HP Chromebook 11: A prettier $279 Chromebook

To date, there have been plenty of affordable Chromebooks out there, but they range from "good enough for the price" (the $249 Samsung Series 3) to "unacceptably cheap" (the $199 Acer C7). But HP's new 11-inch offering is aiming to raise the bar: the $279 laptop has a more refined look and feel than previous entry-level cloud-based laptops, and it packs the same Micro-USB charger port that charges most non-Apple phones and tablets, which means the included 15-watt Chromebook charger can double as a tablet/phone charger, too. Toss in the ever-evolving capabilities of Google's cloud-based Chrome OS, and you've got the makings of a worthwhile tablet alternative.

Inside, the Chromebook 11 is running a dual-core Samsung Exynos processor -- the same, it seems, as Samsung's own $249 model. It has 16GB of onboard storage, 2GB of RAM, and two USB ports. There's no touch screen, but the 11.6-inch IPS display boasts a decent 1,366x768-pixel resolution, and looks brighter and sharper from various viewing angles than any other budget Chromebook.

Unfortunately, the HP Chromebook 11 loses two niceties found on the earlier Samsung, which remains available for $30 less: there's no SD card slot and no full-size HDMI port. (The Micro-USB charge port also doubles as an HDMI output, but you'll need a special cable to connect to a TV or monitor.) Both of those are pretty important and useful ports. But, it's clear that Google is pushing Chromecast: the Chromebook 11 supports Chromecast, and using it could potentially serve as a wireless alternative to HDMI. But, even with two years of 100GB cloud-based Google Drive storage included, having an extra storage slot via SD card would be helpful. For camera connectivity, you can still connect via USB.

The HP Chromebook 11 comes in both black and white, with very Google-esque red, blue, yellow, or green rubberized accents around the bottom and ringing the keyboard. A rainbow-colored strip lights up on the back, just like the Chromebook Pixel, adding an extra bit of polish. The whole affair feels like an older white or black plastic MacBook in miniature. It's definitely nice to hold and certainly eye-catching, but its plastic construction is more Netbook than rugged laptop. The large clickable touch pad feels comfortable, but the raised keyboard isn't backlit.

Still, that smooth plastic construction feels solid and far more attractive than other similar-priced Chromebooks. Google collaborated more with HP on this design than with previous Samsung and Acer products. And as an advertisement -- or increased brand awareness for Chrome -- this Chromebook has an edge on its predecessors. This is a coming-out party for the Chrome platform, especially on the heels of Chromecast. The Chrome logo looms large on the inside, with "HP" nowhere to be found...unless you look on the bottom.

Stay tuned for a full review. If nothing else, it looks like the low-end Chromebook just got a visual identity to match the Pixel.