An impressive Chromebook to start the year off.
What you need to know
- At CES 2022, the HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook was announced.
- The Elite Dragonfly Chromebook is the world’s first to use a haptic-touch trackpad.
- Pricing has not yet been revealed, but the Elite Dragonfly will launch sometime in April.
It’s not often that looking at the features of any given Chromebook makes you go “wow.” But that’s exactly what the HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook has done, as this is one impressive option that is sure to rank amongst the best Chromebooks of the year.
Announced at CES 2022, the HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook sports a 13.5-inch touchscreen display, but there are a couple of different configurations to choose from. In addition to your traditional glossy screen with 400 nits of brightness, HP is adding a QHD option with a 2256 x 1504 resolution and another that sports an anti-glare display that can reach up to 1,000 nits of brightness.
Powering this series of Dragonfly Chromebooks is Intel’s next-gen series of chipsets, complete with integrated Intel Evo graphics. Configurations are available with up to 32GB of RAM and up to a 512GB SSD, but there’s also a built-in microSD card slot if you need to get even more storage.
There are plenty of ports to be found here, with dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, along with a single USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, HDMI, audio combo, and even an optional SIM card slot. But instead of just being limited to LTE, the Elite Dragonfly can be used with 5G SIM cards, giving you faster network speeds while you’re out and about.
As you would expect, the Elite Dragonfly Chromebook sports a 360-degree hinged display that can fold back and be used as a tablet. This makes a perfect companion for those who enjoy taking hand-written notes or if you need to sign a couple of documents using the best Chromebook stylus.
But when it comes time to get some work done, HP has integrated something truly unique and awesome. The Elite Dragonfly Chromebook is the world’s first Chromebook to use a haptic trackpad. By doing so, it’s entirely plausible to think that the days of less-than-stellar trackpads on Chromebooks are on the way out.
It will definitely be interesting to see how well this Chromebook stacks up against the current crop of options, but things look pretty good. HP has also integrated a 51Whr battery, complete with Fast Charge capabilities, giving you 90% in just 90 minutes of charging.
Pricing information has yet to be revealed, but HP states that the Elite Dragonfly Chromebook will be released sometime in April. Once pricing and availability details have been shared, we’ll be sure to provide that information.