HP Chromebook X2 Detachabley Terrific

So we have made it to a place in time where Chromebooks can run Android applications as natively as a Google Pixel 2, it is only natural that we’re starting to see detachable, hybrid Chromebooks that double as tablets.

Now HP is leading the charge in the 2-in-1 detachable Chromebook space with its Chromebook x2. Like the HP Spectre x2 before it, the HP Chromebook x2 is a thin and lightweight tablet that can be magnetically hinged to and unhinged from its included keyboard at will. That’s where the similarities end between the HP Chromebook x2 and its Windows-based predicessors.

HP is making Chrome OS devices that can do away with the keyboard. It just unveiled the Chromebook x2, a 12.3-inch laptop that’s really a detachable tablet — unlike the earlier Chromebook x360, you can leave the keyboard behind instead of merely flipping it behind the screen (though you can do that too). There’s an included pen for note-taking and sketching, and you’ll find a 13-megapixel rear camera on top of a more conventional 5-megapixel front shooter.

Hows it Running?

The Chromebook x2 has a Core m3 processor from Intel’s prior generation of Kaby Lake chips, 4GB of RAM (it can be configured with 8GB, too), 32GB of storage, a 2400 x 1600 resolution, stereo speakers, a 5-megapixel front camera, a 13-megapixel rear camera, two USB-C ports, a microSD card slot, a headphone jack, and an estimated 10.5 hours of battery life. It weighs a little bit more than an iPad Pro, and it’s a little bit thicker than an iPad Pro, but not by much.

HP also emphasized that the keyboard was designed to hold firmly enough to the tablet that it should feel like a clamshell laptop when the two are connected. I haven’t seen the Chromebook x2 in person, but HP’s images make it look relatively nice. While the Chromebook x2 looks like a bargain compared to the iPad, it’s expensive for a Chromebook, which people often buy for around $300.

The Final Thought

So if you’re looking for a more premium Chromebook, and you don’t want to shell out $1,000 for Google’s Pixelbook, the Chromebook x2 seems like a potentially interesting middle-ground. But we won’t know for sure until it comes out later this summer on June 10th.