Samsung Chromebook Plus (google-kevin)
| This device is supported as part of a generic port. Refer to Google Gru Chromebook (google-gru) for installation instructions and more information. |
|
| |
| Manufacturer | Samsung |
|---|---|
| Name | Chromebook Plus |
| Codename | google-kevin |
| Released | 2017 |
| Type | convertible |
| Hardware | |
| Chipset | Rockchip RK3399 |
| CPU |
4x 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 2x 2Ghz Cortex-A72 |
| GPU | Mali-T860 MP4 |
| Display | 2600x1400 IPS |
| Storage | 32 GB |
| Memory | 4 GB |
| Architecture | aarch64 |
| Software | |
Original software The software and version the device was shipped with. |
ChromeOS |
Extended version The most recent supported version from the manufacturer. |
ChromeOS |
| FOSS bootloader | yes |
| postmarketOS | |
| Category | community |
Mainline Instead of a Linux kernel fork, it is possible to run (Close to) Mainline. |
yes |
| Generic port | Google Gru Chromebook (google-gru) |
| Device package |
|
| Kernel package |
|
Internal storage eMMC, SD cards, UFS... |
Works
|
|---|---|
SD card Also includes other external storage cards. |
Works
|
Battery Whether charging and battery level reporting work. |
Works
|
Screen Whether the display works; ideally with sleep mode and brightness control. |
Works
|
Touchscreen |
Works
|
Keyboard Whether the built-in physical keyboard works. |
Works
|
Touchpad Whether the built-in touchpad works. |
Works
|
Stylus |
Works
|
| Multimedia | |
3D Acceleration |
Works
|
Audio Audio playback, microphone, headset and buttons. |
Works
|
Camera |
Works
|
| Connectivity | |
WiFi |
Works
|
Bluetooth |
Works
|
| Miscellaneous | |
FDE Full disk encryption and unlocking with unl0kr. |
Works
|
USB OTG USB On-The-Go or USB-C Role switching. |
Works
|
HDMI/DP Video and audio output with HDMI or DisplayPort. |
Partial
|
| Sensors | |
Accelerometer Handles automatic screen rotation in many interfaces. |
Works
|
Hall Effect Measures magnetic fields; usually used as a flip cover sensor |
Works
|
Primary Bootloader Whether it is possible to replace stock bootloader with U-Boot. |
Works
|
|---|---|
Secondary Bootloader Whether it is possible to chainload U-Boot from stock bootloader. |
Works
|
Mainline Whether latest upstream versions of U-Boot are not broken and it is possible to use them. |
Works
|
Internal Storage Whether it is possible to boot from internal storage (e.g. eMMC or UFS). |
Works
|
SD card Whether it is possible to boot from SD card. |
Works
|
USB Host Whether it is possible to boot from a USB storage or connect a keyboard. |
Works
|
Display |
Works
|
Keyboard |
Works
|
Buttons Whether it is possible to navigate in boot menu or grub with volume and power buttons. |
Broken
|
Users owning this device
U-Boot
See https://github.com/alpernebbi/u-boot/wiki.
Libreboot
https://libreboot.org/docs/install/chromebooks.html
Installing Libreboot will make it easy to install any ARM64 Linux distro; theoretically any sufficiently RK3399-compatible ARM64 UEFI OS should be possible (except Windows, because Windows wants ACPI and not DeviceTree). If using Linux, manually install alsa-ucm-conf-cros and alsa-ucm-conf-google-gru. Without this, audio will not work when resuming from suspend until a reboot.
Make sure to install Libreboot 20241206, and not 25.06. PCIe is broken on 25.06, and therefore WiFi is too. https://codeberg.org/libreboot/lbmk/issues/353 Everything else works, so downgrading isn't a problem if 25.06 was accidentally flashed.
U-Boot's XHCI drivers are buggy and incomplete. As a result, booting from USB may not work. Use a microSD card in the microSD card slot instead.
WiFi performance
The original Marvel 88W8997 firmware seems to perform a little better than the upstream firmware. If desired, it can be copied from lib/firmware/mrvl/pcieusb8997_combo_v4.bin in the 3rd partiton of the stock recovery image, which can be obtained from https://cros.tech.
Overclocking
Overclocking is possible with a device tree overlay. This one increases the maximum clock speed from 2.0GHz/1.5GHz to 2.1GHz/1.7GHz, with an undervolt to compensate, and is mostly stable except under heavy load. However, battery life will likely still be negatively impacted, as the bottom of the chassis gets mildly warm, indicating increased power consumption.