Samsung Chromebook Pro Could Have Insane 8 Or 16 GB RAM
It seems that Samsung will be shattering preconceived notions of what a Chromebook is. Back at CES last month, Samsung unveiled two Chromebook models, the Chromebook Plus and the Chromebook Pro, that defied the usual definition, sporting rather high end specs and, for the first time in the device category, a stylus. Now it seems that the Chromebook Pro, which has yet to get a launch date, might take things even higher. A source code change in Chromium lays the foundations for a Chromebook Pro with 8 or even 16 GB of RAM in the near future.
With today's laptops, even the convertible ones, 8 or 16 GB of RAM isn't really that uncommon. Almost all of those, however, run a full blown, heavy-duty Windows operating system. Chromebooks, in contrast, were designed to be light on resources and light on the budget. They are practically the descendants of the short-lived netbook device category, sporting mid-range, even low-end specs.
The most recent breed of Chromebooks, led by the Samsung Chromebook Plus and Pro, are anything but mid-range. Adapting to the new demands of the education and business sectors, these Chromebooks come with higher resolution screens, more powerful processors, and even styluses. Based on a code commit to Chromium, the open source base of Chrome OS, the operating system is getting support for a specific Samsung memory component that could handle as much as 16 GB of RAM.
Even 8 GB RAM for a usually efficient Chromebook might sound like overkill, but only if you consider the current state of Chrome OS. In the near future, there might be some use for that space. With Chromebooks promised to get full Google Play Store support this year, you will definitely want as much memory as possible to support those, in addition to Chrome apps and Chrome OS itself.
This RAM upgrade will only be available for the Samsung Chromebook Pro, if it ever does happen, given that it runs on an Intel Core m3 processor. The ARM-powered Chromebook Plus, unfortunately, isn't so lucky. But at least it will already launch this month. The Chromebook Pro launch, on the other hand, has yet to be announced.
VIA: Chrome Unboxed