Save $200 on the HP x360 14c Chromebook Plus

For this post, I went to the storage room and pulled out one of the first Chromebook Plus models we reviewed just to reacquaint myself a bit. And the moment I picked it up, I quickly remembered why the HP x360 14c Chromebook Plus was both awesome and frustrating at the same time.

It is awesome because of the look, feel and generally-great stuff on offer by HP’s nicest Chromebook Plus; frustrating because it only needed a couple improvements to be amazing all around. But as I said in our initial review of this Chromebook, it’s much easier to overlook certain shortcomings when the price gets a lot lower. And it absolutely is right now.

At $200 off (just $499), the couple things I have to gripe about with the x360 14c become much easier to live with. If you’ve heard me talk about this particular Chromebook before, you already know where I’m going, here. The display needs to be brighter and the bottom half of the chassis needs to be firmer. That’s it. And when I say it that way, it sounds like I’m being hyper-critical, but that comes with the territory on a $699 Chromebook Plus.

My gripes are lessened at this price

I’ll say this about the screen: it is one of the brightest looking 250 nit screens we have in the Chromebook ecosystem right now. It still measures the same as others, but it doesn’t feel as dim in actual use. There’s a lot of light science that plays into how a screen looks and performs that goes far beyond a simple brightness measure, and the x360 14c makes the case that not all 250 nit screens are the same. Still, if this one had 350 nits or better, you wouldn’t here a peep out of me about it.

As for the bottom part of the chassis, I still don’t like it. It’s definitely not a deal breaker and on the desk you can’t even notice it. But it’s part of the equation that a $699 Chromebook needs to get right. It doesn’t have to be Pixelbook or Dragonfly Pro levels of rigidity, but it certainly needs to be better. Again, it’s not a big deal for some people, and the $499 price makes both of these issues far more palatable.

So many great inclusions

While those gripes are lessened by the price reduction, the things you get in the box with this Chromebook are also illuminated at this sort of price point. While not as bright as I’d like, the screen is still quite good with solid colors, contrast, and a 16:10 aspect ratio that makes it feel nice and large for 14-inches.

Then you have one of the best backlit keyboards on a Chromebook that you can get, flanked by a huge, glass trackpad and exceptional upward-facing speakers. Seriously, the combo of all of those things combined makes this Chromebook pretty great to use. It’s thin and light as well, making it easy to stow in a bag or backpack on the go.

Finally, the internals are great, giving you a 12th-gen Intel Core i3-1215U, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Everything moves fast on this device, and when you couple that performance with the keyboard, trackpad, speakers, and screen real estate, you get a Chromebook that really delivers a fantastic overall experience.

With $200 lopped off the asking price, the time to consider this one is right now. Yes, I have my grumbles with it just like I do with every Chromebook, but at $499, they just aren’t that big of a deal when you step back and look at all you are getting in the x360 14c. While it used to be on sale far more often, we’re seeing this sort of steep discount less and less. Don’t miss out this time around!