chromebook Plus V2’s battery runtime.

The battery test involves looping an HD video stored on the laptop’s eMMC storage till the laptop dies. On the battery test, the Chromebook Plus V2 lasted 7 hours, which is 3 hours less than Samsung’s actual claim. 

Comparatively, the HP Chromebook x2 has a better runtime. HP Chromebook x2 lasted an impressive 11 hours on the battery test.

On a positive note, the Chromebook Plus V2 has a slightly longer runtime than its predecessor. The Chromebook Plus V2’s predecessor, Samsung Chromebook Plus lasted 6 hours 57 minutes on the battery test. 

In conclusion, the Chromebook Plus V2’s battery isn’t really exceptional, but it isn’t poor either. Therefore, I will rate the Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 an eight out of ten in this battery review section.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

The Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 is another affordable Samsung Chromebook that comes with a really impressive display. Moreover, this device comes packed with reasonable hardware that is capable of handling day-to-day computing tasks.

To be honest, the Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 offers a lot. It has an impressive build quality that people will love, not to mention the laptop’s reasonable lightweight.

However, this laptop is limited to only performing basic tasks and its battery life is average. But still, the laptop is one of the best affordable laptops in the market.

Therefore, if you need a laptop around $200, the Chromebook Plus V2 is a great choice

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