14 DAY TRIAL // Yesterday we told you an Australian looking to purchase an HP Chromebook 11 received a major surprise. He apparently bought a new version of the device, which HP has quietly launched in the country without making too much fuss about it.
The device goes by model number 11-2011TU, while the old HP Chromebook 11 is 11-1101. At first glance, the white laptop seems like a smaller HP Chromebook 14, coming without the distinctive color bar located on the lid or the colored pads at the bottom.
Some time has passed since our Aussie user first got its hands on the device, so he is able to come back and give us more details about the mysterious lappy and overall experience of using it (via Ausdroid).
According to him, the design of the notebook is pretty cheerful, with the powder white finish on the lid and dimpled plastic base putting a nice spin on things. His only concern is that the finish doesn't get discolored over time.
The laptop is pretty lightweight, but not all feedback is positive. For example, the some of the plastic at the hinge joint isn't playing nice, so the hinge ends up making a creaking sound when it’s being adjusted.
Another highlighted problem is the screen quality, which delivers washed out colors with the contrast shifting when the vertical viewing angle is shifted. Although, he notes the brightness levels seem to be decent enough.
The user claims he has seen the original HP Chromebook 11 and the performance of the new model can’t even be compared.
The keyboard could have been better, but the touchpad is responsive enough and doesn't make the hallow click we have encountered with other Chromebooks models.
He also points out the new HP Chromebook 11 has a tendency to stutter, especially when scrolling through a webpage that hasn't been completely loaded yet.
This is not exasperating if you’re using the device for casual browsing, but if you want to achieve more on your Chromebook, you’ll probably want to turn your attention to the Acer C720 or Toshiba’s offering.
So even if the laptop might look cute and cuddly, performance-wise the device seems to be a little over-priced.
To conclude, it’s pretty strange HP is choosing to offer a Chromebook 11 variant with a lower quality screen, but we could be dealing with a pretty astute strategy here. The company might be clearing out its Exynos inventory, before launching an updated Chromebook model with Intel processor and improved display.
