Chromebooks come in a variety of shapes and sizes. There are small models, big models, convertible models with 360-degree hinges, and tablets that probably shouldn’t have “book” in the name at all (but do anyway).
One thing we haven’t seen yet? A dual-screen model.
But that could change soon. According to 9to5Google, there’s evidence that a dual-screen Chromebook could be on the way.
A recent entry in the Chromium source code suggest that developers are testing a device codenamed “Palkia” that features a touchscreen, trackpad, and… a “2nd touchscreen.”
This device appears to be a clamshell-style notebook rather than a convertible tablet, so while it’s possible that the second screen could replace a physical keyboard, it’s more likely that the Chromebook will have a keyboard and a second screen.
To get a sense of what that might look like, you can check out the Asus ZenBook Duo and ZenBook Pro Duo Windows laptops, which have secondary displays located above the keyboard.
According to Chrome Unboxed, it’s likely that Palkia will turn out to be an Asus device, so it could end up looking a lot like those laptops.
Anyway, it’s interesting to see any evidence that dual screen Chromebooks are on the way, since the news comes at a time when Microsoft’s plans to release a version of Windows optimized for dual-screens and foldables seems to be slipping further and further away.