HP Chromebook X360 14 Review: The Ideal Chromebook for Students?

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HP Chromebook X360 14: At First Glance

Since the inception of Chromebooks, they have successfully established their place in the laptop space. They are tailored for those who need an inexpensive laptop to only browse the internet, handle Google Docs and Emails.

However, convertible 2-in-1 Chromebooks that can be flipped into tablets are more recent than the conventional ones. The HP Chromebook x360 14 is one of such 2-in-1 convertible Chromebooks that offers excellent performance.

However, do you want to discover if the HP Chromebook x360 14 is well-represented among Chrome OS laptops? Come with me!

HP Chromebook X360 14: Design, Dimensions, and Weight

For the HP Chromebook x360 14’s design, HP made a solid laptop that is almost as robust as laptops which cost twice as much or even more. This is mainly because this Chromebook is built with aluminum metal.

This is a good choice of material that HP has made considering that this is a 2-in-1 laptop. Hence, you can confidently flip it into the tent, stand, tablet, or laptop mode without fear of your device snapping.

Furthermore, this laptop comes in a dark silver color, with both Chrome and HP logos on the lid. For specifics, the “Chrome” logo is at the top right corner of the lid, while the “HP” logo is at the center of the lid.

The angles and lines of the laptop are simple, with round corners and edges that give the laptop a minimalistic look, but make it comfortable to hold. When you open the lid, you will find the 14″ display.

The bezels on the HP Chromebook x360 14 are slim on the sides, but quite sizeable at the top and bottom.

The top bezel houses a 720p resolution webcam with two dual-array microphones for video chats. The webcam works well for this purpose, but not so well for pictures as they tend to be grainy.

Being the thickest, the bottom bezel houses an HP logo.

Away from the bottom bezel, there are two silver hinges that attach the screen to the laptop’s base. The hinges allow easy flipping of the lid back and forth with sufficient resistance but easy enough to flip.

Hence, folding the laptop feels good without feeling like you’re about to snap the Chromebook x360 in half!

At this point, let’s talk about a few display features of the HP Chromebook x360 14. Starting with, the 14-inch display of this Chromebook, it has an FHD (1920 x 1080) resolution.

However, the resolution of this Chromebook is not exceptional as there are better resolutions like QHD. Nonetheless, screen contents are decently sharp on the HP Chromebook x360 14.

In addition to its resolution, this display uses an IPS panel (In-plane switching) which are well known for their good viewing angles. This feature allows you to view the screen from any angle without the screen content getting blurry.

When it comes to screen brightness, the HP Chromebook x360 14 measured 220 nits of maximum brightness. Sadly, this screen brightness does not make the Chromebook x360 suitable for outdoor usage, especially under direct sunlight.

Moreover, this display also has a glossy surface which further worsens the situation with its usage in a sunny environment. This is because sunlight will make the display reflect which in turn reduces screen legibility.

On a positive note, the Chromebook x360’s display is touch-enabled and also supports multi-touch gestures. Hence, navigating the screen, switching between tabs, and pinching to zoom is entirely possible.

Proceeding to the keyboard area, it is also built from aluminum. This HP Chromebook has an “Alt” button and oversize control buttons at the lower left.

There are also the command keys and a row of browser keys along the top. Another impressive feature of the keyboard is that it is backlit, so people who work at night have nothing to worry about.

Overall, the keyboard is excellent, it has good travel and great feedback which provides a solid typing experience. Not only that, but the integrated touchpad below the keyboard is broad.

Sadly, the touchpad is slow to respond which can be quite frustrating.

Before I move on, I will like to explain the term “travel” used in the last 2 paragraphs. By key travel, I mean how far a keyboard’s key dips when pressed before registering an input.

Proceeding to the speakers, you will find them on the sides of the keyboard. Although they get pretty loud, they produce a vibration at a high volume. 

Moving to the ports and connectivity, the HP Chromebook X360 14 is surprisingly decent in this department. It has 2 USB 3.1 Type-A ports, 2 USB 3.1 Type C ports, an Ethernet port, and an audio jack.

Sadly, there is no HDMI port present nor is there a Thunderbolt port. However, for wireless connectivity, the laptop offers BlueTooth version 4.2 and 802.11 b/g/n/ac (2×2) wireless LAN.

Moving on to the weight of the HP Chromebook x360 14, it is quite lightweight at 1670 g. Meanwhile, for the dimension, it measures 325.4 x 226.8 x 16 mm (W x D x H).

When compared to the ASUS Chromebook Flip C536, which weighs 1950.45 g, the HP Chromebook x360 14 is lighter.

In summary, the HP Chromebook X360 14 has a solid build with respectable flexibility between different modes. It is also lightweight and offers decent port and connectivity options for a laptop its size.

Thus, I rate it eight in this design section.

HP Chromebook X360 14: Processor (CPU) Performance

The HP Chromebook X360 14 comes with an 8th generation Intel Core i3-8130U processor. This is a dual-core processor with a 4 MB cache.

Furthermore, this processor has a base frequency of 2.20 GHz as well as a boost frequency of 3.40 GHz. Meanwhile, it is important to note that this is not a high-end processor, which is not surprising for a Chromebook.

Having said that, we can now proceed to the performance of the HP Chromebook X360 14 by discussing its benchmark test result. However, due to the Chrome OS that Chromebooks like the Chromebook X360 run on, only limited benchmark tests can be performed.

Nonetheless, we will look at the performance of the Chromebook X360 in an Android Geekbench 5 benchmark. The essence of the Android Geekbench 5 benchmark test is to analyze how a laptop runs web browsing applications.

The benchmark test usually results in two scores – single-core score and multi-core score. For better understanding, a single-core score is attained when the performance of a single processor core is evaluated.

Meanwhile, a multi-core score is attained by accessing the performance of all the processor cores. It is worthy of note that high single-core and multi-core scores in this test denote better performance.

According to the test, the HP Chromebook x360 14 had a single-core score of 898 points. Meanwhile, for the multi-core score, it had 2,866 points.

Notably, the HP Chromebook X360 14 underperformed in comparison with the ASUS Chromebook Spin C536. However, the ASUS Chromebook Spin C536 uses a more powerful 11th generation Intel Core i3-1115G4 processor.

Performance-wise, the ASUS Chromebook Spin C536 had a single-core score of 1,209 points and a multi-core of 2,849 points.

Another competitor, the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 outperformed both the HP Chromebook X360 14 and ASUS Chromebook Spin C536. However, the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 uses an even more powerful Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor.

Precisely, the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 had a single-core score of 1,237 points and a multi-core score of 5,114 points.

In conclusion, according to the test, the HP Chromebook X360 14’s processor was pretty fast. Therefore, it’s appropriate to rate it a nine in this processor review section.

HP Chromebook X360 14: Memory (RAM) Performance

The HP Chromebook X360 14 features an 8 GB DDR4-2400 SDRAM on its single slot. Unfortunately, the RAM is soldered to the motherboard and it implies that the memory cannot be upgraded above 8 GB.

However, with 8 GB RAM, the HP Chromebook x360 14 will be capable of multitasking to a respectable level. For instance, if you have 15 Chrome tabs opened while also having Android apps running in the background, the Chromebook x360 will not lag.

To further confirm the abilities of the HP Chromebook X360 14 with 8 GB RAM, I will include the laptop’s performance in a PCMark for Andriod test. PCMark for Android is an app-based benchmark test that calculates a computer’s memory performance.

Similar to the benchmark discussed in the processor section, a high score in this test denote better performance. Thus, in the PCMark for Android test, the HP Chromebook x360 14 scored 8,599 points.

Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 scored 6,032 points in the same benchmark test. According to the grading of the PCMark for Andriod test, the HP Chromebook x360 14 is a better performer.

Thus, seven out of ten will be a fair rating for the HP Chromebook x360 14 in this memory section of the review.

HP Chromebook X360 14: Storage Options and Performance

When it comes to storage, the HP Chromebook x360 14 comes with 64 GB eMMC storage. Before you feel disappointed with this storage space, please note that Chromebooks are not designed to store files on their local storage.

Instead, Chromebooks come with a free 15 GB and an additional 100 GB of Google Cloud Storage for storing files. The free 15 GB comes by default with your Google account

However, to activate the free 100 GB Google drive cloud starge, follow the syteops in this guide – How to activate 100GB of free Google One storage on a Chromebook.

At this point, I ought to include a CrystalDiskMark benchmark test result in this section to determine the storage performance of the laptop. Unfortunately, eMMC storage does not run the CrystalDiskMark benchmark test.

As a matter of fact, the CrystalDiskMark benchmark test is only compatible with computers that use hard disk drives (HDD) and solid-state drives (SSD).

Considering all I have said in this section of the review, I will rate the HP Chromebook x360 14 eight out of ten in this storage review section.

HP Chromebook X360 14: Graphics Card Performance

For the graphic card, the HP Chromebook X360 14 features an integrated Intel HD Graphics 620. This graphics card runs at a 300 MHz base frequency and 1000 MHz maximum frequency.

As an integrated GPU, the Intel HD Graphics 620 shares the 8 GB RAM that we discussed in the memory section with the processor.

For this reason, the HP Chromebook x360 14 will not be able to run graphics-intensive apps like high-end games or Adobe Photoshop smoothly. Nevertheless, the laptop will run basic Android games like Temple Run and candy crush easily.

To further confirm the graphic performance of the HP Chromebook x360 14, I will proceed to share its result in a GFXBench 5 benchmark test. The GFXBench 5 is a cross-platform graphics test that evaluates the 3D graphics ability of a computer.

Just like every other test discussed in this review, a high fps (frame rate per second) in this test denotes a better graphics performance. That said, the Chromebook x360 recorded 10 fps in the test.

In comparison with the Acer Chromebook Spin 311, the Chromebook x360 performed better. Specifically, the Chromebook x360 recorded 8 fps in the same test.

For a better perspective of the comparison, the Acer Chromebook Spin 311 uses a less powerful Intel UHD Graphics 600 GPU.

All things considered, I will be rating the HP Chromebook x360 14 a seven out of ten in this GPU review section.

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HP Chromebook X360 14: Battery Life and Performance

As for the battery, a 3-cell, 60 Wh Li-Ion battery powers the HP Chromebook x360 14. According to HP, with this battery, the Chromebook x360 14 can last up to 13 hours 30 minutes.

To be certain that this claim is accurate, I will discuss the laptop’s performance in a battery rundown test. This battery test involved setting the display brightness to 50%, Wi-Fi turned off, and volume set at 100%.

In addition to those settings, a 720p resolution video was played continuously until the battery drains. From this test, the HP Chromebook x360 14 delivered a battery life of 6 hours 56 minutes.

Although this battery life isn’t up to HP’s initial 13 hours claim, it is still very impressive for a Chromebook. However, the HP Chromebook 13 G1 offered better with a 9 hours 28 minutes battery life.

In conclusion, Chromebooks are popular for having great battery life and the HP Chromebook X360 14 follows this trend. Hence, a rating of eight out of ten is befitting for the HP Chromebook x360 14 in this battery review section.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

The HP Chromebook X360 is an inexpensive Chromebook that has an appealing design, unlike many other Chromebooks in its category. Not only that, but this Chromebook also comes with a long-lasting battery, an FHD display, and a comfortable keyboard.

Additionally, the Chromebook X360 is portable, lightweight, and has a fair number of ports. However, just like other Chromebooks, the HP Chromebook X360 can only carry out basic computing tasks.

Overall, if you are a student who needs an affordable laptop for school work, the HP Chromebook X360 is worth considering.

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