Following a soft launch in Australia and New Zealand, HP appear to be gearing up to launch their 2nd generation Chromebook 11 internationally.
The official websites for the company in Canada and United Kingdom are carrying listings for the refreshed device and refer to it as the ‘HP Chromebook 11 G2’. The product pages appear to have only been added in recent weeks. A PDF user guide for the device was also only uploaded to the Canadian site on May 8, 2014.
Neither site has the diminutive device directly available for sale (though, incidentally, the product is not listed on the Australian or New Zealand websites).
Dropping The Google
Google played a hands-on role in both design and development of the “original” HP Chromebook 11 (referred to as the ‘G1’ model by HP), with its white chassis and colour accents clearly reflecting the search giant’s own branding.
The notebook, as well as a range of colourful custom accessories to accompany it were sold through the Google Play Store and select online retailers, including Amazon and Best Buy in the US.
Following its launch last year the device was briefly recalled following issues with an overheating charger.
Dropping the difference
The new HP Chromebook 11 G2 is, at first glance, simply a smaller version of the tech company’s 14-inch model.
HP has dropped more than just the stark design and ‘…by Google’ moniker: the vibrant IPS screen that helped the original device stand out has been swapped out for a cheaper matte display similar to the one used in the Samsung Chromebook. Also gone is all reference to Beats Audio.
But where aesthetics and marketing make a point of difference, the insides of the device remain largely identical:
- 11.6″ LED Matte Display at a resolution of 1366×768
- Samsung Exynos 5250 ARM processor @ 1.7GHz
- 2GB RAM
- 16GB SSD
The small selection of ports are also carried over to the G2:
- 2x USB 2.0
- Micro-USB charging port
- Headphone/microphone combo
With a different design build comes a slight variation in weight and dimensions, most notably adding 0.2″ to the height when closed and an extra 0.30kg to the standard weight.
Pricing
The G2 variant is already being sold at retail in Australia, but no official word on the sort of price US, Canadian and UK consumers can expect. We’re hearing it will be ‘aggressive’ and, in certain countries, targeted primarily at education.
For comparison, the older (arguably more tempting model) continues to retail at around $279.00 in the US, $319.99 in Canada and £229.99 in the UK.
- Source: HP, Via Lachlan