HP Chromebook x2 Review: Semi-Pro

Previously, if you wanted a really nice Chromebook with a good screen and good specifications, your options were rare, far removed and probably done by Google. However, over the past year, some manufacturers have embraced this idea and launched devices capable of tracking more than a dozen tabs. You'll end up spending $ 500 or more for this privilege, but it's still a lot less than Google charges for the Pixelbook.

The HP Chromebook x2 is such a device. But instead of presenting itself as a very good Chromebook, it is designed to sell you the fact that you can detach the keyboard and use it as a tablet. A detachable keyboard has a different set of compromises than the more traditional 360-degree hinge found on other "convertible" Chromebooks. If you think you'll use it a lot in tablet mode, it means you can save weight by leaving the keyboard behind you. And if you keep the keyboard attached, you do not have to feel the keyboard behind the screen when it is bent.

At $ 599.99, the HP Chromebook x2 is more expensive than most Chromebooks, but in line with the "semi-professional" level, we're starting to see more and more. In theory, it is designed for a world where Chrome OS is flexible enough and powerful enough to deal with virtually any large-screen operating system you can think of: Windows, MacOS and iOS on the iPad. This world has more potential than reality, but in the meantime, the x2 is doing quite well.

In the strange world of convertible laptops, we spend a lot of time talking about the different ways companies try to get a full keyboard with a tablet. This usually means a lot of hinges, where the innards of the machine are, and awkward words like "lapability".

When it comes to solving these problems, the x2 is a little more ambitious than usual. It puts the entire computer behind the screen so that the keyboard is only an accessory (happily included) for typing. But unlike other tablets complete with keyboard attachments, this keyboard has a much more pleasant and portable hinge.

It opens like an ordinary laptop, and the hinge is strong enough to hold the tablet at a convenient angle without too much flicker. The keyboard does not have much more than a trackpad, a stylus loop and keys, so it does not weigh much. Finding the right balance so that the screen does not reverse the situation when it's open is a challenge – many other manufacturers have already done so.

The x2 is especially up to this challenge. On a desktop, it is completely stable in laptop mode, even when the screen is tilted to the maximum. He's also stable on my lap, but barely. You can say that it is too heavy, but it must not be reversed. There is a slight swing when you press the screen.

I'm also happy with the way the screen disappears from the keyboard: you just have to remove it. There is no button to push to separate it and you can reach it easily. It's thanks to magnets that are just strong enough to keep everything together, but not so strong that it's hard to separate them.

The keyboard is a fake leather that I do not love, but it's not offensive. The trackpad is large and accurate, and the keys are nice to type. Unfortunately, the keyboard is not backlit. Of course, the tablet itself is a little thicker than you would like, especially if you compare it to an iPad. In addition, glasses are getting bigger nowadays.

HP has put most of its engineering stuff in the hinge, but the rest holds too. The two speakers are oriented towards the front, the back of the device looks like ceramic and the stylus is well balanced and accurate.

As long as you stay in the "Chromebook Zone" to use a reasonable number of web applications and browser tabs, you will have no problem with the performance of the x2. This area is somewhere south of a dozen tabs or Web application windows and an Android application or two – none of which is heavy software like photo editors or video editors. (Honestly, good luck finding something acceptable for the latest on Chrome OS).

Saying that a device works well in the "Chromebook Zone" may seem overwhelming with low praise, but I do not want it. The x2 works very well in this area, without too many slowdowns or bugs. But unlike the Pixelbook, it's harder to push the x2 beyond what you usually use with Chromebooks. Its m series processor is capable but struggles under a heavy load.

The biggest problem is that at $ 599, the 4GB RAM of x2 means you have to keep an eye on what you have opened. I found that using this feature with my daily loading of tabs and ten-hour apps is fine, but going beyond my usual workload is … pushing.

More than anything, however, the 32GB anemic storage is really unpleasant. This means that you depend a lot on cloud storage. It's the same for many Chromebooks, but as Android (and Linux) applications become more viable on these machines, 32GB of storage is not enough.

I was delighted but not impressed by the battery life. HP says it should last 10 hours north, but I have not reached that duration. If you use it for basic things, you can probably get a full day. But for me, this still looks like most laptops: nearly a full day but not quite.

Chromebook users have a good idea of ​​what I mean by "Chromebook Zone". The basic bet with Chromebooks x2 and others is that a growing number of people have been using low-end Chromebooks throughout their schooling. a little nicer when they head to more school or anything else. The x2 is a lot nicer than the devices under $ 300 that have largely defined Chromebooks for years.

If you're looking for a really strong Chrome OS laptop, you'll probably be better served by a Samsung Chromebook Pro, which has almost identical specifications but weighs a little less than the x2. But the x2 is supposed to be more than just a Chrome OS laptop. It's also a tablet – and that's where things get complicated.

I am convinced that Chrome OS is not very efficient in tablet mode. If you expect you to be happy with full-screen applications, watching movies and a very casual split screen, the x2 can do everything right. But tablet mode still lacks finishing on Chrome OS.

I've used the x2 with the stable and beta versions of the operating system, and I can see that the company is slowly but surely tackling some of the biggest problems. The responsiveness in implementing split-screen applications and moving files is already better than six weeks ago.

There is more to come too. For those who have the courage to immerse themselves in the Developer Channel, an almost fully optimized interface for tablet waits. Chrome Unboxed has made a deep dive into the state of the tablet interface right now, and it's likely that all this happens for devices like the x2. A good bet when we see that it is in October that Google would have its own Chromebook, with a detachable screen. In fact, if you are interested in a Chrome OS tablet, you must wait to see what Google advertises before making your purchase.

This puts the x2 in a difficult place. The update of the software that would facilitate the recommendation is not yet complete, and it is possible that the update comes directly from Google itself. And $ 599.99 is also a tough price since the Chromebooks, which cost a lot less, offer almost as much – not to mention the $ 329 of the iPad. By spending only $ 100 or $ 200 more, you get a book of pixels, a Windows device or a more powerful iPad Pro.

It is quite possible that the HP Chromebook x2 has found a great place in the middle of all these devices, but I do not think so. It is a well designed and efficient machine, hampered by insufficient storage and software that is not up to its potential. I hope that the latter problem will soon be solved, but it is never a good idea to buy a product hoping for new updates.

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