HP Chromebook x360 12b
Stylish and stylus.
The new HP Chromebook x360 12b is another entry into the market of affordable laptops, though at its list price of $599, it’s far from being one of the most affordable Chromebooks we’ve seen.
HP has gone for style points with the Chromebook x360 12b by using a metal chassis and 360-degree hinge like those found on an increasing number of the company’s products. This gives the base of the laptop a sturdy and high-quality feel. The display portion, however, is still backed by a plastic shell with a soft finish. Altogether, it feels like a well built machine.
The keyboard feels fairly traditional for a Chromebook. It’s decent, with some nice pop to the keys, but there’s nothing that stands out. The lock key placed in the top-right might trick some users used to having a delete key there, but it won’t lock the system unless you hold it down. The trackpad is impressively large for a 12-inch computer, and it feels great to use.
The HP Chromebook x360 12b has a few extra control tricks up its sleeve with a multi-point touchscreen and support for a USI stylus (a stylus was included with our review unit, but they are sold separately).
The stylus seems to factor considerably into HP’s design, as there’s a magnet built into the chassis that can hold the stylus in place along the left edge of the keyboard (incidentally, that magnet can also hold the laptop firmly in place on metal tables).
The display on the HP Chromebook x360 12b is a curious one. It has a unique, 3:2 aspect ratio and 1366 x 912 resolution. That doesn’t make it the sharpest, but it’s not painfully pixelated.
The extra height of the screen provides some more room for documents, but side-by-side browsing feels cramped and 16:9 or wider media get smothered in letterboxes. The display is passably bright on its highest setting, working even outdoors in overcast conditions, but lowering the brightness to just 50% makes the screen truly hard to see.
In our battery test, which runs a movie on the laptop with the display at 50% brightness, the device managed a solid eight hours and 46 minutes. But, at that brightness, it was hard to see most of the movie. Browsing and working at max brightness sees the battery life fall closer to 5-6 hours.
The HP Chromebook x360 12b delivers on the 2-in-1 experience, boosting it with advanced stylus support. But, it could go a little further in performance.
Mark Knapp
The HP Chromebook x360 12b has a few extra control tricks up its sleeve with a multi-point touchscreen and support for a USI stylus