Exclusive: HP set to launch 10th Gen Chromebase with rotating display and B&O audio

In late December of 2020, Robby discovered a new device in the works that could add a new “twist” to the rare all-in-one Chrome OS form-factor. At that time, there were very few details on the new device. While it was being cloned from the ‘Puff” Chromebox baseboard, the addition of a touchscreen and ambient light sensor was all the info we needed to confirm that this would be a new Chromebase. We did know that it is to be powered by Intel’s 10th Gen Comet Lake CPUs and that this particular model would come with a very unique feature not seen on any of the few Chromebases released in the past. A rotating display.

You probably don’t see a ton of desktop Chromebases out in the wild. More often, companies setting up Chrome OS kiosks opt for a low-powered Chromebox with an attached display as it is more versatile and likely more cost-effective. The only “desktop” Chromebases to ever hit the market have been from Acer and LG. The latter of which go out of the Chrome OS game long ago. Acer did release a 10th Gen Chromebase last year but they’re difficult to find, pricey, and geared mostly to the enterprise channels. This pretty much rules out these two PC makers and leaves only one other company on the list of previous Chromebase devices and that company is AOpen. AOpen specializes in kiosk and point of sale hardware and the company has a couple of Chromebases on its résumé. However, these devices are rugged all-in-one displays designed to be mounted on walls or set up as interactive kiosks. Not exactly the type of devices you see on a desk in an office or classroom. So, who’s making this new Chromebase?

Well, thanks to a tip from a reader, I think we have the answer to that question. On a now removed webpage, HP appears to have accidentally spilled the beans on an all-new Chrome OS all-in-one that has the very same specs as the one we discovered back in December. The HP Chromebase All-in-one 22 features a 21.5″ display, Intel 10th Gen Core i3 CPU, and a very interesting base that allows the screen to rotate 90 degrees to create a vertical workspace. From HP’s website:

With a unique 90-degree rotating screen, you can easily pivot between online learning with Google Classroom to watching entertainment easily,

As I mentioned, the page has been pulled down but I managed to grab a few details about the new Chromebase before that happened. There will be a few models and you will be able to configure the new Chromebase with up to 16GB of RAM and 256GB of NVMe storage. The included HP 910 keyboard isn’t one that is already available on the market and I dug up a certification listing for the device from April which tells me that it should arrive with the Chromebase. The listing on HP states that the keyboard has a built-in magnetic card reader. This could be for point of sale or it may actually be a smart card reader which would make perfect sense if this is to be a corporate-style computer. There was no mention of the wireless mouse seen in the photos but I presume that it will be included. A separate listing from Staples shows what is likely the base model with a Pentium Gold processor and 4GB of RAM. If HP’s listing is correct, this model will still have ample storage at 128GB.

Other than that, the new HP Chromebase does have a webcam and HP makes sure to point out that it has a privacy shade as that feature is becoming a standard option on so many enterprise-focused devices. Apart from the rotating display, the other interesting feature of this Chromebase is the base itself. Unlike many all-in-ones that rest on a metallic stand that looks no different than a monitor base, the HP has a conical base that is wrapped in fabric and presumably houses the dual 5W B&O-branded speakers. I’m sure they will sound fine but I’m not holding my breath. HP’s B&O audio has failed to impress many times in the past. Anyway, I do like the look. It feels very Google-y and that’s a big bonus for those living in the Google ecosystem. Here’s a look at the specs we have so far.

• Up to Intel® Core™ i3-10110U
• Up to 16 GB DDR4-2666 SDRAM
• Up to 256GB  PCIe® NVMe™ M.2 SSD
• 21.5″ touchscreen with 90-degree rotating mount
• Privacy camera switch
• B&O Audio
• Bluetooth keyboard with magnetic stripe reader

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Since the listing was pulled down, it’s anybody’s guess as to when we will actually see this new Chromebase on the market. That said, an Energy Star certification for the Chromebase stated that the market date for the device was June 18th. Obviously, HP didn’t hit that date but the fact that it briefly appeared on Staples’ website tells me that the Chromebase could be available before the end of the month. We’ll reach out to HP and see if there is any official word on this Chromebase and hopefully, get some pricing information. Staples listed the 4GB Pentium model at $579.99 so don’t expect to get the top-tier model on the cheap.