Dell Chromebook 11

ThisTh laptop is simply impressive

If netbooks were popular with anyone, it was schools, always keen on simple machines that aren’t too expensive to replace when they get broken. Dell’s Chromebook 11 is certainly aimed at this demographic, but its practical construction will have broader appeal.

While the chunky shape looks clumsy compared to today’s elegant aluminium ultrabooks, the black plastic finish hides scuffs and fingerprints pretty well, and is matt enough to stop it slipping through your fingers, while rubber bumpers protect the edges. Dell points out that the Chromebook 11 has passed US Military Standard testing for durability, pressure, temperature, humidity, shock and vibration.

Our favourite feature is the sealed keyboard, which can survivervive a cup of tea being spilled. Thoughgh the keys feel fine, the touchpadad isn’t so good, but it’s not bad enough to persuade us to pay the £50 extra forr a touchscreen model, even with a tough Gorilla Glass front. The display folds back to a horizontal position on a hinge designed for rough treatment – it doesn’t go the whole way round to use like a tablet. Unfortunately, the screen isn’t overly bright or colourful. A better feature is the speakers, which are designed to be heard across a classroom.

With an Intel Celeron processor and 4GB of memory, performance is perfectly adequate, and the 16GB SSD is enough for a Chrome machine. Battery life is fair, at seven-and-a-half hours of video playing. It may not look futuristic, but we wish more PCS were built like this.

VERDICT: A superbly sturdy little laptop that you can take anywhereywhere without worrying

★★★★☆

ALTERNATIVE:

HP Chromebook 11 G2 2 £149 It has only 2GB of memory and the screen isn’t as good as the original, but HP’S smallest Chromebook feels neat and stylish