14 DAY TRIAL // These days if you want a Windows laptop that’s also super light and portable, you don’t have to worry about pricing anymore.
Microsoft has promised the advent of the cheap notebooks running the company’s latest OS and it kept true to its word.
The first models sporting Chromebook-reminiscent specifications have already made a debut on the market, with products such as the ASUS Vivotab F200MA and Lenovo IdeaPad S20-30.
Now, as documents uncovered on the HP official website reveal, another dirt cheap Windows 8.1 laptop is in the pipeline.
It goes by the name Stream and will boast a 14-inch display. Unlike the majority of Chromebooks today, the Stream won’t take advantage of an Intel Bay Trail chip, but of the AMD A4 Micro-6400 “Mullins” processor working in concert with Radeon R3 graphics.
It will also be equipped with 2GB of RAM and either 32GB or 64GB of eMMC solid state storage.
Moving on, the spec list reveals that the new notebook will come with 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, HDMI output, SDXC card reader, 1 USB 3.0, 2 USB 2.0 ports, four speakers with Beats audio and 720 webcam.
HP throws in a 32Whr battery and Windows 8.1 software. Last but not least, the device offers 100GB of cloud storage for 2 years via Microsoft OneDrive.
The repair manual potted online shows us that the tech savvy users will probably be able to open up the case, replace the battery, touchpad, keyboard, display, wireless panel and more.
And the best part, the laptop is quite cheap (it will sell for $199 / €149) so if you break anything, you won’t feel like all your savings went down the drain.
It’s interesting to note that the HP Stream is only the second laptop to come equipped with the Mullins chip platform.
The first device taking advantage of the same architecture is the HP Pavilion 10z, which also sells for quite an affordable price tag. It’s not as budget friendly as the Stream, but $250 / €186 is quite decent.
The specifications of the HP Pavilion 10z are quite similar to the ones to be found in the Stream. However, the former arrives with a 10.1-inch display offering the same so-called HD resolution (on a touchscreen).
The processor inside is an AMD dual-core E1 Micro-6200T processor fitted with 2GB of RAM and 500GB hard drive. The laptop is Miracast compatible and boasts only one 1 USB 2.0 port compared to the 2 found in the Stream.
Another aspect to consider is the battery found in the Pavilion is a 24Whr one, so it’s of smaller capacity compared to the Stream.
