Skip to main content

HP’s new Chromebooks have Bay-Trail processors, optional 4GB of RAM, 1080p display

If you’ve been considering purchasing a Chromebook, now might be a good time: the fourth generation of HP Chromebooks are here, and they look pretty nice.

For $279 HP offers a 14-inch Chromebook with 4GB of RAM and a 1.83GHz Intel Celeron processor. The full-HD display (1,920 x 1,080) comes with in-plane switching (IPS), so it’s got a wide viewing angle. It’s one of the cheaper Chromebooks to offer these features.

There’s no mention of the new laptop on HP’s page as of this writing, but Best Buy is offering them right now in silver and sky blue colors. There’s also a similar laptop with 2GB of RAM for $249, but for only $30 more it’s probably worth getting the 4GB model.

The hard drive, at 16 GB, isn’t huge, but on-board storage is never a key feature of a Chromebook, which are meant to be used almost entirely with the cloud. If you need more local storage there’s a USB 3.0 port, so you could supplement that with an external drive if you wanted to. There’s 3 USB ports in all.

belu-dasani_features-3-min
Image used with permission by copyright holder

With HDMI, you can connect your Chromebook to a TV or modern display, and a VGA port means your older monitors will work too if you want another desktop.

The Celeron processor doesn’t run too hot, meaning this Chromebook doesn’t have a fan, so it’ll be nice and quite.

ChromeOS, an operating system that offer access to the Web an not a lot more, is divisive among power users who miss their desktop applications and games. But in the past few years the OS has made strides, particularly in the education market, for being easy to use and administer.

Recent announcements suggest ChromeOS and Android will eventually merge, meaning future updates could bring Android to Chromebooks, but Google hasn’t been totally clear on this yet — they backpedaled after the issue got press.

If you want an even cheaper version of this laptop, you can get a smaller screen: the 11.6-inch model with 2GB of memory sells for $199. It’s pretty small, but for some people portability is more important than display size anyway.

Editors' Recommendations

Justin Pot
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Justin's always had a passion for trying out new software, asking questions, and explaining things – tech journalism is the…
Best color laser printers for 2024: tested and reviewed
A Brother printer on a counter in front of a brick wall.

The best color laser printers can be a great investment, saving you quite a bit of time and money. For shoppers worried about the long-term ink costs, you'll find color laser printers surprisingly affordable. Laser printers use toner, which lasts a very long time, delivering a low cost per page for monochrome documents and fast color prints. The best color laser printers offer quick performance and reliability to help keep your home office or small business productive.

If you need to scan documents for record-keeping and photo capture or want the convenience of a color copier, an all-in-one color laser printer is an essential tool for your small business or personal use. For a small added cost, you get expanded capabilities. That's why every model on this list is an all-in-one from the best printer brands.

Read more
The 5 best Wi-Fi adapters for PC in 2024
The Ugreen AC1300 Wi-Fi adapter in a desktop PC.

Whether you're designing it yourself or getting a pre-built PC, it can be easy to get a computer and realize that it doesn't have a native Wi-Fi adapter. Or, maybe it does, but you're internet speeds are getting faster, game downloads are getting bigger, you've already upgraded your router and need an adapter to match your newfound power requirements. No matter the situation, an external Wi-Fi adapter that you can add to your PC setup or even laptop setup will be worth your time. Here, we investigate the best Wi-Fi adapters for PC use. Most are incredibly affordable and just snap into a free USB port and start working.
The best Wi-Fi adapter for PC in 2024

Buy the

Read more
How to pin a website to the taskbar in Windows
A man sits, using a laptop running the Windows 11 operating system.

Windows includes many interesting tools, but if you’re like many people, more and more of your digital life is happening in your web browser and nowhere else. That being the case, you’ll want to keep your most important websites close at hand. The easiest way to access them in Windows is the Start menu and the taskbar, treating them more or less like programs in and of themselves.

Although easy overall, getting a website from your browser to your taskbar is slightly different depending on which browser you’re using.

Read more