New durability standards, and new colors spice up the latest generation of HP Chromebooks.
The BETT show is underway in London — an education-focused technology conference — and while CES 2020 may have showed us a new generation of luxury Chromebooks, BETT is where more practically-minded Chrome fans can come for shiny new laptops that actually justify their price tags. HP is here to unveil a whole slew of laptops for educators, including not one but four new Chromebooks, and they have this girl quite excited for the future.
Best of all, we don’t have to wait for summer to roll around in order to buy them.
First up, we have two new versions of the HP Chromebook 11: the Intel Celeron-powered HP Chromebook 11 G8 and the AMD A4/A6-powered HP Chromebook 11A G8. Apart from the processor, both models are almost identical: there are touchscreen and non-touch models and there are 8GB memory options for both. The 11A has lower storage options — stay away from that 16GB option, please — and the USB-A ports are 2.0 instead of 3.1, but otherwise just about everything matches.
HP is claiming the HP Chromebook 11 and 11A G8 are the ” world’s thinnest 11″ rugged Chromebooks for education” at 18.8mm thick, but they still fit a 47.36 Wh battery inside, a battery that HP also claims can be 90% recharged in 90 minutes with the 45W USB-C charger it comes with. I’m more excited to see these Chromebooks offered with 8GB of storage and in a snazzy new “Sage Green” that is giving this UNT alum some school spirit.
| Processor | Intel Celeron N4120 Intel Celeron N4100 Intel Celeron N4020 Intel Celeron N4000 | AMD A6-9220C APU AMD A4-9120C APU |
| Memory | 4GB LPDDR4-2400 SDRAM 8GB LPDDR4-2400 SDRAM | 4GB LPDDR4-2400 SDRAM 8GB LPDDR4-2400 SDRAM |
| Internal storage | 16GB 32GB 64GB | 16GB 32GB |
| Expandable storage | microSD card slot | microSD card slot |
| Display | 11.6″ (1366 x 768) non-touch 11.6″ (1366 x 768) touch screen | |
| Connectivity | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Bluetooth 5 | Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 4.2 |
| Ports | 2x USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 1 2x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Audio combo jack | 2x USB 3.1 Type-C 2x USB 2.0 Audio combo jack |
| Battery | 47.36 Wh Li-ion polymer 45W USB-C AC adapter | 47.36 Wh Li-ion polymer 45W USB-C AC adapter |
| Durability | Anti-pick spill-resistant keyboard Larger rubber bumpers Reinforced ports and corners | Anti-pick spill-resistant keyboard Larger rubber bumpers Reinforced ports and corners |
| Dimensions | 11.61 x 8.08 x 0.74 in 295 x 205.3 x 18.8 mm | 11.61 x 8.08 x 0.74 in; 295 x 205.3 x 18.8 mm |
| Weight | 2.91 lb (1.32 kg) | 3.02 lb (1.37 kg) |
| Colors | Sage Green Chalkboard Gray | Sage Green Chalkboard Gray |
| Starting price | $259 | TBA |
| Availability | Today | February |
Moving from the clamshell to my favorite 2-in-1 form factor, we have the HP Chromebook 11 x360 G3 EE. This shares a lot in common with the 11 G8 — the processors, the size, the memory and port options — but the touchscreen is standard and there’s a option with a Digitizer for using with a WACOM stylus. That Gorilla Glass 3 touchscreen is also scratch-resistant and while the whole exterior has been given a more durable, grippable shell.
This is the model I most want to play with, especially in that luscious Dusk Blue color with 8GB/64GB. We’ve gotten some pretty pink Chromebooks in the last year, but blue and green have been hard colors to find, and I’m happy to see HP giving us those options for its most durable machines. All of the Chromebooks HP is showing off at BETT this year have gone through even more extensive testing that should allow them to survive taller drops, harder yanks, and fidgeting children that apparently like to pluck the keys out of their laptops.
| Processor | Intel Celeron N4120 Intel Celeron N4100 Intel Celeron N4020 Intel Celeron N4000 | AMD A6-9220C APU AMD A4-9120C APU |
| Memory | 4GB LPDDR4-2400 SDRAM 8GB LPDDR4-2400 SDRAM |
| Internal storage | 32GB 64GB |
| Expandable storage | microSD card slot |
| Display | 11.6″ (1366 x 768) IPS touch screen with Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 11.6″ (1366 x 768) IPS touch screen with Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 and Digitizer |
| Connectivity | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Bluetooth 5 |
| Ports | 2x USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 1 2x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Audio combo jack |
| Battery | 47.36 Wh Li-ion polymer 45W USB-C AC adapter |
| Durability | Anti-pick spill-resistant keyboard Larger rubber bumpers Reinforced ports and corners |
| Dimensions | 12.85 x 8.93 x 0.72 in 326.5 x 227 x 18.3 mm |
| Weight | 3.19 lb (1.45 kg) |
| Colors | Dusk Blue Chalkboard Gray |
| Starting price | $299 |
| Availability | Today |
If you prefer your rugged laptops a bit bigger, we have the HP Chromebook 14 G6. This generation shares the same processors and memory options as the 11 G8 and 11 x360 EE G3. It has non-touch and touchscreen options, but I beg of you to get the 1080p model; 1366 x 768 is bearable for 11.6-inch screen but it’s far from ideal when stretched to 14 inches.
In addition to the more robust durability standards for this generation, HP included the option for a Privacy Camera with a physical cover for those who are security-conscious. Another tweak that teachers should like is that this model eschews a second USB-C port in order to have an HDMI port, so if you’re constantly hooking up to the projector to show your slides to the class, you won’t need to go digging for a dongle!
| Processor | Intel Celeron N4120 Intel Celeron N4100 Intel Celeron N4020 Intel Celeron N4000 | AMD A6-9220C APU AMD A4-9120C APU |
| Memory | 4GB LPDDR4-2400 SDRAM 8GB LPDDR4-2400 SDRAM |
| Internal storage | 16GB 32GB 64GB 128GB |
| Expandable storage | Multi-format digital reader |
| Display | 14″ (1366 x 768) non-touch 14″ (1366 x 768) touch screen 14″ (1920 x 1080) non-touch 14″ (1920 x 1080) touch screen |
| Connectivity | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Bluetooth 5 |
| Ports | USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 1 2x USB 3.1 Gen 1 HDMI 1.4b Audio combo jack |
| Battery | 47.36 Wh Li-ion polymer 45W USB-C AC adapter |
| Durability | Anti-pick spill-resistant keyboard Larger rubber bumpers Reinforced ports and corners |
| Dimensions | 12.85 x 8.93 x 0.72 in; 326.5 x 227 x 18.3 cm |
| Weight | 3.38 lb (1.54 kg) |
| Colors | Chalkboard Gray |
| Starting price | $289 |
| Availability | Today |
Most of these Chromebooks are available now — and I’m hoping to get some in for review as soon as possible — but the HP Chromebook 11A G8 will be out next month.
- Read more: Best Chromebooks for Students
