Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 specs leak: QLED, 12+ hours battery, no fingerprint, & alleged price

Following a render leak on Monday, key specs for the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 have now emerged with a possible starting price. This comes from a slide tweeted by Microsoft leaker WalkingCat (@h0x0d) today.

The original model announced this January uses a 4K AMOLED touchscreen, and Samsung is now following that up with a QLED (Quantum dot LED) screen at 13.3 inches. Samsung calls it a “world’s first” for Chromebooks, and a “tested” badge touts “Color Volume 100% acc. to DCI-P3.”

Meanwhile, the next big improvement is “targeted battery life” of over 12 hours. This should greatly address the current model’s inability to get through a day of without needing a recharge. We then see that this Galaxy Chromebook 2 will be offered with an Intel 10th Gen i3 processor compared to the i5-10210U today. Wi-Fi 6 Gigabit ac is also touted.

Samsung also touts “premium sound” that is 178% louder, while the “ultra slim profile” is slightly heavier at 2.75 pounds versus just 2.2.

From this image, there does not appear to be a fingerprint sensor in the top-right corner. The first-generation had a raised, blank space on the keyboard, but a regular black key is all that’s visible here. The earlier render confirms that, though the angle makes it harder to notice, in an unfortunate reversal for Chrome OS devices.

Lastly, this specs leak reveals that the Galaxy Chromebook 2 will be launching at Best Buy and Samsung.com in February 2021. In a follow-up tweet, WalkingCat says it will be priced at $699. This presumably refers to the entry model, but the exact configuration is unknown. In moving away from the very premium — for a Chromebook — $999 price point, Samsung is clearly targeting a broader audience this time round.