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We have been tracking a handful of 11th Generation Intel Chromebooks but up to this point, ASUS has been the only company to make an official announcement of a Tiger Lake device with those highly-anticipated Xe graphics. That changed earlier today and thanks to HP, we may get our hands on a Tiger Lake Chromebook before the end of this month. ASUS went in an entirely new direction with its upcoming Chromebook CX9 and CX5 with a new look and noticeably different design cues than the previous C436 which was a bit of a letdown, in my opinion. The new Tiger Lake models look amazing and the 11th Gen Intel CPUs will bring never-before-seen performance to the Chrome OS platform. So long as the devices are built well, they should be a big hit for ASUS.
HP, on the other hand, has just announced that the company’s Tiger Lake Chromebook will hit shelves before the end of the month and it doesn’t appear that much has changed from the previous flagship… and that’s a very good thing. As you can see in the images below, the newly announced HP Chromebook x360 14c looks exactly like the current Comet Lake model that’s available from Best Buy for $629. In our humble opinions, there was little that HP needed to change about this device apart from the somewhat mediocre display and the slightly puny 64GB of eMMC storage. Not that 64GB is horrible but this is a flagship device. It should have a bit more. HP appears to have heard at least some of our cries and the new version of the HP Chromebook x360 14c will come rocking the same 8GB of RAM but a beefier 128GB of NVMe storage. Sadly, it looks like the 2-in-1 will still have that meh 250 nit display but you take your wins where you can get them. Right?
When I say “nothing changed” on the outside of this device, I meat it seriously looks as if it is the exact same chassis as the current 10th Gen model. Same fingerprint sensor. Same privacy switch for the camera. Same port selection and placement. The power button and volume rocker have been updated to a cleaner, more rounded look and the USB-A port has swapped places with the audio jack but that’s pretty much it. If you love the current model, the new model will likely be right up your alley and the price makes it equally as tasty. The current model with a 10th Gen Core i3 retails for $629 which isn’t bad but it’s a hard sell when you consider the Core i5/128GB Acer Spin is exactly the same price. The new 11th Gen Core i3 HP with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of NVMe will retail for $649 when it launches on HP.com and Best Buy later this month. The boost in performance that you’ll get from the Tiger Lake CPU and newer graphics will make this a solid purchase for those wanting the latest and greatest from the world of Chrome OS. Here’s a closer look at the all-new HP Chromebook x360 14c.
HP Chromebook x360 14c (Tiger Lake)
- Chrome OS
- 11th Gen Intel Core i3 (Tiger Lake) w/ UHD graphics (Iris Xe G4)
- 8GB DDR4 RAM
- 128GB NVMe storage
- 1920×1080 FHD touch display @ 250 nits
- 2 x USB-C, 1 x USB-A, MicroSD, 3.5 mm audio
- 720p webcam with privacy shade switch
- Backlit keyboard
- Wi-Fi 6
- Bluetooth 5
- B&O Audio
- Fingerprint reader
- 3.67 lbs
- Aluminum finish
We don’t have an official launch date for the new HP but the listing has already popped up at Best Buy. So, you can bet that we’ll see this Chromebook on shelves in the next week or two. HP did state that a Core i5 model was coming that would sport 256GB of storage. If you are wanting to get the best that Intel has to offer and are looking to leverage those Xe graphics, the Core i5 is probably worth waiting for but most users should find the Core i3 models to be more than ample for everyday use and more. Check out the new HP Chromebook x360 14c over at Best Buy at the link below.
