HP Chromebook 11 Review
by Anand Lal Shimpi on October 15, 2013 2:45 AM EST- Posted in
- Laptops
- HP
- Chrome OS
- Chromebook
The Display
Although the 11.6-inch display boasts a pedestrian 1366 x 768 resolution, it’s an IPS panel devoid of the sort of color/contrast shift at off-center angles you normally get with a cheap PC notebook. I remember being in a meeting with a bunch of traditional PC OEMs talking about battery life. I was advocating for displays to be tested at 200 nits when one OEM turned to me and said that there are some notebooks in their lineup that won't even get that bright. Thankfully, the Chromebook 11 helps to push the low end of the PC industry forward. The display doesn't get incredibly bright by high-end mobile display standards, but it has excellent black levels and thus delivers a compelling 1088:1 max contrast ratio.
Color accuracy isn’t anything to write home about compared to the new wave of factory calibrated panels, but for the price it’s awesome. Hilariously enough, the Chromebook 11’s display is about as accurate as the first generation Surface Pro from Microsoft, and in many cases offers better color reproduction than the panel used on the more expensive Chromebook Pixel. Compared to other notebooks in its price class (or even those twice its price), you’re talking about a very good display.
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kyuu - Tuesday, October 15, 2013 - link
The storage is eMMC, which is not the same thing as an SSD. eMMC storage is really dirt cheap so adding an extra 16GB would not drive the cost up more than a few dollars.errorr - Tuesday, October 15, 2013 - link
iSupply has the cost of 16GB v. 32GB eMMC as about a $9.00 difference. I imagine that to maintain good margins that would put it in the $299 range which from a psychological perspective is a significant increase. I read a study that said that prices ending in 79 seem lower than the actual difference would suggest in a rational market.EastVillageIdiot - Tuesday, October 15, 2013 - link
Did you even read the review? Have you used this laptop that you claim has a "crappy" keyboard? Anand described the keyboard as excellent, in the same class as the Macbook Air. It's the same size as a MB Air, it weights 2.3 lbs, and it boots up in just a few seconds. Lots of users can live without 1080p YouTube streams, and lots of people are going to buy this and be pretty happy with it.Also, Anand tested the battery life at between 4.8 and 5.37 hours, so you round DOWN to 4? Who is really the fanboy with an agenda?
What a joke of a comment.
Spunjji - Tuesday, October 15, 2013 - link
You quite clearly didn't actually read the review. That, or your reading comprehension is not up to par.Braumin - Tuesday, October 15, 2013 - link
ChromeOS is getting far more press than it's deserved.This thing sounds like a piece of crap and yet, not only is it reviewed, it's reviewed favorably.
1. Gets hot
2. Slow
3. Terrible battery life
4. No multitasking
5. No offline apps (basically)
6. No storage
The positives are decent (but not good) screen, keyboard is OK, and the price is low.
Why would anyone buy this again?
For $300 you'll be able to get a Venue Pro 8 with Bay Trail, active stylus, Windows 8.1, far better battery life, and a real OS. Plug it into a monitor and keyboard if required for a full PC experience.
I get Android. Why is Google also pursuing ChromeOS?
kyuu - Tuesday, October 15, 2013 - link
Yeah I'm not sure why they're pushing ChromeOS when they already have Android. Why not just make an Android skin suited for laptop usage?Jaybus - Tuesday, October 15, 2013 - link
Because Android, like iOS, is not suitable for laptops. Also, ChromeOS is completely geared toward cloud aps and cloud storage, basically a machine dedicated to being a browser. Google wants to make money off of the cloud services, not the sales of Chromebooks. They make nothing on the Chromebook itself.Braumin - Tuesday, October 15, 2013 - link
And neither will HP so once again I don't see the point of this device, nor the amazing amount of press it has received.Does Android not have a browser? Isn't it Chrome?
ChromeOS is also not suitable for laptops.
nikon133 - Tuesday, October 15, 2013 - link
Hum. From my experience with Android tablet, I'd say it is much more suitable for netbook form factor than CromeOS is. From my perspective, CromeOS is like Android with almost everything (beside browser) removed/disabled. How is that more suitable for traditional laptop form factor?I understand what Google wants to achieve here - tie users into Google cloud services - but it just isn't my cup of tea. Nor is it for pretty much anyone else I know. Saying that it is niche, in it's current state, sounds like huge overstatement.
Samus - Wednesday, October 16, 2013 - link
OneOfTheseDays--Did you even read the review?