A new Chromebook has surfaced with a code name “Homestar” and it is raising some eyebrows in the tablet marketplace to see if it can surpass Apple’s iPad Pro. The hybrid tablet is expected to come later this year, but thanks to some folks at Chromebooks, we have got some information on the specs and design.
Homestar Chromebook is in the same line of devices as ‘Coachz because it is also a tablet equipped with Snapdragon processors. Both the tablets are also built from the same baseboard called Strongbad.
However, this two-in-one tablet seems to have undergone some major improvements in terms of display and speaker setup. From About Chromebooks, Kevin Tofel has reported that Homestar is going to be a detachable Chromebook with a 4-speaker setup.
From the code changes made in the device, Kevin was able to identify the model number of the display panel, and he suspected it to be made with some technology. The model number acquired from the code is ATNA33XC20, so we expect this to be relatively new when compared with Samsung’s OLED panel that comes with a model number ATNA33XC11.
Even after studying the code commits, we were not able to extract more details on the resolution and display quality, but we strongly believe that a 7c processor from Qualcomm can drive up to 1440p display screens. Though there is no guarantee that both displays from Chrome and Samsung are in the same category, we still expect Homestar to be a better display with high brightness capacity and color accuracy.
In 2019, Qualcomm made it public that they were targeting mainstream notebooks and tablets, but nowhere they mentioned partnering with a Chromebook-like platform. The Chrome OS somehow made a strong case for them to consider, and it also provided some reliable features like LTE connectivity and Wi-Fi 802.11ac.
Homestar is unique not only because it is likely to come with a superior processor than others in the marketplace, but it also has detachable features that would make it the tablet to beat.
In terms of speakers and audio quality, Homestar Chromebook is expected to come with a Maxim Integrated Class D amp that is going to elevate the quality coming from the quad-speaker system. Few people also believe that it can be as good as iPad Pro because whenever the device shifts its orientation from portrait to landscape or vice versa, the speakers also rotate the sound to match the display.
Chrome OS tablets usually get criticized for not having multiple connectivity options, but in the case of Homestar, users are likely to get two USB Type-C ports. Another interesting inclusion is the USI stylus. It is a lot similar to the Apple pencil, as it can also charge wirelessly while being connected to the side of the slate.
The tablet will also support an accelerometer and gyroscope, which is something that most Chrome tablets won’t entertain. This Chromebook is expected to be evaluated at the Engineering Validation Test, so we might have more information in a couple of weeks from now. Once the test is over, we will have a better understanding of the entire hardware and code that is placed to support it.
As of now, we know that Snapdragon 7c is about to make its entrance in the latest Homestar Chromebook, and it is expected to support 60Hz displays and 1440p resolution. Stay tuned to receive more updates on this Chromebook.