Google is announcing two new Chromebooks today – Samsung’s Galaxy Chromebook Plus and Lenovo’s Chromebook Duet 11 – and with them a brand new button. The so-called quick insert button is intended to provide immediate access to some of Google’s latest AI features.

The new Quick Insert button will replace the Search/Home button on some Chromebooks in the future, starting with the Galaxy Chromebook Plus. Quick Insert is your one-stop shop for a variety of new AI features: press it and a menu will pop up, giving you quick access to features like “Help me write,” used in memos, emails, etc .AI image generation can be helpful, according to John Maletis, vice president of ChromeOS products, engineering and UX.

The button is also intended to give you quicker access to information. It can bring up a list of recently visited websites so you can insert links, browse your photos, videos, documents and spreadsheets in Google Drive, or pull up your favorite GIFs and emojis. Microsoft made a similar change earlier this year, equipping some laptops with a dedicated Copilot key to provide quick access to Windows’ AI feature.

Quick Insert joins a host of other AI features rolling out to Google’s premium Chromebook Plus lineup starting this month. There’s “Help Me Read,” which summarizes everything you’re reading; Live Translate, which creates real-time translated subtitles for over 100 languages; and the Recorder app, which can be used to create transcripts of lectures, interviews or conversations. I saw the Recorder app in action during a demo and asked the presenter a few questions about the service. The app accurately represented my words and identified us as separate speakers.

The Welcome Summary, available for all Chromebooks, is perhaps the most interesting feature of the launch. As soon as you turn the system back on, you will get an overview of what you were doing before you logged out. Welcome Recap works across devices and offers suggestions like reminders for “your next video call, quick access to a recently opened file, or a clickable suggestion to finish an article started on your Android or iOS phone.” If you’re like me and tend to hoard tabs, this feature can come in handy.

Samsung’s Galaxy Chromebook Plus is Google’s first showcase for these new features. The gray-blue all-aluminum casing of the notebook will definitely be a real eye-catcher. Weighing in at 2.58 pounds and 0.46 inches, the laptop is said to be the lightest and thinnest Chromebook both companies have released.

The Chromebook Plus has a 15.6-inch OLED display that looked stunning when I saw it in person last week, and it comes with a pretty good keyboard with a full number pad. But if you’re looking for a powerhouse, this isn’t it. The Chromebook Plus features an Intel Core i3 100U Raptor Lake Refresh processor with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. Battery life is estimated at 13 hours per charge.

Although the Quick Insert button is missing, Lenovo’s Chromebook Duet 11 can still access all of the new ChromeOS features. The 2024 version is a new edition of the popular removable model that came onto the market in 2020. It retains the portability and versatility of previous models and features updated internals. When you’re not using the device in laptop mode, the magnetic keyboard detaches so the Duet 11 can be used as a tablet. Or you can fold the back cover and use it as a stand to place it vertically or horizontally.

Lenovo touts the 10.9-inch 1920 x 1200 resolution touchscreen’s advanced palm recognition. It’s a great way to use the USI Pen 2 included in the package. The pen attaches magnetically to the back.

Equipped with a MediaTek Kompanio 838 CPU with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage, the Duet is good for note-taking and other light productivity and multimedia tasks. It has two webcams: an 8MP camera on the back and a 5MP camera on the front. As for battery life, Lenovo expects it to last an estimated 12 hours on a charge. The detachable device also features an Education Edition, where the tablet portion is housed in a sturdy case to protect it from accidental drops.

Both laptops will be available this month. The Duet 11 will start at $340, while the higher-end Galaxy Chromebook Plus starts at $699.

Photography by Sherri Smith

Update, October 1st: The Duet 11 is available at a lower price than Google’s original price of $399.