The updated HP Chromebook x360 14c with a 16:10 screen is now available for purchase

Just 10 days ago, a new Chromebook from HP showed up without any of the fanfare or buzz that has surrounded the premium Dragonfly Pro Chromebook. As a matter of fact, there wasn’t even a proper press release or email sent out about it: it just showed up. But 10 days ago, it was only marked as coming soon on Best Buy’s website. Today, it is actually available for purchase.

If you head over to Best Buy, you can actually drop the new HP Chromebook x360 14c in your cart and finish the purchase if you so choose. From the looks of it, you won’t be getting it for a few more days (March 30th is the soonest we could find within a few hunderd miles of us), but that’s not long to wait. At $699, you will want to know what you are purchasing, here, and if the past few x360 14c Chromebooks from HP are any indication, this device will feel premium and high-end all the way through.

Though the past two iterations have been basically mirror images of one another, this latest model does leave a bit of room for a few changes here and there due to the fact that HP moved on from the standard 16:9 screen and opted for a roomier 16:10 display this time around. With the bezels on the outgoing 14c models already being moderately small, we can infer that the overall chassis for this new model will likely be a tad bit larger from top to bottom and that means a few changes are in order on HP’s end when building this one.

We have yet to test this latest Chromebook from HP, so I can’t speak to whether or not it carries the same build quality as its older siblings; but from the looks of the photos on Best Buy’s site, I get the feeling it will be similar in most ways. And that’s a very good thing. The outgoing x360 14c models are some of the best-feeling Chromebooks available, sporting a mostly-aluminum frame, a stellar keyboard, fantastic glass trackpad, and a pleasing overall aesthetic.

One hangup that needs attention: screen brightness

The only area where this Chromebook line has ever given me pause is in the screen department. HP has frustratingly stuck to a 250 nit screen for years in this series, and it is maddening. When they were using a very-standard 14-inch 16:9 screen, it would have been no issue to include at least a 300 nit screen at 1080p. This move to 16:10 shouldn’t effect that much, and HP really should up the brightness of this screen for a laptop with a $699 price tag.

For reference, the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 (a very direct competitor to this new HP Chromebook) has a great 16:10 screen that reaches 340 nits and has 100% sRGB coverage, too. While that Chromebook comes with a stowed stylus and has an MSRP that is $30 more, it is routinely on sale for a few hundred dollars off and is very solid overall device.

To compete with this, HP really needs to get their screen up to par and from a Q&A in the Best Buy listing, there’s a chance that they’ve once again neglected to do so. This spec must be taken with a grain of salt, however, as it isn’t included in the actual device specifications in the listing. Still, the answer to the question is supposedly from an HP representative on Best Buy’s site, and they state that we’re still looking at a measly 250 nit screen again. Frankly, on a $699 Chromebook, that’s unacceptable.

For now, I’m giving this device a pass as we’ve seen official spec sheets incorrectly implemented on Best Buy before. There’s a chance this answer was made in error, but there’s also a chance that it is 100% correct. If that is the case, it will be very difficult to recommend this one at the full MSRP. With the current crop of devices available and those on the way, $699 should net you a pretty fantastic Chromebook experience. A 250 nit screen doesn’t get there, unfortunately.

If 250 nits is the actual brightness of this display, I’ll be bummed, but I’ll also want to see this Chromebook discounted pretty sharply before I recommend anyone buy it. Of all the things you need to get right on a Chromebook, the screen might be the most important. I’m hoping that HP didn’t ignore its users once again on this iteration, but we’ll have to wait and see. We’re hoping our review unit arrives soon and we’ll be able to properly verify the details soon enough. Until then, if you want to buy one and give it a try, you can now do so. And if you do, let us know what you think!