Toshiba updates Chromebook 2 with 5th generation Core i3 and Celeron processor options, backlit keyboard
Toshiba Refreshes The Chromebook 2 With Broadwell — Toshiba announced today that it has refreshed their Chromebook 2 model. The new version will be available with 5th generation Core i3 or Celeron processors.
Context & Ripple Effects
This refresh lands mid-way through a 2015 Chromebook upgrade cycle: earlier that year Acer pushed the C910 up to a Core i5, and weeks after Toshiba's announcement HP followed with its own $249.99 Celeron-based Chromebook 14 refresh. The Chromebook 2's move to 5th-generation Core i3 and Celeron parts plus a backlit keyboard is Toshiba keeping pace as mainstream Chromebooks shed their toy-laptop reputation.
The Celeron badge this machine ships with has since become historical: seven years later Intel retired the Pentium and Celeron names in favor of 'Intel Processor', by which point AMD had also entered the segment with C-series Ryzen chips built for Chrome OS.
First-order effects
- Toshiba's Chromebook 2 buyers get Broadwell-class Core i3/Celeron performance and a backlit keyboard, putting the device on feature parity with Acer's refreshed C910 rather than trailing it.
- HP's November Chromebook 14 launch at $249.99 sets the price floor Toshiba must defend against with the new model.
Second-order effects
- The Acer-then-Toshiba-then-HP cadence turns CPU generation into a competitive treadmill among Chromebook makers, with each vendor forced to re-spec within months to avoid looking dated at retail.
- Intel's near-monopoly on Chromebook silicon invites a second supplier — a gap AMD's C-series Ryzen entry later fills, giving OEMs like Acer and HP an alternative sourcing line.
Third-order effects
- If the refresh cycle holds, the budget-tier processor label itself loses meaning: Intel ultimately folds Celeron into the generic 'Intel Processor' brand just as Chromebook silicon becomes genuinely multi-vendor, ending the era when one chip family defined the category's price ladder.
The trend: Chromebooks are evolving from an Intel-Celeron commodity niche into a multi-vendor market where annual silicon refreshes and brand consolidation decide who competes on price.