HP unveiled its thin new Chromebook 13, a laptop with high-quality hardware, according to expert reviews.
According to USA Today, this is the first Chromebook to run Intel's latest sixth generation Core M processor. This is also the first Chromebook to offer a docking solution based on the emerging USB-C standard.
Ars Technica argues that the low end of the Chromebook market is well-served, partly because the simplicity of Chrome OS is a better fit for budget hardware and because Chromebooks do best in the cash-strapped education market. Up to date, the only solution for users in need of something high-end has been the $999 Chromebook Pixel. However, that leaves a big space in between for consumers who do not want to pay a fortune for something that looks and feels nice.
Now, the HP Chromebook 13 came to fit that space. HP's newly released laptop is a decent machine at its $499 starting price but can become a full competitor for the Chromebook Pixel if one is willing to pay more, according to the same publication.
At the starting price of $499, users get a Skylake-based 1.5 GHz Pentium 4405Y, 13.3-inch 1080p screen and 4GB of 1866 MHz DDR3 RAM. The configuration is certainly not for the price. The Skylake-based processor is still going to deliver stronger performance than the Pentiums and Atom-derived Celerons that ship in many low-end Chromebooks.
The $599 model is powered by a 900 MHz (2.2 GHz Turbo) Core m3-6Y30 and features a 3200 × 1800 display. It still comes only with 4GB of RAM, but for Chrome OS that is a fairly comfortable amount.
A top of the line model with the Core m7-6Y75 and 16GB of RAM will cost $1,029. All HP Chromebook 13 models have 32GB of eMMC storage, a backlit keyboard with a multitouch trackpad, Bluetooth 4.2 and 867Mbps 802.11ac.
The Chromebook 13 has a premium look and feel, with its palmrest and lid all aluminum. The subtle monochrome Chrome logo and brushed metal texture on the lid are all classy. The whole design of the HP Chromebook 13 is, in fact, reminiscent of a streamlined Chromebook Pixel.
