HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook: Price, release date, and everything else

HP topped our list of favorite Chromebooks with their Dragonfly Chromebook, but the company is back in 2023 with what could be an even better device for the average person. This time around, there's a traditional clamshell laptop, the HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook.

With that new "Pro" branding, this fresh HP Chromebook is being positioned as a ChromeOS system for freelancers or anyone else who is constantly connected, and also wants a premium Chromebook.

Yet the HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook looks to be quite intuitive, too. From the ultra-bright 14-inch screen to the new and improved webcam, it sports a lot of firsts for a Chromebook which will likely make it a great buy for many. This also continues the trend of the original HP Dragonfly Chromebook, which was the first with a haptic trackpad and at the time, 12th Gen Intel CPUs. So if you're wondering about what's new in this year's HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook, or want to dive more into the specifications, we got you covered right here.

HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook: Specs

HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook: Pricing and availability

Unfortunately, HP has yet to share specific pricing or availability for the HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook. This isn't surprising, as the Chromebook is set for release later this spring. Closer to that date, we can expect more solid details on how much the HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook will cost you. It will, however, be up for sale at HP.com, according to the company.

Considering some of the features on offer, prices may get a bit on the higher side, especially in top-tier configurations. We'll have to wait for HP to announce pricing for the device.

What's new with the HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook?

The Dragonfly Pro Chromebook is a brand-new product from HP. That means there's a lot that's new. As we hinted at the top of the article, this is a fresh 14-inch ChromeOS clamshell laptop. There are four things that are new and groundbreaking for a Chromebook with this device. We're not counting the 12th-generation Intel CPUs, though, which are now common on most new Chromebooks. These include the 8MP webcam, the ultra-bright touch screen, the RGB keyboard, and the certification for four Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports.

The 8MP webcam

Starting first with the webcam, HP is claiming that the new HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook is the first 8MP user-facing camera in a Clamshell Chromebook. This is particularly important at a time when most people are still spending a lot of time on Zoom, Skype, or Teams calls.

HP has led over other OEMs by including 5MP webcams on their Windows devices, and even on last year's HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook, so the jump to 8MP is huge. This sort of quality is usually only found on ChromeOS devices that have a rear camera (like a tablet,) so you'll likely look bright, clear, and detailed on web calls with the HP Dragonfly Pro. Most other Chromebooks max out with just 2.1MP webcams, at best, and you'll probably never have to worry about using an external webcam with this system.

Ultra bright touchscreen

The second feature of the HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook that makes it unique is the 14-inch ultra-bright IPS touchscreen. HP says that the Dragonfly Pro Chromebook can hit 1200 nits of brightness, as standard. Most other Chromebooks top out at 300 nits, and more premium Chromebooks top out at 500 nits, so this is really a mind-blowing feature. The device is also smart enough to adapt to environments, too, as there's an ambient light sensor that tweaks brightness. For those into content creation or situations where brightness is important, this will be huge.

RGB keyboard

RGB keyboards are not new in Chromebooks. We've seen them before on the Acer 516 GE Cloud Gaming Chromebook. However, HP claims that the new Dragonfly Pro Chromebook has the world's first customizable RGB keyboard on a non-gaming consumer Chromebook. That's a bit of a stretch, but it still is great to see on a mainstream system. This system is targeted towards freelancers, and the mainstream audience, so it's great to see a keyboard with some personality. Most other non-gaming Chromebooks have white backlighting.

Four Thunderbolt 4 ports

Chromebooks like the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 and the Acer Chromebook 514 have had Thunderbolt 4 ports in the past, but the new HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook one-ups that competition. Instead of including two Thunderbolt 4 ports, this ChromeOS device has four with two on the right side, and two on the left side. That gives a lot of ways to connect displays up to the system, and other modern Thunderbolt docks. It does, though, mean that you'll have to invest in a dongle since there's no USB-A on board or even a headphone jack.

Where can I buy HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook?

You can't buy the HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook just yet. It's not for sale right now and HP promises that it is expected to be available later this spring, with pricing being shared closer to availability. When that time comes around, you'll find it for sale on HP.com. We'll do our best to update this guide once we have a link, but in the meantime, you can check out other great Chromebooks from HP like the HP Chromebook x2 11, the HP Chromebook 14, and even the HP Elite c1030.