HP debuts Tiger Lake Pro c640 G2 Chromebook

Tiger Lake Chromebooks are starting to drop at an exceedingly rapid pace and HP is back with another 11th Gen device to follow up its Enterprise Chromebooks that launched just about this time last year. The HP Pro c640 Chromebook from 2020 was a 10th Gen workhorse designed with businesses in mind. As a matter of fact, the entire presentation for this Chromebook and the c1030 Elite were aimed specifically at enterprise users. While the clamshell c640 was a bit of a letdown and egregiously overpriced, I’m sure that it was a solid choice for companies needing fleets of powerful Chrome OS devices with Enterprise upgrades.

HP Pro c640 Chromebook Review

The refreshed version of the Pro c640 doesn’t appear to bring anything new to the table apart from an update to the 11th generation Tiger Lake CPUs. Granted, the performance gains we’ve seen in these CPUs are massive but this Pro c640 Chromebook G2 is simply the same device with a newer processor. As I mentioned in my review of the original, it’s difficult to fall in love with this Chromebook based exclusively on its raw horsepower. Now, that’s not to say that HP hasn’t improved the build quality or tweaked the tolerances a bit but the new iteration will likely be the same Enterprise-focused Chromebook as its predecessor. As always, we will wait for a review unit before we offer up a final verdict.

In the meantime, here’s a rundown on the HP Pro c640 Chromebook that should be available at some point this week from the HP Store. From HP:

The HP Pro c640 G2 Chromebook is perfect for the mobile intensity of cloud-centric workstyles with
11th Gen Intel® processors3 and Intel® Iris® Xe graphics. Whether at home or in the office, users can multi-task across numerous web apps on multiple displays while video conferencing at the same time. They can stay productive without worrying about recharging during the work day with up to 12.5 hours of battery life and can get up to 90% battery life in just 90 minutes with HP Fast Charge when more power is needed.6 The HP Pro c640 G2 Chromebook Enterprise includes the Chrome Enterprise Upgrade for simplified management and enhanced security for users and IT.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

HP says that the base model of the c640 G2 will start at $419 but be forewarned, this will likely be a Pentium CPU with 4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and a 220 nit HD display. No offense but that’s a fairly dismal spec sheet for any device that you are considering handing out to your employees. I don’t mean to dump on HP or any other OEM but these specs shouldn’t exist outside of a budget model found at Walmart or on Amazon. Just saying. Like the original c640, you’ll be able to spec out the G2 with a Core i7, 16GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. That’s a little more to our liking but I can guarantee it won’t be cheap. The 10th Gen model with these specs was well over $1,000. Tack on an Enterprise Upgrade, 250 nit touch display, and all the Fixin’s and you’re at nearly $1,300.

The release of the second generation Pro c640 Chromebook didn’t come with all the fanfare this year but it does appear that the device will be marketed openly to consumers that don’t need the Enterprise Upgrade that costs an extra $150. We’ll get our hands on the new c640 Chromebook ASAP and let you know if HP has made any improvements from the original Chromebook. If anything, the Tiger Lake Core i3 model should easily run circles around the previous Core i7 model. If HP sells the Core i3 or Core i5 model at a reasonable price, this could be a device to may want on your wishlist. We shall see. The new HP Pro c640 Chromebook G2 will be available this week from HP.

Learn more about the HP Pro c640 Chromebook G2