HP’s Stream 11: Cheap Windows Laptop That Aims To Beat ChromeBooks

This ultraportable Windows laptop was built to compete with Chromebooks in terms of price and features. The compact HP laptop was dubbed as the Chromebook killer and it will be good to note the specs and features that this small new entry has in store for the wondering consumers.

The Design

HP has created a stylish clamshell type laptop which comes in a vivid Horizon Blue colour and the over-all plastic chassis has a matte finish. The inside of the laptop is beautiful as well with the dot pattern that flows from blue to indigo from top to bottom of its deck. It also has another variant, a magenta lid and a keyboard deck that is lavishly coloured from tulip purple to lily pink.

The right part of the laptop has a USB 3.0 port, a USB 2.0 port and an HDMI port. The left part houses the SD card slot, headphone jack, power jack and the lock slot.

The Stream 11 weighs 2.74 pounds and measures 12x8.1x0.78 inches making it portable enough to be tagged along anywhere. In comparison, it is a bit heavier and a bit thicker than the 11-inch Chromebooks. For example, the Samsung Chromebook 2 weighs 2.65 pounds and measures 11.4.x8.60x0.66 inches while the Acer Chromebook C720 is 2.6 pounds and 0.75 inches thick. On the other hand, HP's own version, the Chromebook 11 is the lightest which weighs 2.2 pounds, Laptop Mag reviews.

Display and Audio

The Stream 11 has an 11-inch display with HD resolution of 1366x768 pixels which relatively offers fine viewing experience. However, its screen is slightly dimmer than Chromebooks averaging 165 nits on brightness test. Unlike the Samsung ChromeBook 2 at 214 nits, the Lenovo N20P at 194 nits and HP's own ChromeBook 11 averaging 267 nits.

Despite its small form factor, the Stream 11 provides great sounds with its speakers that are located underneath its front lip. It registered 90 decibels when submitted on an audio test which is higher than the average ultraportable laptop that registers 84dB.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The white keyboard of the Stream 11 provides a better typing experience with its 1.37mm key travel as compared to 1.09mm for Samsung and 1.2mm for Lenovo which are shallower. On the other hand, its 3.75 x 2.5 inches touchpad provides a wider space for easier navigation. The pad also smoothly executes Windows 8 gestures such as switching apps.

Performance and Connections

HP's Stream 11 is packed with Intel Celeron N2840, a 2.2GHz dual core Bay Trail-M Atom chip and 2GB of RAM. It is also equipped with 32GB of eMMC flash storage. However, users must expect only 21.5GB of usable storage with Office 365 already consuming 3GB which already limits the available space.

This ultraportable laptop is good enough for web-browsing but is not recommended for gamers out there. The device connects to the internet through 802.11b/g/n connection which is rather sufficient yet not advanced. Unfortunately, it has no Ethernet port that is why it calls for a fast router. It is also equipped with HP True Vision webcam which can record 640x480 videos, PCWorld reviews.

Additional Features

The Stream 11 comes with HP's suite of utilities which include Connected Photo, Music and Drive. It also includes a free support option which will help users set-up their PC with their phones.

Price

This decent laptop can be considered a "cheapbook" priced at US$200. It doesn't necessarily mean that it's a ChromeBook killer but with its price it might put Windows back on track.