HP Chromebook 15.6-inch Laptop Review: For the strictly price-conscious young buyer
HP Chromebook 15.6 Inch Laptop Review: US based computer and printer company HP Inc recently launched a new Chromebook 15.6 laptop in India designed for young students. The laptop has a 15.6-inch screen and an Intel Celeron N4500 processor. One of the main highlights of the HP Chromebook 15.6-inch laptop is its price. It is priced competitively, making it an attractive choice for young buyers.
HP Chromebook 15.6-inch Laptop: Price
The HP Chromebook 15.6 is available in India at a starting price of Rs 28,999. The machine is available in two colors – Forest Blue and Mineral Silver. I used the Mineral Silver variant for over a week and here are my thoughts on this new Chromebook from HP. The laptop has a 15.6-inch screen. It has an Intel Celeron N4500 processor. The laptop has a battery life of up to 11.5 hours and comes with connectivity options such as Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth and USB ports.
HP Chromebook 15.6-inch laptop: design
The build quality of the HP Chromebook 15.6-inch laptop is decent, but not premium. It is made of plastic materials, which may not be as durable as metal or other high-quality materials. The design is functional and simple, without distinctive aesthetics. The company logo appears in the center of the back panel, while a small Chrome logo appears at the top of the back panel. Weighing in at 1.6kg, this HP laptop is a bit bulky due to the weight distribution and thick body. However, daily users will not face any discomfort when carrying it regularly.
The keyboard, on the other hand, is large and silver-colored with black keys. The overall design seems simple to me. In terms of connectivity options, the 15.6-inch HP Chromebook laptop comes with several connectivity options, including two USB Type-C ports, one USB Type-A port, a microSD card slot, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
HP Chromebook 15.6-inch laptop: display and performance
The HP Chromebook 15.6-inch laptop has a display with an HD resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. The display features micro-edge bezels, which means the bezels around the display are thin, allowing for a larger screen-to-body ratio and a more immersive viewing experience. The display has a brightness of 250 nits, which provides a decent level of brightness for indoor use, but is not ideal for outdoor use, especially in bright sunlight. When watching movies and web series on Netflix, the viewing experience was better than average. The screen size is good, but the colors lacked sharpness and brightness.
The laptop also has two speakers that provide stereo sound for multimedia playback or virtual calls. Dual microphones are designed to capture sound more clearly, so they are suitable for online meetings or video conferencing. The Wide Vision HD camera is optimized for virtual calls and offers average video quality for video chats and streaming. Overall, the HP Chromebook 15.6-inch laptop display is satisfactory, but not exceptional. It has standard HD resolution, which may not provide the best visual experience for e.g. multimedia consumption or content creation. However, it is good for basic browsing and content consumption.
Powered by Intel’s Celeron N4500 processor, the new HP laptop comes with Chrome OS. It is equipped with HP QuickDrop for easy file transfer and Office 365 compatibility. It also offers access to services such as Google Assistant, Google Classroom and 12 months of Google One with 100GB of cloud storage that covers all Google apps. Performance-wise, designed primarily for light usage such as web browsing, streaming and basic productivity tasks. I used the laptop to do my daily tasks which included my office work, watching videos and juggling between WhatsApp and inbox.
While the laptop may not be exceptionally fast, I didn’t encounter any significant issues with it. ChromeOS works seamlessly, making it a decent option for students who primarily use online apps like Google Docs for their schoolwork. In addition, the Chrome OS provides a simple and user-friendly interface with access to the Google Play Store for Android applications, which can improve the functionality of the device.
This keyboard and touchpad HP Chromebook has a large keyboard with well-spaced keys and a dedicated numeric keypad. You will love typing on this laptop. However, it lacks a backlight, which I personally consider essential in any laptop.
In addition, the HP Chromebook 15.6 has convenient hotkeys for taking screenshots, adjusting brightness and volume, and opening the shortcut menu, making it easy to perform these functions with a single keystroke. As for the trackpad, it is large and made of plastic. The overall trackpad experience was not disappointing.
Battery life on the HP Chromebook 15.6-inch laptop is decent, but not exceptional. It lasted 6-7 hours with light use, but requires charging for heavier tasks. I also encountered minor heating issues during heavy use. Once fully charged, you can use this device for at least five hours without interruption.
HP Chromebook 15.6-inch laptop: The verdict
The HP Chromebook 15.6-inch laptop priced under Rs 30,000 in India can be a suitable choice for price-conscious consumers, especially school and college students who need a basic laptop for light use and online tasks. Its competitive price along with decent performance and functional design make it a good option for those on a budget.
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