Toshiba’s Chromebook 2

The first Chromebooks — laptops running Google’s Chrome operating system — were heinously unattractive and clunky. But the newer models are stylish, well-built laptop alternatives. Case in point: Toshiba’s new Chromebook 2.

Unveiled today at the IFA consumer tech conference in Berlin, the Chromebook 2 packs a 13-inch display into a small, slim body. It is far thinner and lighter than its predecessor, the aptly named Toshiba Chromebook, which was a quality system in its own right.

With a finely textured, plastic chassis, the Chromebook 2 is attractive even by high-end notebook standards. While the original Toshiba Chromebook was geared toward productivity users, company representatives tell me the Chromebook 2 is meant more for multimedia users.

Toshiba has equipped the Chromebook 2 with a gorgeous 1080p display. Picture quality is excellent. The Chromebook 2’s screen also uses what’s called IPS display technology, which means it should be readable even in direct sunlight.

I didn’t get to check this out during my brief hands-on, although it’s worth noting that the display looked good from all angles; it didn’t fade when looked at from the side.

Seen and heardThe Chromebook 2’s speakers are no longer on the bottom of the notebook, but instead positioned so that the audio is forced toward the user. We’re told that the folks at Skullcandy tuned the speakers. Based on a quick listen, they sound much better than the original Chromebook’s.

Inside, the Chromebook 2 gets one of Intel’s Bay Trail Celeron processors, which Toshiba says should get you nine or more hours of battery life. We’ll have to wait until we get our hands on a unit to verify this.

Base configurations of the Toshiba Chromebook 2 will cost $249 and include a 720p display and 2 GB of RAM. Jump up to the $329 model and you’ll get a 1080p display and improved performance thanks to 4 GB of RAM.

That’s a good deal for a solid, good-looking Chrome-based laptop.