![]() ![]() The only screws in the Chromebook 11 are hidden by the strips of accent color on the back. The bottom of the Chromebook 11 snaps on, hence the lack of any visible screws. Pulling off the bottom of the machine it's clear why there's so much heat transfer, Google uses the bottom plate as a heat spreader with a bit of thermal interface material making direct contact to the Exynos 5250 SoC: Under heavy load the machine does get surprisingly warm, with the upper left region of the Chromebook 11 hitting 46C in my testing - a reminder of just how much power a pair of ARM Cortex A15 cores can draw under load. ![]() The Exynos 5250 SoC is passively cooled (just like it would be in a tablet), which reduces the need for any large vents. Google is particularly proud of the lack of any visible vents, screws or speakers. The accent colors are visible around the keyboard as well as underneath the notebook. The Chromebook 11 is available in black (no accents), or white with four accent colors (blue, red, yellow or green). That’s honestly my only complaint about the design though, the rest is extremely well executed down to Chrome color strip lit by the display’s backlight on the back of the machine.Īs with most mainstream devices these days, Google used little touches of color to personalize the device. The plastic exterior is glossy, which unfortunately means it’s going to be a fingerprint magnet. The motherboard screws into a magnesium frame The internal magnesium frame helps reduce flex, and I’m happy to say that the result is one solid feeling device. Let’s start with the chassis:Įxotic materials are pretty much out of the question for something priced at $279, so the Chromebook 11 boasts a magnesium reinforced plastic chassis. The HP Chromebook 11 keeps the same 11.6-inch form factor as last year’s device, but upgrades it in almost every way imaginable. This year we get a spiritual successor to that device. Last year’s Samsung Chromebook redefined what you should expect in terms of build quality and design from a sub-$300 notebook. With the exception of the Chromebook Pixel, Google has done a great job of curating excellent low-cost hardware that runs Chrome OS. Samsung Exynos 5250 (dual-core Cortex A15 1.7GHz + ARM Mali-T604 GPU)Ģ stream dual-band 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.0, 3G/4G LTE optionalĢ x USB 2.0, VGA webcam, microUSB for charging/SlimPort video out, headphone/mic jack Chrome OS is the type of platform you can recommend to someone and never have to worry about them coming back to you with a virus or malware infested PC. ![]() You also get all of the security benefits of sandboxing that are otherwise reserved for devices running Android or iOS. Google controls all updates to Chrome OS, which are delivered seamlessly in the background. What you give up in backwards compatibility with legacy applications, you get in the form of simplicity and security. For those users who really just need access to the web, email and perhaps editing documents, Chrome OS is a real alternative. In the old days if all you needed was to be able to browse the web, you had to buy a PC. The most viable candidate in the latter category is Google’s own Chrome OS. Just like before, we’ll see solutions based on Windows as well as open source OS alternatives. Armed with lighter weight OSes, faster hardware and a better appreciation for what matters in a consumer device, OEMs are giving the concept another try. We’re in the midst of a netbook renaissance. ![]()
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