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The discovery of \u2018Tanjiro\u2019<\/a>\u2014the reference board for a new generation of MediaTek Kompanio Ultra-powered Chromebook tablets\u2014was already easily one of the most exciting ChromeOS developments of the year. As a baseboard,<\/a> we knew it was only a matter of time before the first real-world devices began to spawn from it.<\/p>\n That day is now upon us. I\u2019ve just uncovered commits in the Chromium Gerrit for the very first development board based on \u2018Tanjiro\u2019, and its name is \u2018Sapphire\u2019. But this isn\u2019t just any new tablet; it\u2019s being tested with a very interesting and familiar feature that has my mind racing with a tantalizing possibility.<\/p>\n \u2018Sapphire\u2019 is the first of the \u2018Tanjiro\u2019 family<\/p>\n First, the basics. The new commits confirm that \u2018Sapphire\u2019 is the first official variant of the \u2018Tanjiro\u2019 reference design. This is our concrete proof that a thin, light, powerful, and incredibly efficient ARM-powered Chromebook tablet is in active development. On its own, this is fantastic news. But it\u2019s the other detail we found that takes this story to another level.<\/p>\n The LED light bar may return<\/p>\n Alongside the initial commits for the board itself, we found another set of code changes that explicitly add support for an LED light bar for \u2018Sapphire\u2019. And if you\u2019ve followed Google\u2019s hardware over the years, you know that the colorful light bar is one of the most iconic and signature hardware features of Google-made devices, from the original Chromebook Pixels right up to modern Pixel phones.<\/p>\n \nFeatured Videos<\/p>\n Now, we have to take this with a grain of salt. The presence of a light strip doesn\u2019t 100% guarantee this is a Google-made device. We\u2019ve seen a light bar on one random Lenovo Chromebook in the past, so there is a slight precedent for it on a third-party devices, thought that particular light bar wasn\u2019t capable of the full Google color spectrum.<\/p>\n Looking a bit deeper in the early code for this new \u2018Sapphire\u2019 hardware feature, it becomes clear that the light bar being tested is definitely full-color, so I\u2019m leaning far more towards this being an addition that will be able to pull off the beloved 4-color Google light strip at some point on the device itself.<\/p>\n Additionally, the timing of this discovery makes it an incredibly compelling possibility. As we\u2019ve argued before, the upcoming shift of ChromeOS to the Android kernel creates the perfect opportunity for Google to launch a new \u2018halo\u2019 device<\/a> to showcase its unified software vision. What better device to do that with than a powerful, ARM-based Pixelbook tablet that sports a signature Pixel hardware feature?<\/p>\n For now, however, this is just an educated leaning. But the discovery of \u2018Sapphire\u2019 is huge news in its own right, and the addition of the light strip makes it the most intriguing Chromebook in development right now: hands-down. You can be sure we\u2019ll be tracking its progress with extreme interest.<\/p>\n Join Chrome Unboxed Plus<\/p>\n Introducing Chrome Unboxed Plus \u2013 our revamped membership community. Join today at just $2 \/ month to get access to our private Discord, exclusive giveaways, AMAs, an ad-free website, ad-free podcast experience and more.<\/p>\n Plus Monthly<\/p>\n $2\/mo. after 7-day free trial<\/p>\n Pay monthly to support our independent coverage and get access to exclusive benefits.<\/p>\n Plus Annual<\/p>\n $20\/yr. after 7-day free trial<\/p>\n Pay yearly to support our independent coverage and get access to exclusive benefits.<\/p>\n Our newsletters are also a great way to get connected. Subscribe here!<\/a><\/p>\n