ReviewSpecificationsConclusion
I was in the market for a small and cheap notebook to study with because my Macbook Air was too valuable to be lugged onto a bus or left alone in a cafe. I wanted something lightweight enough to carry around everywhere and worthless enough to break or lose and not care for it. To help with my studying, the more barebones the system was, the better. Chromebooks immediately came to mind with their “browser-only” operating system and low starting prices. I found this attractive little HP 11 G4 EE Chromebook refurbished online, and got it for just $150 after tax and shipping.
The Education Edition adds a few nice features not found on the standard edition for those who are always on the go with their device (college students).
– Sleek, all black design, for the stylish
– Co-molded rubber edges, for the clumsy
– Spill-resistant keyboard, for the coffee nuts
– 180 degree hinge, for the collaborators
Portability was the key factor in my purchasing decision, and I found this computer to be the perfect size for carrying around. At just 2.72 pounds, it’s easy to pick up and put away, and fits nicely on tables and laps to work on. The full-sized chiclet keyboard and small footprint makes typing comfortable. HP’s clean, minimalist style is a nice thing to have considering its low price tag.
At only 11.6″, the screen is small but usable. There’s quite a lot of wasted space with the wide bezels all around. They could have easily fit another inch diagonally to the screen and it would have made a huge difference. It’s a tradeoff for portability, which I was willing to make, so that’s not the main complaint I have. It’s the anti-glare screen that makes things blurry. You’ll get good visibility in awkwardly lit areas and outdoors, but you totally sacrifice pixel clarity for it. I’ve seen matte screens with sharp pixels before. This one looks like there’s some filter over it. I find it uncomfortable to look at, and combined with the small screen size, it’s not a very good viewing experience.
It’s certainly not a computing powerhouse, but it gets things done. Opening apps, viewing videos, text editing, all basic system functionality are all done snappily. However, loading some websites, or parts of websites like drop-down menus and pop-up hyperlinks, tends to be a lot slower than expected. Opening many tabs at once could slow and possibly crash the browser too, but that’s something I often experience using the Chrome browser even on other computers. After the initial loading of the item, it mostly runs fine. Flash games and 1080p videos play smoothly, but anything more demanding will stutter. You get what you paid for, so at only $150, I’d say this is a decent internet browser that won’t make you pull your hair out. If it’s not already falling out by itself like mine.
The keyboard has a few new things to learn about. The function keys have been replaced by back, forward, refresh, full screen, window overview, screen brightness, and volume buttons. Replacing caps lock is the Search button, which pulls up Chrome OS’ version of the start menu. I still haven’t gotten used to it but there are many new shortcuts to learn as well, including the just-mentioned caps lock, all tailored for web browsing. Spill-proof feature is reassuring, but the lack of backlights is inconvenient. The chiclet keys feel a little too light but the full sized keyboard looks nice and is comfortable to type on.
The trackpad is incomparable to the Macbook’s. It’s responsive and the multi-gestures work fine, but it’s nowhere near as natural as the one Apple developed. This feels like a tool, whereas the Macbook’s feels like an extension of yourself.
Standard battery life of about 9-11 hours. ChromeOS is lightweight so p ower consumption is low and it allows you to spend the day on a full charge. The time estimated remaining is wildly inaccurate though, and can vary 2-3 hours every time you check on it. It starts to get warm if you watch videos, but the frame is slim enough to forego having a fan, keeping the notebook completely silent.
Poor. It sounds hollow and needs to be cranked up to about 70-80% volume for normal listening in quiet areas.
Soul remaining – 8%
Definitely not HD, but it handles movement surprisingly smoothly. Again, the processor is decent.
Here’s where things get interesting. My phone has more storage space than this computer. The idea is that everything you do and save is online in the cloud. So technically, I have unlimited space with my .edu Google Apps account (15gb for a standard Google account). But everything has to be downloaded each time you want to view it. Local storage comes out to be about 7.7gb available after setting things up. The learning curve is going to come from using this full cloud experience. It’s a pretty amazing feat that Google has accomplished. I’m holding a piece of the current technological revolution in my hands, and I feel ok about splattering tomato soup all over it.
This is my first time using this operating system, and I’m fairly content with it. Chrome OS is easy to set up and use, but the full cloud experience is restrictive and has its drawbacks. For me though, that’s a selling point to help me focus in my studies. The Chromebook’s target audience are people who simply browse the web and absolutely nothing more. You need to be aware of exactly what your purposes are because this system is literally just a browser with a lockscreen and a taskbar.
Once you’ve understood that, the user experience is on par with what you’d expect. Google’s developed a whole suite of cloud services to meet almost every casual user’s need. With a robust web store, you’ll find many extensions and apps to improve your browsing experience. And with the new update, this computer will be able to run Android apps off the Google Play store! Still a gripe of mine is that apps and extensions found on Google’s platforms tend to be outdated or not well supported, so your experience may vary. Essentials like the Evernote app for Chrome really disappoint and I’ve found the web version to be much more usable and legible.
Evernote Web in full screen mode. At the top of the screen, white bars indicate open tabs and their statuses. At the bottom, white bars indicate open apps/webpages.
Fonts and font sizes are all over the place on this Chromebook, so you definitely need to opt for the HP 14’s larger screen if you have reading difficulties. I’m only in my early twenties with decent eyesight but with this small screen size and some of the inexplicably tiny fonts that show up, I feel like I need reading glasses to view some of the text on this computer.
| Processor | Intel Celeron N2840 2.16GHz 1MB Cache |
| Processor Core | Dual-Core |
| Screen Size | 11.6″ |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 |
| Resolution | 1366×768 |
| Display Type | HD SVA WLED anti-glare |
| Graphics | Integrated Intel HD Graphics |
| Memory | 4GB DDR3 |
| Hard Drive | 16GB eMMC SSD |
| Bluetooth | Yes, 4.0 |
| Wireless | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac |
| Battery | 3-cell, 36 WHr Li-ion |
| Power | 45 W Smart AC adapter |
| Speakers | Stereo Speakers |
| Webcam | HD Webcam |
| Microphone | Integrated |
| Keyboard | Full-sized textured black island-style spill-resistant keyboard |
| Trackpad | Touchpad with multi-touch gestures enabled |
| I/O Ports | HDMI, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, Headphone/Microphone, SD card reader |
| OS | Chrome OS |
| Dimensions | 11.8 x 8.1 x 0.8 in |
| Weight | 2.72 lbs |
The Chromebook is made for a niche market and it does a good job meeting the needs of everyday internet use. I see the HP 11 G4 EE as a peripheral to my primary Macbook Air, much like a phone or a tablet. I’m very happy with this little notebook – it’s cheap, it’s light, it’s sturdy, it’s attractive, and it works. Though it suffers from a small blurry screen and a mediocre processor, its portability, style, novelty, and ease of use take the cake. The Education Edition’s extra physical features are nice additions to an already good notebook. Chrome OS has a lot to improve on, but the full cloud experience is easy to adjust to and frustration-free. Those looking for a great low-end computer should definitely start here with the HP line of Chromebooks.
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