Hewlett-Packard’s Chromebook 13 is the best reason yet to consider an alternative to Mac and Windows.
Here’s the short version of my review: HP's Chromebook can be your only laptop. That's coming from a skeptic who has never strayed from the Windows PC and Mac paradigm (heretofore). But I have been happily using HP’s Chromebook 13 for the last few weeks.
For the uninitiated, Chromebooks are typically inexpensive laptops built around Google’s Chrome OS. (And, note, if you're Chromebook-wary there is a program coming called CrossOver that will let you run Windows applications on Android or Chromebooks.)
Chrome OS at its core is the Chrome browser. But on a Chromebook it is presented as a “desktop” (not unlike Windows or Mac) with icons and a settings app, the latter analogous to the Control Panel in Windows or System Preferences in OS X. The browser, of course, gives you access to Google's excellent office suite, Autodesk's Pixlr image editor, Photos, the Chrome Web Store, Play Music, Play Movies, Hangouts, and lots more.
Here's the bigger point: Chrome OS could be (and already is in many cases) a better PC for educators, small businesses, and consumers looking for an inexpensive platform that is essentially self-repairing, secure, extremely fast, and where (I believe) all future operating systems are ultimately headed.
"I’d argue the average consumer could probably have all of his/her computing needs fulfilled by a Chromebook...given that most of the home computing experience has become browser-based," IDC analyst Linn Huang told me in an email. IDC said in the first quarter of this year, Chromebook shipments exceeded Macs in the U.S. for the first time.
HP Chromebook 13: The Chromebook 13 G1 is HP's 2016 high-end Chromebook, starting at $499. Believe it or not, that’s pricey for a Chromebook, which often sell in the $199 to $399 range. For $499 you get a 13.3-inch 3,200-by-1800 “QHD+” display, an all-aluminum chassis, an Intel Pentium 4405Y (1.5GHz) processor, 4GB RAM, and 32GB of storage.
(When HP announced the Chromebook 13 G1, I had to do a double-take on the display specs. You won't find a 2016 Windows PC or Mac with that kind of display for anything close to $499. That caliber of 13-inch-class display alone can cost half of the $499 price .)
While the processor, RAM, and storage specs may seem meager, they’re not. That’s the beauty of a Chromebook, you don’t need a super-fast processor to run Chrome OS or a large hard drive because most storage takes place in the cloud.
Other notable HP Chromebook 13 specs include a 2.84 pound weight (but good weight distribution makes it feel lighter) and a thickness of only 0.5 inches. Again, those are specs you typically won't find on a $499 all-aluminum laptop.
Performance: The HP Chromebook 13 I’m using goes for just over $800. That extra cost is mostly pegged to the faster Intel 6th Generation "Skylake" Core M5 processor and 8GB of RAM in my model (instead of 4GB). The M5 processor makes the HP Chromebook 13 scream (at least for what I do). I use a collection of newer MacBooks and Windows laptops and the Chromebook 13 feels as fast as brawnier Windows Skylake laptops. And benchmarks show it's one of the fastest Chromebooks out there at the moment. The only downside is that because the Chromebook 13 is fanless the chassis can sometimes get warm.
Battery life: Good. I found the 3-cell, 45Wh battery delivered acceptable time between charges. What most reviews of the HP Chromebook miss is, a laptop with a QHD+ display is never going to last anything close to 12-plus hours without a bigger battery. That said, I got more than 7 hours doing lots of productivity work, watching a short movie, and the usual social media and Web browsing.
Display: This is the centerpiece of the Chromebook 13. To put the resolution in perspective, the HP Chromebook's 13.3-inch 3,200-by-1,800 pixel IPS display is higher resolution than today's highest-end Chromebook. That would be the 12.85-inch Google Chromebook Pixel with its 2,560-by-1,700 resolution screen (which starts at a much pricier $1,299, by the way). Comparing the HP Chromebook to the Dell XPS 15 (which I also use) Ultra HD (3,840-by-2,160) 15.6-inch display, it can't match that display's color gamut. That said, HP's Chromebook has a bright, beautiful screen.
It's worth noting that it's not a touch display, though I don't consider that a big downside. And it's not edge-to-edge glass. The display is encased in a good old-fashioned plastic bezel.
USB Type-C ports and external display: HP's Chromebook comes with two USB Type-C ports and one standard USB Type-A port. I have been able to easily drive an external Dell U2515H (25-inch) 2,560-by-1,440 display via the USB Type-C port. And the Chrome OS settings make the external display setup easy.
Keyboard: HP has perfected the art of making amazing laptop keyboards. The HP EliteBook Folio 1020, which I toted around for months, had one of the best laptop keyboards I've ever used. The Chromebook 13's is in the same league. HP has managed to strike the right balance between key travel, spacing, and tactile feedback.
Build: For a laptop priced between $499 and $800, it has a solid all-aluminum chassis. While it doesn't match what you'll get on the $1,299 12-inch MacBook or $1,499 MacBook Pro, it's a quality build nonetheless.
All in all, the HP Chromebook 13 is a high-quality laptop that delivers a lot of bang for the buck and presages a bright future the Chrome OS.
Addendum:
I would be remiss if I didn't mention a few things to keep in mind if you are considering a Chromebook. The following discussion doesn't apply to HP’s Chromebook specifically but to all Chromebooks.
Windows/Microsoft Office: If you’re a Windows and Microsoft Office devotee, the Chromebook probably won’t be a satisfying experience. I’m a heavy Office 365 and OneDrive (Microsoft’s online file hosting service) user. While the Chrome OS gives you access to the online version of Microsoft Office, many of the full Office features are missing. That said, I found that the Google office suite is a powerful replacement and I would be perfectly happy using it full time (as I’ve been doing).
When necessary I use Chrome Remote Desktop to access my MacBook or Windows laptop.
Another thing to keep in mind is, you won't have access to the range of apps/applications available to Windows and Mac users. In my experience with the Chromebook, however, I always found ways to get things done and almost always found a comparable app online.
And the same applies to Adobe Photoshop. While Adobe and Google are working on a streaming version of Adobe Photoshop, it's not clear when that will become available.
Printing: Printing is not always a no-brainer like it is on the Mac or Windows. Printing is done via Google Cloud Print. Or, in my case, I downloaded HP Print for Chrome and installed the printer that way. And it works fine.
Chrome OS Offline: Chromebooks are designed as cloud devices that rely on being connected to the Web. But it's much easier to work offline now. For example, when I was writing this review in Google Docs, I turned off the Wi-Fi and Chrome immediately notified me that all changes were being saved offline.
Why Chromebook? The question that always gets asked is, why do I need a Chromebook if I can just run the Chrome browser on my Windows PC or Mac? My response: true but why not consider a cheap Chromebook that’s fast, secure, manages/updates itself automatically, and has almost none of the clutter and overhead that Windows and OS X/MacOS have. Besides, the kind of OS that Google is offering is the future of the PC and Mac.
