Back in mid-January, Google decided to announce its plans for extending the AUE (auto update policy) for new Chromebooks relesed in 2020. That new policy would affect any new Chrome OS device that hits the market this year, effectively guaranteeing buyers regular updates on these new devices until mid-year 2028. What used to be only 4-5 years of support has now grown to 8+ years, and we’re glad for the change.
That left all the other relatively-new devices out in the cold, though. While unfortunate, it is at least understandable that when companies make shifts like this, there has to be a cut off line at some point; we can’t expect the CR-48 to still get the latest updates, for instance. Based on the initial news around the AUE extension, that line appeared to cut right between all existing devices available and all the new ones launching this year.
But, as it turns out, that line may be getting a bit more blurry. Sent over by a reader just yesterday, it appears that the HP Chromebook 14 with AMD processor inside has been granted a new lease on life. You can see in the images below that this is an entry-level Chromebook and, in the settings, clearly set to get updates until June of 2028.
What does this mean, then? We were happy and surprised to see Google extend 8+ years of support to all Chromebooks released in 2020, but we didn’t know this change would end up being backwards compatible. And if it is showing up on $199 hardware, how far back will this go? Right now, the official page for Chromebook AUE doesn’t list the HP Chromebook 14 with support until 2028, but that list isn’t always on the bleeding edge, either.
Could we begin seeing more Chromebooks added to the 2028 list? I think there’s a high probability of that. If Google is OK with extending the life of an affordable device like the HP Chromebook 14, I see no reason they wouldn’t make the same shift for more popular devices as well. Consider all the great Chromebooks offered last year that are still incredible laptops at even more awesome prices in 2020. Wouldn’t it make sense to extend the life of Chromebooks like the Pixelbook Go, ASUS Flip C434, HP Chromebook x360 14, etc.? If it doesn’t happen, I’ll be shocked. We’ll be keeping an eye on any and all devices we have on hand in hopes of finding more Chromebooks with extended leases on life. As we find them, we’ll be sure to let you know.
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