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ToolsNot Exactly Inexpensive
The floor model of the Chromebook x360 14 G1, $ 498 at HP.com, combines a Core i3-8130U CPU, 8GB of memory, 64GB of eMMC flash repositing, and a 14-inch IPS touch screen with 1,920 by 1,080 resolution. For $ 796 ( which the locate claims is a discount from $ 1,397 ), my screen model offers the same spectacles except for a 1.7GHz Core i5-8350U nick with Intel UHD 620 integrate graphics. The top of the note, equipped with a Core i7-8650U and 16GB of RAM, is a steep $ 1,590 .
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Reading: HP Chromebook x360 14 G1 Review
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The silver-hued G1 combines a plastic bottom with an aluminum eyelid and keyboard deck. Chrome and HP logos—the latter is the old-school rung logo, not the stylized four slashes of late EliteBooks and ZBooks—decorate the hat. The system feels solid, with little flex if you grasp the screen corners or british pound the keyboard, though the screen wobbles when tapdance .
At 3.7 pounds, the convertible is a small heavy to hold in tablet mode, though it ‘s lighter than the 4.0-pound Dell Inspiron Chromebook 14 2-in-1. It ‘s besides a bite smaller, measuring 0.63 by 12.8 by 8.9 inches versus 0.7 by 13 by 9.1 inches. The HP does n’t come with a stylus playpen as the Dell does .
You ‘ll find a USB-C 3.1 port on either side of the system, letting you plug in the AC adapter—or, with a DisplayPort dongle ( not included ), an external monitor—from either the left or good. I was hoping for an HDMI port, but was disappointed. The left border besides holds a microSD wag slot, a earphone jack, and the ability clitoris, while the right edge offers a USB 3.1 Type-A port, a volume rocking chair, and a security interlock time slot .
naturally, Bluetooth and 802.11ac radio are standard, but I ‘m not sure about the G1 ‘s Wi-Fi reception. In my home function, two rooms away from my Wi-Fi router, Chrome OS ‘s shelf or system tray reported a weak signal. Every early Chromebook or Windows laptop I ‘ve tested has indicated a medium or potent signal in the same smudge .
Look! Real Cursor Arrows!
To my joy, the Chromebook x360 14 G1 ‘s backlit keyboard has cursor arrow keys arranged in the proper anatropous T alternatively of most HP laptops ‘ awkward horizontal row. ( Like all Chromebooks, however, it lacks Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down keys and replaces Caps Lock with a search/menu key. )
The keyboard boasts a terrific type tactile property, with adequate locomotion and chip feedback ; I was cruising at a near-record pace within minutes of putting my hands on the base course. The wide, chrome-edged touchpad glides and taps smoothly, and touch-screen operations are comfortable .
Looking at the display, however, is less indeed. even with brightness turned all the way improving, it ‘s besides dim to make colors in truth pop or provide ultra-high-contrast black text on white backgrounds—HP rates it at 220 nits in an age where we consider 300 a baseline and hope for 400, with a mediocre 67 percentage coverage of the sRGB semblance palette. For a system that hopes to compete with some impressively screened Windows business laptops, it ‘s sad, though its 1080p resolution makes details look sharply and net enough for everyday use .
The convertible ‘s 720p webcam captured averagely detailed and well-lit images in my cheery office, though there was some noise in shade areas. The Bang & Olufsen-tuned speakers above the keyboard easily filled a room with nicely layered music tracks, short on booming bass but with good highs and no bleary or tinny aberration .
Fast by Any Measure
Considering Chrome OS ‘s modest hardware requirements, the HP is arguably overpowered—I observed no slowdown when streaming a video, playing an android game, and keeping a twelve browser check open all at once. The Files app shows 44GB of the 64GB repositing loose out of the box, with the microSD time slot and the common 100GB of exempt Google Drive cloud repositing for two years available if you need more space.
When switched murder, the G1 took 9 seconds from pressing the baron button to reaching the login screen, though that ‘s not a critical benchmark—simply closing the lid puts the system to sleep, from which it wakes in less time than it takes to reopen the lid .
For dinner dress benchmarks, we use principled Technologies ‘ CrXPRT ( a suite of simulated Chrome OS productivity apps ) and WebXPRT 2015 ( a browser-based test of HTML and JavaScript performance ). here ‘s how the HP convertible compared to the abovementioned Dell Inspiron 2-in-1 and the 15.6-inch Lenovo Yoga Chromebook C630, both of which use Intel ‘s Core i3-8130U central processing unit, a well as the Pentium-powered Acer Chromebook 514 and the Core i5-7Y57-based Google Pixelbook .
The G1 finished in first place in both contests, but its margin of victory was less than I expected considering its quad-core Core i5 CPU compared to the Core i3 Lenovo and Dell. This leaves me torn between recommending it as one of the fastest Chromebooks we ‘ve ever tested and hinting that you might want to save $ 298 by choosing the no doubt absolutely adequate to Core i3 model .
The HP scored another winnings in our battery-life screen, where we loop a locally stored video recording at 50 percentage screen brightness and 100 percentage audio volume. The Lenovo and Acer did themselves proud, but the x360 managed to get through a bivalent workday .
To be sure, 50 percentage brightness on the HP ‘s murky screen is nothing to write home about. placid, I saw 10 to 12 hours in anecdotal custom with luminosity turned up to bearable levels .
An Enterprise Alternative
I like rooting for underdogs, and I appreciate the built-in security and slipstream updates of Chrome OS, the cost savings of G Suite, and the many manageability tools of Chrome Enterprise. And though the HP is n’t bum for a Chromebook, it undercuts the price of comparable Windows 2-in-1s ( which, of course, carry more than 64GB of onboard storage and much 16GB rather of 8GB of memory ) .
But while the Chromebook x360 14 G1 is worth a expression, its disappoint display makes it hard to pull the trip on a purchase order. Consider evaluating the more low-cost Core i3 model or HP ‘s winning Chromebook x2 alternatively .
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