Chromebooks are time-tested laptops that still have enough appeal for a wide range of audiences. For most young students, it’s a fantastic option and even for many office-goers, who primarily have to deal with Google Sheets, Docs or Slides. Then there are those who simply need a laptop to type out things. Frankly, the best Chromebooks can even be as efficient as a Windows-powered machine.
For those who are new to the Chromebook universe, these are laptops that run on ChromeOS, which uses the Chrome web browser as its primary interface. They are not expensive, come with processors that are sufficient for everyday tasks and you will basically be in the Android universe. At the same time, these machines are fast, light and offer excellent battery life.
ALLOWS USERS TO FOCUS
When HP Chromebook 15.6 arrived for review, I had a simple question: Do I see myself working on it had I been only a writer, with no need for video/audio editing? Or do I see my school-going daughter working on it? The answer is a resounding ‘yes’. Consider this scenario: You want to get away from all devices because you are writing a book. All you need is a machine that comes with a decent word processor, which Google Docs is. You also need a web connection to browse. Since Chromebooks use ChromeOS, there is a need for a Wi-Fi/ hotspot connection. You can save files offline but once the machine goes online, the files get saved to your Google Drive. What the Chromebook does is do away with distractions, like firing up a game or tinkering around with something like Photoshop.
For typing you need a computer with a full keyboard, keys that are well spaced-out and a fantastic trackpad. All of these are available on the HP Chromebook 15.6. There is even a dedicated numeric keypad and the key travel is fantastic. Perhaps the only fly in the ointment is the absence of backlighting on the keyboard; it would have helped a lot in low-lighting situations.
SMOOTH EVERYDAY PERFORMANCE
There isn’t much you could have asked for at below 30K for a laptop. Let’s talk about the display, which is large. Here you get a 15.6-inch anti-glare display sporting HD resolution of 1366x768. That’s not a lot when it comes to watching films but Chromebooks are meant to be for education and work. There are thick bezels but that’s a compromise one has to make for the pricing.
Chromebooks don’t come with top-of-the-line processors. On this, you get Intel’s Celeron N4500 processor with 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM and 128GB of eMMC storage and 12 months of Google One membership that includes 100GB of Cloud storage. This is a lot space considering you will be using the machine primarily for simple tasks. The processor can handle Chrome browser pretty well and even with 20 tabs open, the machine won’t buckle. YouTube too runs pretty well.
What about Word, Excel and the others? Like I mentioned, there are Google versions of these apps. Further, Microsoft 365 is a webbased software, which you can easily access. And there are a few neat additions, like the HP QuckDrop app for quick transfer of files to and from a mobile device (Android and iOS). It means, viewing images from your phone just got easier and you can use the feature seamlessly. I had no issues with connectivity thanks to the presence of Wi-Fi 6. The selection of ports is also impressive for a Chromebook — you get two USB-C ports (with support for power delivery), a headphone jack, one USB-A port and an SD card reader.
SHOULD YOU BUY IT?
It’s easy to say this one has allday battery life. The company says you will get 11.5 hours but let’s be realistic. With some browsing, YouTube viewing, video calls and typing, I got around 6.5-7 hours. Of course, much of that also depends on screen brightness and what is running in the background. Since the laptop allows charging via Type-C, there is no need to carry the power brick in your bag.
Speaking of video calls, the quality of the webcam is just about acceptable and enough for attending classes on Zoom or Microsoft Teams. The 720p webcam comes with Wide Vision technology, which helps to an extent.
So, is it worth it? Yes, very much. If you know what you want from your laptop, this is a fantastic choice. The money you save can go towards perhaps buying a better phone. HP Chromebook 15.6 is a smart choice for customers who know their wants and needs.