We love Android here at Ausdroid (not surprising news I know), but that’s not the extent of our passions and interests. If Android hold first place in out techno hearts I will wager that Chrome OS comes a close second for many of the writers here at Ausdroid, I fell in love with Chromebooks during my first review.
You may recall some rumours about a new Pixel, or a premium HP Chromebook? Like Nexus for Android, the Pixel line has been the go to enthusiast device for Chrome OS devotes. Today that may have begun to change with the official release of the HP 13″ G1 Chromebook.
The HP G1 is a 13″ premium Chromebook with an impressive list of specs. The laptop has a brushed aluminium finish, backlit keys and may even have the Pixel signature colour strip on its lid, however, from the images it appears that this strip may just be a routed section of the casing. Overall the HP G1 has:
- 13″ LCD FHD (1920 x 1080) or QDH (3200 x 1800)
- Intel Processor: Pentium Dual Core, Core M3, Core M5 or Core M7
- 4, 8 or 16 GB of RAM
- 32 GB on board storage [EDIT] 1 multi-format digital media reader (Supports SD, SDHC, SDXC up to UHS-I.)
- HD (720p) webcam
- B&O Play speakers
- 2 x USB C, 1 X USB A ports
- WiFi and Bluetooth not listed
- Cellular connectivity is not an option
- 45 Whe Li-ion 3-cell Polymer battery
- 22 cm long x 32 cm wide x 1.27cm think
- 1.22 kg
- Chrome OS
It’s unclear how many SKU’s there will be of the HP G1, for instance, are all 4 processor types available in both screen resolutions? Or at a certain point do you get a faster processor AND a higher resolution monitor? The HP G1 is not officially available for sale yet so we will be watching to see how this works out. From the external images it also looks like there is no dedicated power in port, so like the Pixel line before it, the HP G1 looks like it will charge via USB C.[EDIT} According to HP Africa the HP 13 G1 comes with 1 multi-format digital media reader (Supports SD, SDHC, SDXC up to UHS-I.) The images also reveal what looks to be like a SD card slot and a standard 3.5mm headphone jack.
The actual laptop is only half the story. The HP G1 is being positioned as a business device under Google Chrome for Work banner. As part of the overall package, HP is also offering their Elite USB C docking station that allows for simple connection to 2 external monitors, 5 USB Ports (4 x USB A and 1 x USB C) and an RJ 45 LAN port.
Overall this is a very tempting package and with the rumours of Android Apps soon to be easily accessible on Chrome OS devices I for one am seriously looking at this device.
As for Australian availability we’ve reached out to HP Australia to find out if they have plans for launching the HP Chromebook 13 G1 here in Australia, we will report back when/if we hear something.
Update: HP Australia have advised that the Chromebook 13 G1 will not be coming to Australia, the unit is intended only for the US market
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How does this Chromebook stack up for you? Let us know in the comments.
Just picked up the Dell Chromebook 13 through their Australia channel, nice high-end capability and direct Australian support. Vote with your consumer $, if you want the industry to supply locally.
Seems like it would be more sensible to up the onboard storage and allow the possibility of dual boot – chromebook and windows.
Hell, spot of Hackintosh and you could have triple boot in a nice package.
This is great news. Good to see mid-high range Chromebooks. Shame the consumer side in Australia is pretty much dead. 🙁
I’d be very interested to hear if HP Australia get back to you about local availability. The only other thing I want to know is whether the keyboard is backlit. In any case, this laptop looks like a good balance of performance and premium build. Hopefully the Aussie price is OK too.
Unfortunately Adam we just heard back and it looks like HP won’t be bringing these to Australia, they’re a US-only launch. I’ve updated the article with that information at the end.
Bugger. Looks like our chromebook market really is in dire straights this year. Thanks for getting back to me. Hopefully Amazon ship it here.
Well great that they came back, sad about the availability.
It sounds like a nice device, I like the ‘docking station’ and the overall design.
Hi Adam, in answer to your other question the keyboard is backlit. Even without an AU release I’ll be keeping a close eye on the SKUs, I might break my no grey import resolution for this one.