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Every few months, this conversation seems to arise when a flagship device finally makes its way across the pond. OEMs still seem hesitant to expand the Chromebook market in the United Kingdom and even when they do, pricing structures are so out of whack we wonder how there is a market, to begin with, outside of the U.S.
The latest Chromebook to make its debut on the other side of the ocean is the highly acclaimed HP Chromebook x2. While this is great news for Chrome OS in general, HP has priced the world’s first detachable Chromebook at a whopping £799.00!
Let me save you the trouble of conversion.
$1,060.41
At first glance, I had presumed I would find at least a Core m5 processor on the newly released UK Chromebook. Alas, I was disappointed. This is the exact same Core m3 chip found in the original HP Chromebook x2. You will get the upgrade to 64GB of storage and a welcome bump of 8GB RAM but it still seems pricey, in my opinion.
You can buy a Pixelbook for that money here in the states. I understand that this includes VAT and by the time you convert to dollars the HP and the Pixelbook are roughly $300 apart. That’s not a far cry from the $400 gap here in the U.S. but still, $1000 makes it really hard to recommend the Chromebook x2 regardless of how progressive and capable the device may be.
Especially considering the HP Chromebook x2 is going for a reduced $579 at the HP Store here in the good ole’ US of A at the moment.
Perhaps I’m naive. I admit that I have a minimal understanding of the PC market outside of the states but this, to me, is a statement that HP has no real interest in expanding Chromebook sales globally.
Anyway, that’s my two cents or pence if you will. If you have been waiting to get your hands on the Chromebook x2 and don’t mind parting with £800, you can pick one up today and have it at your door in a couple of weeks.
Hopefully, Acer, ASUS and Google will bring some competition to the market in the coming months and we’ll see the price of the HP come down to something more reasonable.
Cheers.
HP Chromebook x2 from HP UK
HP Chromebook x2 on sale from HP US
Am I wrong? Is this a fair price for this device? We’d love to hear your take. Drop a comment below and let us know what you think.
