HP Chromebook 13 G1
A Chromebook that costs more than many Windows laptops – but you can’t argue with the quality
Regular readers will already know about the Chromebook 13 G1’s charms – it was our lead review in last month’s PC Pro. For a Chrome OS device to earn top billing perhaps says something about the platform’s growth, but it also says much about the laptop itself.
For this is no regular Chromebook. That’s obvious as soon as you lay eyes on its super-slim brushed-aluminium case, measuring just 13mm thick. It’s a design that can sit proudly next to anything Apple has to offer.
And the Chromebook 13’s beauty is much more than skin-deep. Inside, it boasts an Intel Core m3-6Y30 CPU; by Windows standards that’s a lightweight processor, but for a
Chromebook it’s a hefty performer. In the JetStream benchmark, it powered the G1 to more than double the performance of any Chrome OS rival. And in the MotionMark test, the G1 not only left its fellow Chromebooks in the dust, it overtook the Asus ZenBook, and nearly caught up with the Core i5-powered Pavilion x360.
The good news doesn’t stop there. The 13.3in screen has a huge 3,200 x 1,800 resolution that’s far sharper than anything else we’ve seen this month. It offers the same pixel density as the Retina display on Apple’s MacBook Pro, and its terrifically bright too, at 358cd/m2 while its 474:1 contrast ratio is a bit less remarkable, the overall impression is still pretty striking. Just be aware that this isn’t a touchscreen – you’ll have to get your tablet-style jollies elsewhere.
The sheer thinness of the design demands a few compromises. You get one full-sized USB 3 connector, but there’s no separate video output – if you want to hook up a monitor or projector, you’ll need to plug an adapter into one of the two USB 3 Type-C connectors. And while there is a card reader, it’s microSD only.
HP has also evidently struggled to fit in a battery capable of all-day use. In our rundown test, the Chromebook 13 G1 gave out after 7hrs 20mins of video – a decent run, but nowhere near the eleven-hour-plus performances we’ve seen elsewhere.
The real sticking point is, of course, the cost. No matter how lovely this Chromebook is, it’s hard to swallow when the full potential of the Asus ZenBook can be had for the same money. But there are advantages to going with Chrome OS. As we note in our buyer’s guide, for certain roles it’s a smart choice – and the Chromebook 13 G1 makes using it a joy.