HP Dragonfly Pro vs Dragonfly Pro Chromebook: Which one is right for you?

HP's Dragonfly Pro lineup this year actually features two devices with similar names: the HP Dragonfly Pro and HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook. They're powered by Windows 11 and ChromeOS, respectively. As you can imagine, these are very different devices.

Aside from the obvious operating system difference, they also vary in terms of screen brightness, resolution, webcams, and the choice of CPUs. So which one is right for you?

HP Dragonfly Pro vs Dragonfly Pro Chromebook: Price and availability

At the time of writing, neither the HP Dragonfly Pro nor the HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook are available for purchase. Both devices are expected to launch in the spring, but we don't have official pricing nor a release date. Both devices are expected to become available on HP.com first and then at other retailers like Best Buy and Amazon shortly after. We expect both to be expensive, considering the high-end features and the pricing of other HP Dragonfly devices. For example, the HP Elite Dragonfly G3 starts at just under $2,000.

HP Dragonfly Pro vs Dragonfly Pro Chromebook: Specs

Operating system: Windows vs ChromeOS

The most significant difference between the HP Dragonfly Pro and the HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook is the operating system. ChromeOS is a much more lightweight operating system than Windows and is known to be more efficient, but it is primarily for those who are always online and working on web-based tasks. While you can run Android apps from the Google Play Store and Linux apps in ChromeOS offline, these can be very resource intensive when running in the background. You even can game in ChromeOS with Steam in beta or through cloud gaming services like Nvidia GeForce Now.

Windows 11 lets you enjoy full-blown productivity apps like Office and not just web-based applications.

Windows 11, meanwhile, lets you enjoy full-blown productivity apps like Office and not just web-based applications. It works offline and also allows you to run Linux apps and Android apps through the Windows Subsystem for Android and the Windows Subsystem for Linux. Windows is best suited for those who aren't always dependent on Wi-Fi and the internet since you can install software locally. It's also great for gaming since it works with Steam and many other gaming services. Ultimately which one you go with will depend on your needs.

Design: Clamshell laptops, but the Dragonfly Pro Chromebook has RGB

Both of these laptops are traditional 14-inch clamshells, and you can get them either in Sparkling Black or Ceramic White. The only real difference you'll come across is with the keyboards. The Dragonfly Pro has a standard white LED-lit keyboard, and the Dragonfly Pro Chromebook has a more colorful keyboard with RGB backlighting.

Since both of these devices are made out of recycled magnesium and aluminum, making them feel premium, the dimensions are even, with weight being the only exception. Both are 12.39 x 8.78 x 0.72 inches, but the Dragonfly Pro is a bit heftier at 3.53 pounds against the HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook's 3.33 pounds. We don't think you'll feel the difference, but if you're picky about the weight of your laptop, it might be notable.

Display: The HP Dragonfly Chromebook sports higher resolution and brightness

This is where the devices are the most different. Even though both have spacious 16:10 aspect ratios and 14-inch touchscreen displays, the resolution and display types are different. The Dragonfly Pro's display isn't nearly as good as the Dragonfly Pro Chromebook's display. The latter has a vibrant 2560 x 1600 resolution display that can hit 1,200 nits of brightness. That's one of the brightest Chromebooks ever, meaning whatever you're looking at on the screen will appear more colorful. It's also great if you plan to work outdoors, as a brighter display means things appear less dim under direct sunlight.

The standard Dragonfly Pro still has a great 14-inch 1920 x 1200 resolution display, but it's not as pixel-packed or bright as what you'll get on the Dragonfly Pro Chromebook. There are also fewer pixels available for stacking windows side by side and multitasking. Plus, the 400 nits of brightness isn't as good for using your laptop outdoors.

Regardless of those differences, the tall 16:10 aspect ratios are still great for productivity. We do want to note the varying panel type on these displays, though. The HP Dragonfly Pro has an IPS display, whereas the Dragonfly Pro Chromebook has an LCD panel. IPS displays are known for better viewing angles, contrast ratios, and color accuracy, so they're preferred by gamers. LCDs are better for lower power consumption and better brightness levels.

We can't forget the webcams atop those displays. The Dragonfly Pro has a 5MP webcam backed by smart features in HP's software, like background blur. The webcam also has Windows Hello IR support so you can log into your PC with your face. The Dragonfly Pro Chromebook has a better quality 8MP webcam but without smart features and IR sensors.

Performance and battery life: It's an AMD vs Intel showdown

There are very different CPUs inside these two devices. The Dragonfly Pro has an AMD Ryzen 7 7736U with eight cores, a 2.7GHz operating range, and a 16MB cache. It also pulls from 15-28W of power. Meanwhile, the Dragonfly Pro Chromebook has a 12th-generation Intel Core i5-1235U CPU with a total of 10 cores (two performance and eight efficient), runs at a higher frequency of 3.30 GHz, has a 12MB cache, and pulls 15W power maximum. It's worth noting also that the Intel Core i5 is a hybrid processor, meaning it uses those performance and efficiency cores for an extra productivity boost.

These are both great CPUs to power through everyday tasks like web browsing and social media or working in spreadsheets and office documents. However, the AMD CPU is just slightly newer than Intel's and will likely be more power efficient, based on HP's claims.

It seems like the HP Dragonfly Pro is the device to buy if you want longer battery life, while the Dragonfly Pro Chromebook should be more about performance.

With that in mind, from years of reviewing laptops, we've always found AMD CPUs to help a laptop push out longer battery life. You can see here that with only eight cores and a slower operating range, it makes sense that HP claims the Dragonfly Pro gets 16 hours of mixed usage based on MobileMark 2018 benchmark testing. That doesn't come without a drop in performance, though, as AMD CPUs tend to throttle the performance when on battery to get that improved battery life. To be fair, HP mentioned that the Dragonfly Pro laptop can fine-tune the performance based on the task you're working on, so we're hopeful we won't see that issue.

We're looking forward to testing both of these devices more, but for now, it seems like the HP Dragonfly Pro is a device to buy if you want to get long battery life (it has a 64.6Wh battery), and don't mind performance. The HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook, meanwhile, should be more about performance and less about battery life (it has a smaller 51.3WH battery).

Ports and connectivity: USB-A vs Thunderbolt

We're giving the win to the HP Dragonfly Pro in regards to ports. It has a USB-A port alongside the two USB-C 4 ports. The HP Dragonfly Pro only has Thunderbolt 4 ports, which may or may not be essential for you based on your setup.

Thunderbolt 4 allows for faster 40GB/s speeds when you connect USB drives to your PC and also lets you connect to two 4K displays at 60Hz at once — or one 8K monitor to boost your productivity. Usually, we'd also mention external GPU support, too, but since the HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook isn't a Windows machine, this is less important when considering Thunderbolt.

Both machines have Wi-Fi 6E, but the Dragonfly Pro has Bluetooth 5.2, while the Dragonfly Pro Chromebook has Bluetooth 5.1. They're mostly equal beyond that.

HP Dragonfly Pro vs Dragonfly Pro Chromebook: Which to buy?

We've yet to try either of these devices, but the one you pick up depends on your needs. If you want a great Chromebook with a great display, performance, and RGB keyboard, the Dragonfly Pro is for you. If you want a traditional Windows laptop with longer battery life, decent performance, and an extra USB-A port for a peripheral, then you'd like the HP Dragonfly Pro. We're looking forward to testing these devices later this spring and will update this guide with more in-depth specs comparisons soon.