HP Chromebook Plus x360 14-inch review: Another winning ChromeOS 2-in-1 from HP

HP might be known for its great Windows-powered laptops, but out of all the major OEMs, it also makes the best Chromebooks. This year's Dragonfly Pro Chromebook and last year's HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook are two examples, but considering the high prices of $1,000, those devices might not be for everyone.

However, Google recently launched the new Chromebook Plus brand which brings premium ChromeOS devices to the masses at decent prices. So if you're looking for another winning (but slightly more affordable) Chromebook from HP, it is the HP Chromebook Plus x360 14-inch that'll do the trick.

The $790 HP Chromebook Plus x360 14-inch is one of the more unique Chromebook Plus devices. It has all the features you expect out of a "premium" Chromebook in 2023. It is made of aluminum, it is a convertible with a 16:10 aspect ratio high-resolution touch screen supporting USI syli, and it has a great backlit keyboard. More importantly, featuring a Core i3 CPU, the performance is superb for everyday web browsing and using Android or Linux apps.

I used it for two weeks, and it was really hard for me to find anything wrong with the HP Chromebook Plus x360 14-inch other than the screen being not as bright as I hoped.

About this review: Google provided us with the HP Chromebook Plus x360 14-inch for review after we requested it. It had no input into the contents of this review.

HP Chromebook Plus x360 14-inch: pricing and availability

The HP Chromebook Plus x360 14-inch was first announced in September 2023. It is available for sale at Best Buy and HP. It usually retails for around $780, but at the time of writing, it's on sale for less than that. It's $520 at HP and $380 at Best Buy for holiday savings.

Design

All aluminum and so thin

I was at a press event in New York City when Google first revealed the Chromebook Plus brand, and the HP Chromebook Plus x360 14-inch was one of the devices that was being showcased there. Unlike others like the Asus Chromebook Plus CX34, it's not made of plastic, so I was immediately attracted to it, and I still am even today, even after two weeks of use.

The HP Chromebook Plus x360 14-inch just looks so thin, it feels great in the hands, and it is just a pleasure to open up and use. Constructed out of aluminum on both the top lid, bottom lid, and keyboard deck, this HP Chromebook has the same premium feeling as its more expensive siblings. It even has fairly loud top-facing speakers and grills, like you'd see on a MacBook.

Indeed, that all means as soon as I picked it up, my hands enjoyed the cool-to-the-touch lid, the rounded corners on the sides, and the overall thin profile of the lid and bottom chassis. At 0.71 inches thick when closed, you might think that this is a chunky device, but when you fold it over and use it as a tablet, you'll feel and see how sleek this Chromebook is.

This HP Chromebook has the same premium feeling as its more expensive siblings

Of course, as a 2-in-1, this Chromebook has solid buttery smooth hinges. Moving it between laptop, tablet, stand, and tent mode isn't an issue, and there's no bending or flexing when applying lots of pressure to any area of the laptop. Only opening it up for the first time might take some getting used to. The device is a little "top-heavy" and the majority of the 3.34 pounds seems to be in the lid. So you'll need two hands to open it, despite the notch in the chassis on the front. That's just a small thing, though, and I got used to it.

This is a portable Chromebook, too, thanks to the port selection. While it is missing HDMI due to the thin nature of the chassis, you can still enjoy a microSD card reader for added storage, a USB-A port, and two USB-C ports. I didn't have any problems connecting my USB drive to this laptop without a dongle. I only needed a dongle when I was at home, connecting it to my display.

The left side of the device has a power button, a volume rocker, and more importantly, a webcam kill switch. I am a person who likes extra privacy, and that switch assures me that the webcam will be off when I don't need it. I do like a clean desk, too, and having USB-C ports at either end of the device means charging and connecting peripherals doesn't leave a mess of cables.

Keyboard and trackpad

Comfy keyboard and a huge trackpad

The keyboard on the HP Chromebook Plus x360 14-inch is my other favorite part of the device. It has large chiclet-style keycaps. The keyboard is even backlit with five different levels, meaning I was able to work at night on the device. Generally, typing is very comfortable since the keycaps are so large. My fingers tapped between letters easily and I never missed a keystroke. The keycaps do have a "light" feeling but do go into the chassis with minimum pressure, making speed typing fun.

As for the trackpad, well, it's smack in the middle of the device. Compared to the ones I've seen on the Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 or even the Framework Chromebook, it's pretty big. Such a big trackpad is always appreciated for scrolling through websites. It's even made of glass, which means the clicking mechanism is quiet and smooth.

Software

Nifty ChromeOS features

I mentioned this when I reviewed the Asus Chromebook Plus CX34, but I do have to bring it up again. Buying the HP Chromebook Plus x360 14-inch gets you access to some special ChromeOS features you don't get on some of HP's other devices. Essentially, there's a lot of bonus to buying this Chromebook.

There's a bonus to buying this Chromebook

You'll get things like background blur features for your webcam, offline access to Google Drive Files with File Sync, and a magic eraser feature in the Google Photos app. There's also the unique to-device background wallpapers and screensavers, and access to discounts on partner apps like LumaFusion and GeForce Now. Personally, the wallpapers are my favorite part!

Display

More room to multitask this year, but not quite bright

Compared to previous models, a change on the HP Chromebook Plus x360 14-inch this year is the display, and it makes all the difference. Setting itself apart from the FHD 1920x1080 standard Google has set for Chromebook Plus, HP has upped the screen resolution and aspect ratio you get. This unit sports a 14-inch 1920x1200 resolution IPS touchscreen set to a 16:10 aspect ratio, and it's great for work.

The extra pixels and the slimmer bezel at the bottom of the screen give the display on the HP Chromebook Plus x360 14-inch a uniform appearance. While it's not quite edge-to-edge like on some Windows laptops, it does give me more room for multitasking. Heading into the ChromeOS settings and tuning down the scaling a bit meant I could stack Chrome windows side by side and get more work done.

The display on the HP Chromebook Plus x360 14c is great for getting work done

HP claims that the display on this Chromebook can hit 250 nits of brightness, and that's about the only fault that I found with it. Sometimes, images didn't seem as bright as I hoped, especially when watching nature videos on YouTube. While the color and saturation are there in the images for everyday web browsing, it's just not as bright for prolonged multimedia experiences.

The prime example is when I watched a video showcasing the snowy landscape in Alaska, the white-colored snow didn't stick out in the image as much as the green trees did. Sometimes, though, some scenes do look bright, and some don't. It makes me wonder if HP under-calculated the brightness on this Chromebook.

The display does support pen input, though. While HP doesn't include one in the box with my configuration, you can buy a USI stylus for this device and use it without problems. I used one from Penoval, and it was pleasurable, accurately picking up my pen strokes when I was taking notes during the weekly XDA call.

There's also a 5MP webcam supporting temporal noise reduction at the top of the display, and that's another strength of this device. HP always uses 5MP webcams in its Windows devices, so to see one on a Chromebook is a huge plus. I frequently video call my friend in the Philippines, and when I did Telegram web video calls with her on this Chromebook, she was amazed at how clear and bright I looked, pointing out that my facial hair looked very bushy and clear. Not to mention, the Chromebook Plus exclusive background blur feature helped disguise my messy bedroom.

Performance

A core i3 CPU isn't too bad

The thing that's important about Chromebook Plus devices like this one is that Google says you get a CPU that offers double the performance of a budget Chromebook that might feature Intel N-series CPUs. In the case of this unit, it's a 12th-generation Intel Core i3-1215U CPU. That CPU is also paired with 8GB of RAM and a 128GB PCIe NVMe SSD. The CPU sports 6 cores and 8 threads and can boot up to 4.4GGhz.

The specs on the HP Chromebook Plus x360 14-inch were more than good for me

For my everyday web-based workflow, the specs on the HP Chromebook Plus x360 14-inch were more than good. In my productivity tests, which involved heavy multitasking in Google Chrome, and using Android apps like Telegram, I had no big issues with the performance. I even punched out some gaming in Minecraft and GTA: III without the game freezing or lagging. These were also especially fun to play when you consider that this Chromebook has a touch screen.

If you look at the results I got in my benchmarks, you can see why. The scoring is close to higher-end devices with Core i5 or Core i7 CPUs. Scoring in Geekbench is pretty comparable to other Chromebook Plus units, and close to those with faster CPUs. Even the Speedometer 2.0 scores, which measure web browsing efficiency, are fairly high on this Chromebook. For web-based stuff, this Core i3 CPU is fine.

Where the Core i3 CPU might feel some stress is if you plan to do heavy work with Linux apps or try out Stream. Those two tasks weren't the fastest for me. I noticed apps like GIMP were a bit slow to respond when applying extra filters to photos. This Chromebook still sports Intel UHD graphics, instead of the faster Iris Xe graphics parts. Gaming in Steam was decent, though, and low-end titles like Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Due was fine, but stepping things up to higher-end games resulted in a lot of lag. This isn't a video editing or gaming Chromebook, that's for sure.

In terms of battery life, it's quoted that you can get 10 hours. I got about 8 hours of use, with brightness turned to about 50%. Your mileage might vary, but the battery life is very solid.

Should you buy the HP Chromebook Plus x360 14-inch?

You should buy the HP Chromebook Plus x360 14-inch if:

• You want a great premium-feeling Chromebook
• You don't want to spend over $900 on a Chromebook
• You want a Chromebook for everyday tasks
• You want a Chromebook Plus device with touch and pen support

You shouldn't buy the HP Chromebook Plus x360 14-inch if:

• You're a gamer

The HP Chromebook Plus x360 14-inch is a treat of a Chromebook and should be up there with the best ChromeOS tablets. While it is nearly $700 in price when not on sale, it's still cheaper than buying a more high-end device like the HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook. It's frequently on sale, though, and if you see it for under $600, it's a steal. You get a great device with good performance for web browsing and light Android gaming, you get a device with a great display for multitasking, and you get a device that feels just as premium as more expensive ChromeOS units.