Google is announcing a pair of new Chromebooks today: Samsung’s Galaxy Chromebook Plus and Lenovo’s Chromebook Duet 11 — and a brand new button along with them. Dubbed the Quick Insert button, it’s designed to provide instant access to some of Google’s latest AI features.
The new Quick Insert button will replace the search/start button on some Chromebooks in the future, starting with the Galaxy Chromebook Plus. Quick Insert is your one-stop shop for a host of new AI features: press it and a menu will pop up that tells you it will give you quick access to features like “Help me write,” which can help you with reminders, email and possibly, AI image generation, according to John Maletis, ChromeOS vice president of product, engineering and UX.
The button is also intended to allow you to access information more quickly. It can display a list of recently visited websites so you can insert links, search through photos, videos, documents and spreadsheets in Google Drive, or view your favorite GIFs and emojis. Microsoft made a similar change earlier this year, putting a dedicated Copilot key on some laptops to offer quick access to Windows’ AI functionality.
Quick Insert joins a number of other AI features rolling out starting this month in Google’s premium Chromebook Plus range. There’s “Help Me Read,” which summarizes everything you’re reading; Live Translate, which creates real-time translated subtitles for over 100 languages; and the Recorder app, which can create transcripts of lectures, interviews, or conversations. I saw the Recorder app in action during a demo and asked the speaker a few questions about the service. The app accurately displayed my words and identified us as separate speakers.
The Welcome Recap, coming to all Chromebooks, could be the most interesting feature of the launch. Once you turn your system back on, you are given an overview of everything you were doing before logging out. Welcome Recap works across all devices and provides suggestions such as reminders for “your next video call, quick access to a recently opened file, or a clickable hint to complete an article started on your Android or iOS phone.” If you tend to accumulate tabs like me, this feature can come in handy.
Samsung’s Galaxy Chromebook Plus is Google’s first showcase for these new features. The notebook’s blue-gray all-aluminum chassis is sure to turn heads. Weighing in at 2.58 pounds and 0.46 inches, the laptop has the distinction of being the lightest and thinnest Chromebook ever launched by either company.
The Chromebook Plus has a 15.6-inch OLED display that looked stunning when I saw it in person last week, and it’s paired with a pretty good keyboard, complete with a full numeric keypad. But if you’re looking for a powerhouse, this isn’t it. The Chromebook Plus has an Intel Core i3 100U Raptor Lake Refresh processor with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. As for battery life, it is estimated to last 13 hours on a charge.
Although it lacks the quick enter button, Lenovo’s Chromebook Duet 11 can still access all the new ChromeOS features. An update to the popular detachable launched way back in 2020, the 2024 version retains the portability and versatility of previous models, with an updated interior. When you’re not using the machine in laptop mode, the magnetic keyboard detaches, so the Duet 11 can be used as a tablet. Or you can fold the back cover and use it as a kickstand to keep it standing vertically or horizontally.
Lenovo is advertising the advanced palm rejection of the 10.9-inch, 1920 x 1200 touchscreen. It’s a great way to use the USI Pen 2 that’s included in the package. The stylus attaches magnetically to the back.
Featuring a MediaTek Kompanio 838 CPU with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage, the Duet is useful for note-taking and other light productivity and multimedia tasks. It has two webcams: an 8 MP on the back and a 5 MP front. As for battery life, Lenovo counts around 12 hours on a charge. The detachable device also has an educational edition that places the tablet portion in a durable case to protect it from accidental drops.
Both laptops will be available this month. The Duet 11 will start at $340, while the more premium Galaxy Chromebook Plus starts at $699.
Photography by Sherri Smith
Update, October 1: The Duet 11 starts at a lower price than the $399 figure initially shared by Google.
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