For a long time, if you wanted a high-end Chromebook, your only choice was a Pixel. Google’s own laptop was gorgeous for sure, but at £800 it was hardly affordable. Now, there’s another option: the HP Chromebook 13.
The Chromebook 13 is a super-slim laptop made out of brushed aluminium, packed with some surprisingly solid specifications. Best of all, it’s reasonably affordable, starting at £400 in the UK.
The laptop was a joint effort between Google and HP, with the resultant 12.9mm frame holding a 13.3-inch display, a comfortable keyboard and a glass trackpad. The 1.29kg design takes inspiration from both parents, including a round Pixel-like hinge and a slightly rounded shape that’s more ergonomic than the Pixel’s sharp rectangular corners.
The combination of efficient Core m processors (a first for a Chromebook) and a capacious internal battery mean longevity is excellent, with HP reckoning it’ll last 11.5 hours at a push. Fast charging is included too. The laptop comes with a range of Pentium or Core M processors, and can also be configured with a high resolution 3200 x 1800 display and up to 16GB of RAM.
The Chromebook 13 is well equipped when it comes to ports as well, with two USB-C port, one USB 3.0 port, a Micro SD card reader and of course a headphone jack — take that, MacBook! HP are also selling the ‘Elite USB-C Docking Station’, which lets you connect to multiple displays and peripherals over a single USB-C connection.
The Chromebook 13 should be available in the US later this month, but we don’t yet know when the laptop will reach British shores. Prices are $499 for the base model with a Pentium processor and 4GB RAM, $599 for a Core m3 processor, $819 for a Core m5 with 8GB RAM and $1029 for a high-end Core m7 model with 16GB RAM.
What do you think of the latest Chromebook; the Pixel Lite? Let us know in the comments below, or write to us on Twitter @mobilefun.