The HP Dragonfly Chromebook is starting to show up in online stores

I feel like we’ve been saying it for quite some time at this point, but the 12th-gen Intel Alder Lake Chromebook wave is about to begin. While we’ve had hands-on with multiple early prototypes, we’ve yet to actually see any of these new devices actually show up on store shelves. HP’s Dragonfly Chromebook began appearing on the company’s site in the past couple weeks, but as we’ve found in the past, the best way for most people to buy a new Chromebook is through standard retailers: and that’s just where we’re now seeing HP’s latest, greatest Chromebook showing up.

B&H Photo now taking pre-orders

Thanks to an email from a reader, we were made aware over the weekend that the new HP Dragonfly Chromebook is now on B&H Photo’s website in multiple configurations. If you recall the wild pricing we saw on HP’s own website for this fantastic, new Chromebook, you’ll remember that we said this thing would likely show up as an expensive Chromebook, but nowhere near the $2,000+ asking price listed on HP’s website.

Turns out that was spot-on, and even though there are reasons to not be 100% reliant on B&H’s currently listings when it comes to price points, the price tag on all configurations of the new HP Dragonfly Chromebook make way more sense, now. Starting off at just over $1100, the handful of configurations it looks like B&H Photo will stock of the Dragonfly Chromebook are priced far more in line with what we’d expect. After all, this device is high-end and amazing in a variety of ways, so we’re not expecting a wildly-cheap price; we’d just like to see something more realistic.

A few oddities on these prices

It needs to be pointed out that, for now, these listings don’t contain any info on actual specs. The titles tell us the processor, storage and RAM on board, but nothing else. The Dragonfly Chromebook comes with a few differing perks like a standard 400 nit screen, an anti-glare option, and a 1000 nit privacy screen option. There’s an option to include or not include the pen and also options for higher-resolution displays, too. Without knowing what exactly you are getting in these B&H listings, it is tough to discern if these price points are hitting the mark.

And then there’s the discrepancy between the Core i5/8GB/128GB and Core i3/8GB/128GB models. On the site at this point, the Core i3 model is $5 more expensive for some reason. You’ll note that the titles also include either “UHD” or “IXE” as well. This is simply a reference to the GPU that is included: Intel’s UHD graphics or the upgraded, more-powerful Iris Xe GPU. With that in mind, there’s no real reason the Core i3 model should be priced in the same vein as the Core i5 model. They shouldn’t really be close at all.

So all this needs to be taken with a dose of healthy skepticism. The listings are definitely real and with the 7 configurations already listed, I’m certain there will be models with all sorts of different options. Perhaps the Core i3 model they have comes with the higher-def screen or the anti-glare treatment. It’s just not easy to tell what is going on since the specs aren’t currently listed on the site. It tells me these prices might not be exactly final, and that we could see a further reduction by the time this Chromebook actually launches.

I recall that HP told us in January that they were aiming at a $999 starting price, and without all the upgrades, I could see that being legit. With a Core i3/8GB/128GB model that comes equipped with the standard 400 nit screen, I think the Pixelbook-esque $999 starting price would make a ton of sense. This Dragonfly Chromebook has it all, and all those features and quality build cost a bit more. But when you get just about every feature you could ask for in a Chromebook at this point, it’s hard to complain. We’ll obviously be keeping a close eye on this, hoping for an official launch any day now.