HP Chromebook x360 is a popular 2-in-1 convertible laptop. What makes this chromebook different from the competition is its superior build quality and meticulous attention to detail. Recently HP Chromebook x360 got a CPU upgrade and now it's rocking Intel’s latest 10th generation processor. So in this video, I will review the new HP Chromebook x360 and help you decide if it's the right 2-in-1 convertible laptop for you. The price on amazon tends to fluctuate, so please check out the links at the bottom of this page for the latest price and availability of this laptop. As usual, I will put this laptop through 10 rounds of grueling test, Techno Panda style. So without further ado, let's get started
1 Chrome-OS vs Windows
Before we get into hardware specs, let's talk about Chromebooks vs Windows PC. So if you have never used a chromebook, and if you are wondering whether Chrome-OS is any good, let me dispel some common myths. First, Chrome-OS is not some gimped crippled OS meant only for cheap laptops. It's actually a full fledged operating system just like windows 10 and Mac OS. Chrome-OS has native support for android apps and it comes with Google Play Store pre-installed. It also has native support for linux apps because Chrome OS is built on top of linux kernel.
But what I love most about Chrome-OS is its speed and agility. For e.g. even though all my windows laptops have a faster CPU and GPU and more system RAM, the Chrome browser on my HP Chromebook x360 feels much more snappy and responsive. This is because Google has fine tuned the hell out of Chrome browser on Chrome-OS. We all know that Chrome browser on window 10 is a memory hog, but it flies on chromebooks. I don't know what secret sauce google is using, but the end result is that you get crazy performance on a mediocre hardware if you are using a chromebook.
Also touch enabled chromebooks are far more useful than their windows 10
counterpart. This is because there are literally millions of android apps on
Google play store while Windows app store is a barren land. You can also
install full desktop class linux applications on all modern chromebooks. You
can even install Valve’s Steam Gaming Store and access all their gaming
titles. Now If you are a software developer, you have access to all open
source tools including xterm, vi editor and popular programming languages like
python and Android Studio IDE. So long story short, Chrome OS is a very viable
alternative to Windows and Mac-OS
2 Build-Quality
Let's talk about the build quality. HP Chromebook x360 weighs about 3.6 lbs and it is 0.7" thick. For a thin and light 2-in-1 convertible laptop, this is on the heavier side. But the weight is largely due to its metallic construction. The top lid is made from aluminum which gives this laptop a very solid feel. The keyboard deck and the palm rest is also made from aluminum. While holding this laptop in my hands, it feels very sturdy. There is no creaking or bending, and overall it feels like a solid well built machine.
While the
bottom half of HP Chromebook x360 is made from polycarbonate, you can be
easily forgiven for mistaking it as an all metal construction. It is obvious
that HP has paid a lot of attention to detail. There are no gaps in the seam,
all edges are nicely rounded and the entire laptop construction reeks of
premium quality. For e.g. the hinges are made from solid metal and they
provide adequate resistance. This prevents the screen from wobbling while
typing in clam-shell mode or flailing around when using in tent or tablet
mode. Overall the build quality of HP Chromebook x360 is excellent and it
rivals far more premium laptops. If you are student or working professional
eyeing for this laptop, rest assured in the fact that it will last for many
years
3 Keyboard & Trackpad
Moving on to the keyboard, you get a fully backlit island style keyboard. The keys are silent, but they offer a nice tactile feedback. The keys are nicely balanced offering a good travel distance resulting in a comfortable typing experience. I have typed on this laptop for almost a year and I absolutely love it. Now this is a chromebook keyboard, so the layout is little different from windows keyboard. For e.g. there is no “capslock” and “delete” key, which may feel a little weird for first time users. Chrome-OS will let you remap certain keys, for e.g. you can remap the dedicated “search” key to “Capslock”.
Moving on to the
trackpad, it is really wide, measuring almost five inches by 2 and half
inches. There is a metallic silver boundary around the trackpad which looks
really cool. This is a high quality trackpad made from glass and it oozes a
premium look and feel. It's super-smooth allowing your fingers to glide gently
while scrolling pages, doing pinch and zoom, double-tap or any other 2 & 3
finger gesture. The trackpad surface does not wobble and it delivers a
satisfying click when pressed. Overall, I think both the keyboard and trackpad
on HP Chromebook x360 are right up there with more premium laptops like Dell
XPS 13 and Microsoft Surface Laptop
4 Display
Let's talk about the display. You are getting a 14” full-HD glossy IPS panel. It delivers about 250 nits of brightness which is plenty bright for indoor use. I really like this display, it produces punchy colors and delivers a high contrast ratio. Texts look sharp, images look vibrant and HD and 4K videos pop out. The viewing angle on this display is also very wide, which means you can tilt the screen without losing any clarity, sharpness or contrast. Unfortunately there is no anti-reflective coating on this screen, so bright ambient lights may cause glares and reflections. This is a fully touch-enabled screen that also supports active stylus pens. This is great not just for taking notes in a classroom or meeting, but also indulging in mindless doodling to kill time. In addition you can play any android game with full touch controls. Now I know Angry Birds has fallen out of favor, but I still love playing it on this laptop. Overall I think HP has equipped this chromebook with a really nice screen that is great not just for media consumption but content creation as well5 Internal Hardware
Let's talk about the CPU and the GPU. So when it comes to chromebooks, AMD is still largely missing and ARM CPUs suck more than my vacuum cleaner. So you are more or less relegated to Intel CPUs. Now you have a choice of going with either a cheaper Atom based CPU or picking a more mainstream CPU like the 10th gen Core-i3 or Core-i5. I would strongly encourage everyone to skip Atom based CPUs like Intel Gemini Lake. They usually suck and are not worth your time or money.HP Chromebook x360
comes with an Intel Core i3-10110U CPU. This is the 10th generation Comet-Lake
chip. While it may not sound very impressive on a windows laptop, it's a total
beast on this chromebook. There is almost something magical that Google has
done with Chrome-OS optimization. Everything feels super fast and snappy when
using this Chromebook even though it's running a budget core-i3 CPU. In fact
this chromebook feels faster than my new Lenovo Flex 5 laptop which is rocking
an 8-core Ryzen processor. I think this is largely because Chrome browser runs
like a dog on Windows 10 operating system, but it flies on Chromebook. So
whether you are doing casual internet surfing, watching videos, running
android apps or developing software on linux terminal, everything feels very
fast and snappy.
6 RAM & SSD
Let's quickly talk about the storage. You are getting 8GB system RAM and 64GB eMMC flash storage. Unfortunately none of this is user upgradeable. But 8 GB RAM is plenty for chrome OS, and even if you are running android & linux apps, everything runs smoothly. Now 64GB storage is woefully inadequate for installing large games and storing video files. But you can always use an external SSD via USB Type-C port for expanding storage. With Chromebooks, mostly you will be working and saving documents and files in the cloud, so this should not be a big deal. But if you plan to run a video editor and edit 4K files locally, you will have to buy an external SSD or USB 3.0 hard drive. I will put links to compatible external SSDs and hard-drives in the video description below7 Battery & thermals
Let's talk about the battery life. HP has equipped this chromebook with a 3-cell 60 Wh Li-ion polymer battery which delivers about 10 hours of battery life. This is an actively cooled laptop, which means there are fans running in the chassis but they are very quiet. Even after prolonged use this laptop does not get very hot. The only time I experienced heat built-up was during intense gaming, but for normal usage including streaming videos and surfing it stays cool and quiet. Overall HP has done an excellent job with the battery life and thermals on this Chromebook. Even though I own multiple windows laptops, this is my go-to machine when I am chilling out after a long day at work. This is largely because HP Chromebook x360 feels very snappy and delivers great battery life.8 Audio & webcam
Let's quickly talk about the webcam. You get a wide angle 720p webcam with integrated dual array microphones. It's mounted at the center of the top bezel making it perfect for video calls. The video quality is fine for typical conference calls but if you want to step up the video quality, I would recommend going with an external 1080p USB webcam. There are some really good quality budget webcams available and I recently reviewed some of them here on this channel. Please checkout the links in the video description below for more details and pricing of these webcams. Moving on the speakers, there are dual speakers which HP claims are tuned by Bang & Olufsen. They are fairly loud, but I wouldn't call them amazing. They are OK for watching videos and lightweight gaming. Luckily you have support for both bluetooth and wired headphones if you want to step the audio quality9 Ports
HP Chromebook x360 supports the latest WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5 standard which means you get the best WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. There are 2 USB Type-C ports supporting 5Gbps data transfer speed. They also support USB Power Delivery and DisplayPort 1.2 protocol. So that means you can charge this laptop from USB Type-C port and also use the same port to connect to an external monitor. This chromebook had no trouble driving my 4K monitor and I was able to create a nice dual screen setup. In addition to these 2 USB Type-C ports, you also get a USB 3.1 Type-A port. There is no ethernet port but you do get a headphone/microphone combo jack and a multi-format SD media card reader which is great for camera nerds like me.10 Conclusion
If you are interested in Chromebooks then HP Chromebook x360 is the best 2-in-1 convertible chromebook available in the market under $550. There are some other premium chromebooks from Samsung and Google, but they are too expensive & not worth the price. But I think HP has struck the right balance with this chromebook. The build quality and design aesthetics is top notch. It has a great screen, keyboard, trackpad and battery life. The performance is awesome and you have access to a plethora of apps from both Android and linux world.So, I think this chromebook is a great choice for students and working
professionals. Now obviously it can’t replace a windows PC, especially if you
rely on a specific windows app. But is that the case for you? If all you do on
your laptop is surf the internet using a Chrome browser, watch videos, play
some games and create some documents, then a Chrombook could easily replace
your windows laptops. So what do you guys think about Chromebooks? Do you
think they are a viable alternative to PC and Mac?
Purchase Links
👉 Buy Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14
👉 Buy 1080p webcam
👉 Buy 3TB USB HDD
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