HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch: Two-minute evaluation
The HP Chromebook Plus has a high-spec for this class of gadget, hoping to supply seamless efficiency whether or not you’re working, searching, streaming, or gaming. Its two-tone darkish gray and black coloration scheme does little to raise its look, however it’s inoffensive sufficient to go well with any scenario. Its general type is glossy, although, and the relative lightness and thinness are bonuses too.
What’s extra, the construct high quality is excessive, because of its strong development and premium really feel to each floor, together with the keys and trackpad. I additionally appreciated the skinny facet bezels across the show, letting it make full use of the house. It’s a small disgrace, although, that the lid doesn’t open notably extensive.
The port choice isn’t unhealthy for a Chromebook, if a bit of sparse. Nonetheless, it has a lot of the essential interfaces that the majority customers would want, together with two USB-C ports both facet that may each be used for charging, which may be very handy. Nonetheless, it’s a bit of unusual that they aren’t on the very rear of every facet (the audio jack precedes the one on the left, whereas the USB-A port precedes the one on the precise), however I’m nitpicking right here. There’s additionally a microSD slot to round-out the line-up.
In use, the HP Chromebook Plus acquits itself very nicely. Navigating ChromeOS and utilizing its varied interface options, akin to window switching, is a largely seamless expertise. Productiveness apps are dealt with with ease, though the cramped structure of the keyboard – attributable to the inclusion of a quantity pad – did make typing trickier than with a number of the best Chromebook units, however I tailored considerably after some time.
Streaming 4K video is inside its grasp too, as is mild multitasking. I used to be notably stunned with its gaming efficiency, although, because it managed to run Asphalt Legends Unite with excessive graphics settings just about completely, which is spectacular.
The show of the HP Chromebook Plus is one other spotlight. Though it may not supply the best ranges of brightness, it’s nonetheless completely clear, rendering coloration precisely and vibrantly regardless of the viewing angle or lighting situations.
Battery life is sweet, with the HP Chromebook Plus lasting near 11 hours in our check. There are different Chromebooks that last more, such because the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook, however contemplating its measurement and spec, it’s a valiant effort. It additionally costs comparatively shortly.
The unique checklist worth of the HP Chromebook Plus is kind of steep, however fortuitously, we’ve seen it on supply for considerably much less, which implies it competes with a number of the finest Chromebooks in the marketplace, just like the Acer Chromebook Spin 314 and Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook. It would lack the portability and pill performance of those two, however it makes up for this omission with a big display and nice efficiency, which makes it worthy of your consideration.
HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch evaluation: Worth and availability
- $549.99 / £449.99 / AU$749
- Out there now
- Will be discovered for a lot much less
The HP Chromebook Plus prices $549.99 / £449.99 / AU$749 and is available in one colorway. The unit I had was geared up with an Intel Core i3 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage, however it can be configured with an Intel Celeron N4500 Processor and 4GB of RAM.
Regardless of its nominal worth, we’ve seen it for significantly much less after we’ve shopped round, typically by as a lot as half worth, which brings it in-line with the extra budget-friendly competitors. This consists of the Acer Chromebook Spin 314, which is one of the best Chromebook general in our view, because of its nice show and typing amenability.
There’s additionally the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook, which is our decide as one of the best Chromebook for these on a funds. Just like the Spin 314, this Chromebook can be convertible, letting you fold it in half to make use of it like a pill. Nonetheless, neither can match the efficiency of the HP Chromebook Plus, nor are their screens as huge, though some might want having a smaller gadget for higher portability.
HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch evaluation: Specs
My evaluation unit of the HP Chromebook Plus was configured with 8GB of RAM and an Intel Core i3-N305 (8 threads, 3.80GHz)
| Row 0 – Cell 0 | HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch |
| Worth: | $549.99 / £449.99 / AU$749 |
| CPU: | Intel Core i3-N305 (8 threads, 3.80GHz) |
| Graphics: | Built-in, Intel UHD Graphics |
| RAM: | 8GB LPDDR5 |
| Display screen: | 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080), 144Hz, 16:9 side ratio, non-touch display |
| Storage: | 128GB UFS |
| Ports: | 1x USB-A, 2x USB-C, 1x microSD, 1x 3.5mm audio |
| Wi-fi: | MediaTek Wi-Fi 6 MT7921 (2×2), Bluetooth® 5.3 |
| Digital camera: | 1080p FHD digital camera with privateness shutter |
| Weight: | 3.81lbs (1.73kg) |
| Dimensions: | 14.28 x 9.5 x 0.78 inches (36.26 x 24.15 x 1.98cm) |
HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch evaluation: Design
- Nicely constructed
- Mild and skinny for its measurement
- Barely odd placement of USB-C ports
The HP Chromebook Plus adopts a reasonably typical design, with a gray and black coloration scheme that appears extra formal than another Chromebooks. Whereas it’s not probably the most thrilling Chromebook to gawp at, it’s good to comprehend it’s produced from sustainable supplies, together with recycled aluminum and plastic that in any other case would possibly’ve ended up within the ocean.
What’s extra, the excessive construct high quality reveals itself on shut inspection. The entire physique feels strong, but it’s additionally fairly mild and skinny for a tool this measurement. It’s not as skinny as another Chromebooks or laptops, however given its 15.6-inch measurement, it’s comparatively simple to hold round and journey with.
Each panel is excellently fitted too. It even comes near rivalling a number of the best MacBook Pro units when it comes to its finely machined development. The keys observe the identical development, feeling premium to the contact, and tightly slotted with minimal play. The trackpad is easy and covers a big floor space, which boosts its usability.
The hinge for the lid is straightforward to function but secures the display in place as soon as open with hardly any wobble. Nonetheless, it doesn’t open as extensive as I might’ve preferred, which inhibits its versatility considerably. However the bezel for the display is pleasingly skinny, particularly across the sides, which implies the show can benefit from its allotted actual property.
Port choice on the HP Chromebook Plus is sweet, if a bit of restricted for a tool this measurement. It has two USB-C ports both facet, each of which can be utilized for charging. There’s additionally a USB-A on the precise facet, and a microSD slot and three.5mm audio output jack on the left.
The order of those ports is a bit of odd, although, since neither USB-C port is on the rear of their respective sides: the audio jack on the left and USB-A port on the precise sit behind them. This will trigger cables to get crossed when charging, provided that many can be positioned with shops in entrance of them. Nonetheless, it is a small grievance within the grand scheme of issues.
HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch evaluation: Efficiency
- Handles most duties nicely
- Surprisingly good for gaming
- Cramped typing structure
Benchmarks
These are the outcomes of our benchmarking assessments for the HP Chromebook Plus:
TechRadar Battery Life Check: 10 hours and 41 minutes
Jetstream2 Benchmark: 205.246
Kraken Benchmark: 720.3ms
Speedometer 3.0: 10.5 (±0.37)
The HP Chromebook Plus performs very nicely on most counts. ChromeOS may be very responsive for probably the most half, with window switching and different system actions working with out a lot hesitation, making it simple to dwell with.
It additionally handles the sorts of duties Chromebook customers sometimes demand from their units very nicely. Mild to medium productiveness is competently dispatched with, and the 8GB of RAM in my unit meant it barely faltered when multitasking throughout varied apps.
The HP Chromebook Plus is equally able to entertaining you as nicely. Watching HD and 4K content material is fully doable, streaming such content material with no hitch throughout my time with it, preserving buffering occasions to a minimal.
Gaming was additionally a nice shock. I managed to play Asphalt Legends Unite on excessive graphics settings at 60fps with hardly a hiccup, which is spectacular. It’s definitely not going to hassle the best cheap gaming laptops, however contemplating the HP Chromebook Plus has built-in graphics relatively than a devoted GPU, it places in an admirable effort.
I ought to observe that I did attempt to play Call of Duty: Cell, however this repeatedly didn’t run, crashing nearly instantly upon opening. Whether or not it is a fault of the HP Chromebook Plus or of the sport itself – or of the Video games app launcher – is difficult to find out.
Beneath heavy and sustained workloads, it could get fairly heat in direction of the rear, however the space is small and it isn’t a priority. Fortunately, although, it stays comparatively silent.
For typing, the HP Chromebook Plus is considerably combined. The keys really feel nice, providing loads of suggestions whereas being simple to actuate. Nonetheless, because it incorporates a quantity pad, the structure of the character keys is considerably squeezed, so it took me some time to get used to the smaller spacing between them, though I used to be by no means fully comfy with utilizing them.
The trackpad, however, performs with out problem; it’s very responsive and tremendous easy to swipe with. Regardless of its massive measurement, I solely not often skilled the occasional mis-click or mis-scroll when resting my palm on it whereas typing (a place inevitably compelled upon me, because of the aforementioned key structure).
One of many principal highlights of the HP Chromebook Plus is the show. The 1080p decision is suitable for the 15.6-inch measurement, with solely a minimal quantity of fuzz on the ChromeOS GUI. It’s additionally fairly vibrant, displaying colours with nice accuracy and avoiding the washed-out look that some Chromebooks undergo from.
Most impressively, the show stays clearly seen throughout a variety of view angles and lighting situations – once more, not one thing that may be mentioned about each Chromebook. I even tried utilizing it subsequent to a window with shiny daylight streaking unfavorably throughout the display, and it did remarkably nicely to retain visibility. My one minor gripe, although, is that the utmost brightness isn’t as excessive as another laptops and Chromebooks, however for probably the most half I had no downside with its ranges.
The audio system on the HP Chromebook Plus present clear sound that’s balanced throughout the frequency vary. They generate minimal distortion, and largely eschew the tinny high quality that different Chromebook and laptop computer audio system can undergo from. Nonetheless, since they’re positioned beneath, audio may be considerably muffled, however the impact isn’t so egregious as to damage the expertise.
HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch evaluation: Battery life
The HP Chromebook Plus has battery life. Throughout our battery check, the place I ran a 1080p video on a steady loop, it managed to final simply shy of 11 hours (10 hours and 41 minutes), which falls wanting HP’s declare of 13 hours, however is however an admirable efficiency.
This locations it close to the highest of the rankings for Chromebooks we’ve examined. It beat what we predict is one of the best Chromebook general, the Acer Chromebook Spin 314, which solely managed a bit of over 10 hours. Nonetheless, it couldn’t beat the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook, which achieved over 16 hours.
Charging the HP Chromebook Plus from 30% to full took about 90 minutes, which once more is a formidable efficiency.
Ought to I purchase the HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch?
| Attributes | Notes | Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Worth | Regardless of that unique price ticket, the HP Chromebook Plus can usually be discovered for lots much less, making it nice worth contemplating the standard on supply. | 4 / 5 |
| Design | It would look pretty nondescript, however the HP Chromebook Plus is constructed very nicely, along with being surprisingly moveable for its measurement. The keyboard structure is a bit of cramped, although, and the lid doesn’t open all that extensive. | 4 / 5 |
| Efficiency | The HP Chromebook Plus can deal with most on a regular basis duties with ease, and gaming is spectacular too. The show can be nice, however typing would possibly take some getting used to on that small structure. | 4 / 5 |
| Battery life | Contemplating its measurement, the HP Chromebook Plus lasts a comparatively very long time, among the many finest we’ve examined. It costs shortly as nicely. | 4 / 5 |
| Complete Rating | The HP Chromebook Plus is a really competent performer all-round, and the show is nice to view as nicely. Typing may be a bit cumbersome owing to the cramped structure, however general, this Chromebook doesn’t do loads mistaken, and it may be discovered for lots lower than its checklist worth suggests. | 4 / 5 |
Purchase it if…
Do not buy it if…
HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch: Additionally contemplate
| Header Cell – Column 0 | HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch | Acer Chromebook Spin 314 | Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worth | $549.99 / £449.99 / AU$749 | $380 / £329 (round AU$661) | $349 / £399 / AU$549 |
| CPU | Intel Core i3-N305 (8 threads, 3.80GHz) | Intel Pentium N6000 Processor | 1.1GHz Intel Celeron N4020 (dual-core, 4MB cache, as much as 2.8GHz Burst) |
| Graphics | Built-in, Intel UHD Graphics | Intel shared graphics | Intel UHD Graphics 600 |
| RAM | 8GB LPDDR5 | 4GB DDR4 | 4GB DDR4 |
| Display screen | 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080), 144Hz, 16:9 side ratio, non-touch display | 14-inch Full HD 1920 x 1080p | 11-inch IPS touchscreen, 1,366 x 768 pixels |
| Storage | 128GB UFS | 128GB eMMC | 64GB eMMC |
| Ports | 1x USB-A, 2x USB-C, 1x microSD, 1x 3.5mm audio | USB Sort-C x 2, USB 3.1 x 1 , HDMI x 1 | 2x USB-C with charging, 2x USB-A 3.1 Gen1, microSD |
| Wi-fi | MediaTek Wi-Fi 6 MT7921 (2×2), Bluetooth® 5.3 | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 | 802.11AC (2 x 2) WiFi, Bluetooth® 4.2 |
| Digital camera | 1080p FHD digital camera with privateness shutter | 720p webcam | 720p webcam |
| Weight | 3.81lbs (1.73kg) | 3.42lbs (1.55kg) | 2.64lbs ( 1.2kg) |
| Dimensions | 14.28 x 9.5 x 0.78 inches (36.26 x 24.15 x 1.98cm) | 26.5 x 326 x 227mm | 0.7 x 11.41 x 8.18 inches (17.8 x 290 x 207.8mm) |
Listed here are different Chromebooks to contemplate moreover the HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch:
How I examined the HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch
- Examined for a number of days
- Used for working, searching, gaming, and streaming
- Plentiful laptop computer expertise
I examined the HP Chromebook Plus for a number of days, throughout which I used it for working and leisure.
I typed with it loads, and made certain to make use of varied productiveness apps, akin to Google Docs and Google Sheets. I additionally performed video games, akin to Asphalt Legends Unite, which I attempted at varied graphics settings. I additionally streamed video content material at varied resolutions, together with HD and 4K. And I linked headphones and a gamepad through Bluetooth.
I’ve plentiful expertise with every kind of laptops and Chromebooks, together with these designed for productiveness and people for gaming. I’ve expertise reviewing laptops and Chromebooks too.