The new Chromebook--that's its official name--is built by Samsung, just like the that launched last May. But unlike the earlier Intel Celeron-based model, the new Chromebook announced Thursday uses an ARM-based processor, making it thinner, lighter and about $200 cheaper.

The $249 Chromebook has an 11.6-inch display, which is smaller than the 12.1-inch screen on the old version, but it has a higher screen resolution of 1366 by 768. It weighs 2.43 pounds and measures just under 0.8 inches thick. The design of the keyboard and trackpad look similar to the previous model, with chiclet keys and a .

As with all previous Chromebooks, the new model puts an emphasis on storing files online instead of locally. As such, there's only 16GB of storage on board, plus an SD card slot, but Google is offering 100 GB of free Google Drive storage for two years.

Other specs include 2GB of RAM, USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports, HDMI output, dual 1.5W speakers, and Bluetooth 3.0 and Wi-Fi connectivity but no 3G or 4G. Google claims that the new Chromebook gets more than 6.5 hours of battery life on a charge, which would be a slight improvement over the old Intel-based laptop.

Chrome OS got off to a when the first Chromebooks launched in 2011. The software lacked some basic features, like an easy way to switch between windows and browse local files; some websites, such as Netflix, didn't work on the ultrabook. The Atom-based processors in these early Chromebooks weren't up for the job either, especially for Adobe Flash or other rich Web content.