Samsung's Galaxy Chromebook 2 debuts March 1 starting at $549.99

You won’t have to wait long for a more affordable Galaxy Chromebook. Samsung has announced that it will release the Galaxy Chromebook 2 on March 1 at a starting price of $549.99. Pre-orders are available today at both Samsung.com and Best Buy, and will last through February 28.

As is often the case with Samsung launches, you’ll have an incentive to put down money ahead of the Galaxy Chromebook 2 release. Pre-order through Samsung and Best Buy and you’ll get up to $50 toward “select” purchases through that store. If you wait until after launch, you’ll have until March 14 to get up to $30 off your next purchase at both outlets.

See also: The best touchscreen Chromebooks you can buy

The Galaxy Chromebook 2 isn’t so much a successor to the original model as it is a more accessible re-release. Where the first Galaxy Chromebook was a premium machine with a 4K screen, a stylus, and a Core i5 processor, its sequel starts with a 1080p screen (with no included stylus), 1.9GHz Celeron 5205U, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. You can bump up to a more capable variant with a 2.1GHz Core i3-10110U chip, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of space.

That’s not to say the machine is necessarily a step backward. It’s the first Chromebook with a QLED screen, as Samsung is keen to point out — it’s not a vivid as the 4K OLED from the previous Galaxy, but it should significantly improve battery life. You’ll still get that premium-looking aluminum chassis with an eye-catching red option as well as touchscreen support for Chrome OS and Android apps.

Again, the key with the Galaxy Chromebook 2 release is that price. The previous model’s $999 sticker ruled it out for anyone but the most enthusiastic Chrome OS devotees. While the $549.99 for this model is still far above what you’ll pay for budget Chromebooks, it’s much more viable if you’re working or learning at home and want something above and beyond a basic portable.