Going beyond the education market, Dell is launching its first built-for-consumer Chromebook with the Inspiron brand, a premium look and feel, an integrated pen, and a unique chassis. This launch demonstrates that Chromebooks have a shot at taking a larger slice of the consumer laptop market than they have in the past.
“We are targeting the generation of kids who had Chromebooks in schools,” said Raza Haider, Dell vice president of Inspiron and Vostro, in an interview with VentureBeat. “As they age into high school and college, we want them to have a device that lets them use the Chrome applications they are used to but also looks and feels like a premium consumer device.”
Above: Dell 14-inch Chromebook 2-in-1
The Chromebooks come in a couple of models. There’s the Inspiron 7480, a 14-inch screen with 2-in-1 laptop-tablet hybrid functionality, which will be available on October 23 at $600. It has an Intel 8th Gen Core i3 processor, 4GB of main memory, and up to 128GB of flash storage. It also boasts 10 hours of battery life, a backlit keyboard, and an electro-magnetic resonance stylus. The chassis is made from sleek aluminum, and it has a narrow bezel.
There’s also the Inspiron 3181, an 11.6-inch Chromebook for $180. The device has a battery life of 13 hours, and it has an Intel Celeron processor, Intel integrated graphics, 4GB of system memory, and 16GB of flash memory. Another version with 2-in-1 tablet functionality costs $280.
