With premium chromebooks on the rise, the easy-to-use Chrome OS is attracting more and more luxury users, and HP is welcoming them with the HP Chromebook x360 14 -- the company’s first Chromebook to support an 8th Gen Core i7 processor.
We’re expecting it to launch sometime in January and start at somewhere in the mid-$500s, but the price subject to change.
HP Chromebook x360 14: Price and Specs
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | HP Chromebook x360 14 |
| Starting Price | ~mid-$500 |
| Display | 14-inch, 1920 x 1080 |
| CPU | Intel Pentium 4415U, Core i3-8130U, Core i5-8350U, Core i7-8650U |
| RAM | Up to 16GB |
| Graphics | Intel HD Graphics 610 (Pentium), Intel UHD Graphics 620 (i3 and above) |
| Storage | Up to 64GB eMMC |
| Ports | Two USB 3.1 Type-C, one USB 3.1 and a 3.5 mm audio jack |
| Size | 12.8 x 8.9 x 0.6 inches |
| Weight | 3.7 pounds |
The HP Chromebook x360 14 can be configured with up to a Intel Core i7-8650U processor with an Intel UHD 620 GPU, 16GB of RAM and 64GB of eMMC storage. 64GB isn’t really on the premium side, but not to worry, HP includes a 2-year subscription for a 100GB Google Drive (which runs around $40).
On top of its beefy specs, this 2-in-1 Chromebook has a full aluminum chassis that weighs in at 3.7 pounds and measures 12.8 x 8.9 x 0.6 inches, making it portable and that much easier to convert into tablet mode. It comes outfitted with two USB 3.1 Type-C ports, one USB 3.1 port, a 3.5-millimeter audio jack and a microSD card slot.
Despite its lightweight stature, the HP Chromebook x360 14’s aluminum chassis is also MIL-STD-810G tested, which means it can handle itself in a fight with the floor, among other things (more details to come).
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Its 14-inch, 1080p panel averaged 220 nits of brightness and covered 67 percent of the sRGB spectrum on HP’s tests, which is a little closer to your average Chromebook, but it does have slim bezels. The HP Chromebook x360 14 also has a neat, backlit island-style keyboard, but it felt shallower than I would have liked as I typed on it.
Another luxurious aspect that this Chromebook takes on is a pair of Bang & Olufsen speakers located above the keyboard. However, HP doesn’t include a dedicated Bang & Olufsen audio app, so you’ll have to settle with the one in the Google Play Store.
HP rates the Chromebook x360 14’s battery life to last up to 13 hours, which would be quite impressive if it can deliver.
We’ll know more once we get the HP Chromebook x360 14 through our lab, but it looks like 2019 is going to continue embracing the premium Chromebook.
Credit: Laptop Mag
