Google releases a new Pixel Chromebook only about once every two years. But a new Chromebook board recently spotted in Chromium code stands out with high-spec, Pixel-like qualities.
Meet “Chell”
First, a quick primer on what a Chromebook “board” actually is. Google, along with its hardware partners, builds prototypes of future Chromebooks. These prototypes are called boards. Manufacturers test a variety of hardware combinations, and only a few of the many boards ever make it into a real, shipping Chromebook.
Chell is a Chromebook board that Chromebook fan Jacob Gwiazdzinski spotted in the Chromium source code. As a “board,” it may or may not make it into a final Chromebook manufactured by Google or one of its partners.
Spotting boards in code is nothing new for Chromebook fans who follow François Beaufort or Chrome Story (yes, shameless plug). So what makes Chell special?
For starters, this board comes with 16GB of RAM, a Skylake processor, and a backlit keyboard. To top it off, it includes an LED light bar — a feature found only on the Chromebook Pixel and the first-generation HP Chromebook 11, which was designed in partnership with Google.
Other Tidbits
- Follow code commits specific to the Chell board here.
- Backlight support for the keyboard is mentioned here.
- Lightbar blinking when battery is low.
- More on the lightbar behavior.
- Manufactured by Quanta Computer, an ODM that builds devices for many laptop brands.
It’s probably too early for a new Pixel. Still, it’s notable that a company other than Google appears to be building a Chromebook with specs this high.
Update: Chell turned out not to be a new Pixel after all. The board shipped a couple of months later as the HP Chromebook 13 (G1), released in mid-2016 — one of the first Chromebooks to pair a Skylake processor with a premium, all-metal design.
Thanks, Dennis Lockhart.
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