HP adds a 14-inch touchscreen model to its Chromebook lineup
HP launched a 14-inch Chromebook that uses an Nvidia chip back in September, and now it’s following up with an upgraded, higher-priced model, according to OMG Chrome. The HP Chromebook 14 G3 costs $439.99, which is a $130 premium over the earlier version that also runs on Nvidia’s K1 processor. What’s the difference? The new G3 adds touchscreen support on its higher-resolution screen and more memory.
The similar $300 Chromebook model that HP has sold for the past few months only uses a 1366 x 768 display spread across its 14-inch screen, so the newer G3 should be easier on the eye thanks to 1920 x 1080 resolution. And you can reach out and touch the capacitive touchscreen, although touch isn’t a primary input method for Google‘s Chrome OS platform.
The updated model also includes double the storage and memory of the less expensive one: You’ll get 32 GB of flash memory and 4 GB of RAM. HP says to expect up to eight hours and 15 minutes of use on a single charge from the 37 wHr battery. Like its predecessor, the newer Chromebook has a USB 3.0 port, a pair of USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI-out interface, 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 radios.
It might sound silly coming from someone who spent $1,449 on an LTE-equipped Google Chromebook Pixel, but I think this new HP Chromebook is a bit overpriced.
The touchscreen doesn’t add a tremendous value to the Chrome OS experience, for example. And there are several less expensive Chromebook options with FullHD screens that offer comparable if not better performance than what a Tegra K1-powered Chromebook provides.
A Toshiba Chromebook 2 with 13-inch 1080p display and 4 GB of memory costs $110 less, for example, although that model has 16 GB of storage, not 32 GB like the new HP.
And Acer’s Chromebook 13, which I reviewed in September, is priced at $379 with the same Nvidia chip, screen resolution, memory and storage as the HP Chromebook 14. Unless that extra inch of screen size and touch capability is really appealing, the Acer model can save you $60.
Image copyright HP.
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