HP Chromebook 14: What Reddit Actually Thinks

They didn't cut anything short. The 10 year standard for AUP was only introduced last year. A Chromebook made in 2018 may or may not have been extended, this model wasn't.

Chromebooks are fairly low margin products, typically sold in high volume to educational institutions. I just don't think there's a large enough market for people who want more premium Chromebooks who are willing to spend $600+.

Nobody seems to have mentioned this: the HP 14-ca061dx is one of the 2017 Intel Apollo Lake platform devices with original AUE date of June 2024 but included in the list of devices eligible via opt in for extended updates through June 2027. The tradeoff is the loss of Android support.

You can get a significantly better device for similar, or even less, money.

10 years of support was added in 2023. They promised any newer device starting 2023 will get 10 years. They went beyond and added many older devices to that 10 year list. Then they started adding 1 to 3 years to a lot of older Chromebooks that have good processors/ram — it was not 10 years but it still hit 7-9 years for older devices.

I have this one, after about 3 years of daily use the protective finish is coming off the trackpad, it's still a trooper, you can load Linux and use the play store, the only issue I have if you're using the Spotify app and try to surf the music stutters. Besides that, I use it daily for work and play.

Based on the identifying information provided, this is a 2017 entry level model with an N3350 Celeron processor and 4GB RAM that may struggle today if you open multiple Chrome tabs and would never have been described as being powerful enough for gaming.

For 100 more dollars you could have gotten the hp x360 chromebook plus. Double the ram, better processor, and hd touch screen.

It is my first Chromebook. One of the big issues people have with Chromebooks are their sub par screens, which made me quite nervous. Personally the screen is more than good enough for me. 1366x768 is not HD, but I find it acceptable.

That's up to you, if you like it, it's worth it.

Chromebooks will go into 'power-saving' mode if the battery is bad — the CPU will be stuck at the lowest speed possible. The symptoms you describe are consistent with a Chromebook that has no battery in it. With the age of the device, and a report that it wasn't even used for a couple years, the battery is likely bad even if it charges to 100%.

Got a refurbished one for $40 simply for typing documents. Weird times.

I bought this model UK version on a special offer from HP for the equivalent of $169 about two years ago. Mine is 4GB ram, 64GB storage, a basic Intel processor. It was a great buy for me at the time, as a replacement for my iPad Mini 2 16GB that was out of support. I use it for daily Web browsing, watching YouTube, Gmail, Google Drive, Photos.

The AUE date on this Chromebook is June 2024. You'll still be able to use it after that date, but you'll no longer get updates to the Chrome operating system.

I use a lot of GSheets with multiple sheets. I've found that the GSheets are slow to open on Celeron Chromebooks — much faster on my Chromebooks with updated processors and 8GB RAM.

I have the HP 14 in the coral color — when I got mine it looked red to me, not pink. But the device itself performs solidly for my needs.

If your school is a Google Classroom school that is a decent pick. Check Amazon Canada. The 2021 edition will be updating until 2027 so is a good choice there. Google has a 6 year update cycle for ChromeOS.

I like it a lot apart from the flex in the chassis that allows for mouse touch-pad activities to happen when I'm not touching the touchpad. When on my thighs, and I've reclined with my knees up, I'm probably using a palm to hold the HP from sliding under gravity. The palm is an inch to the left or right of the touchpad, yet I can see that ChromeOS thinks I'm pressing it.

Really, Chromebooks can be very nice. It's just most people are used to the cheapies. If you buy this Chromebook and come to hate it, remember, it's the hardware, not the OS. I would buy a better one if your budget can be stretched any further.

Chromebook 'plus', if it can be found under budget, is always a better choice for Chromebook as that is Google certification for better hardware performance.

A Windows laptop with the same CPU would EOL on October 14, 2025 (Windows 10) as Windows 11 does not support Apollo Lake, so ChromeOS is actually ahead. Android consumes so much RAM these days that people with 4GB ChromeOS devices should consider disabling Android for speed.

My 1st Chromebook, wanted to try it out and see if I would like. I bought this a month ago when it was on sale for this same price. I use Spotify website to listen to music and have no issues while using this Chromebook with at times 2 or 3 tabs open for over 6-7 hours 3 or 4 days out the week. Also it has awesome battery life!

Some of these cheap deals come with an old Celeron processor, for example the N3350 on the HP, which my current model also has. That's something to be aware of when comparing deals.

Performance is great. Display is adequate, but dim at times. I used the 14 exclusively my last semester in college and had no problems for regular coursework. There were some statistical programs that I had to use a Windows machine for, but for simple word processing and email and multi-tab usage it's fine!

I have the 2020 version. It won't play YouTube past 480p. You can't have more than 3 doc tabs open. Its horrid.

I've used the HP Chromebook for 10 years, I love mine.

Same here, maybe not 10 years, but well worth the money.

I have the 2020 model and it loses connection to the internet periodically. Shutting the lid then reopening it temporarily fixes it. Also color temperature, non adjustable, is not good for watching video in my opinion. However, it is quite a fast little machine when it does work.

As a computer technician for schools throughout the US, I've seen a lot of HPs having terrible screw anchors which damages the hinges, top cover and even the bottom cover or palmrest. Also other issues such as motherboard failures.

They tend to be lower quality and break more often than other brands. They also seem to put less effort into motherboard component efficiency. Often you will see an HP Chromebook stutter where other Chromebooks of the same specs won't.

It's capable but not worth EUR 350. I'd pay $250 for that spec.

If you're right (Chromebook was shipped with a broken wifi stack) this is a mess any ordinary user won't just be able to fix on their own.

I have the exact same model and I have no issues (except the low fps from Linux mods).

I love mine. It sold me on Chromebooks. Perfect for taking to campus to take notes, research, do word processing, etc. And a GREAT battery life. I only got the Dell 11 because the HP 14 can be heavy with textbooks in my backpack and the smaller size can have its perks when traveling — I still use the HP 14 more at home though.

Premium Chromebooks just don't sell well because to the average consumer the moniker 'Chromebook' insinuates a low performance computer that is severely limited. While this certainly isn't true anymore, it's the perception that remains.

I would suspect you have an old device that came with a small amount of RAM and has a weak processor. With these old devices, it's best to turn off Android and Play Store — you will get much better performance.

Something is very wrong. No Chromebook should be that slow. My guess is bad chrome extensions. Try logging into guest mode. If that's faster, then extensions are your problem. Fully delete them all, remove Android apps and Playstore, then do a power wash.

I got rid of the play store and Android apps, it is running smoother now which is nice.

Yes buy it! That one looks really, really good! Chromebooks are for everyone! So buying this will ensure you have a great schooling experience.

Should be plenty of power for a Linux based device to browse the internet. I survived with FAR less on a Windows machine that had less power and more age.

I have one, pretty good laptop. It's more like a tablet but it's fast. I made a Linux laptop out of it but it's hard to find anything on it. If you want the most bang for your buck it's worth it.

I would rather buy a better one used.