Today, AMD has announced that it's bringing a few of its high-end chips to Chromebooks, including the Ryzen line. HP is one of the first partners to take advantage of the computing platform on Chrome OS and has taken the opportunity to launch its first Ryzen-powered Chromebook, the HP Pro c645. The company additionally gives us a look at the first Chromebox in a while, the HP Chromebox G3, but this one comes with Intel chips.
HP Pro c645 Chromebook
HP's new laptop doesn't look too different from its other recent Chromebooks. Its understated body is silver all-around, and when you open it, you'll find a keyboard flanked by two speakers, with a touchpad underneath it. The 16:9 14-inch screen has a resolution of 1366 x 786 or 1920 x 1080 — touch is optional. The inside is all-new for Chromebooks, though: The Pro c645 comes with AMD's high-end processors. You'll be able to choose between an Athlon Silver 3050C, Athlon Gold 3150C, AMD Ryzen 3 3250C, AMD Ryzen 5 3500C, or an AMD Ryzen 7 3700C. This laptop is definitely a much better setup than last year's first AMD-powered HP Chromebook 14-db0030nr, but it'll probably also be more expensive.
SPECS
|
Display |
14" Diagonal HD AG (1366 x 768) Narrow Bezel |
|
Software |
Chrome OS |
|
Processors |
AMD Athlon Silver 3050C, AMD Athlon Gold 3150C, AMD Ryzen 3 3250C, AMD Ryzen 5 3500C, AMD Ryzen 7 3700C |
|
RAM |
4 GB/8 GB/16 GB DDR4 |
|
Storage |
32 GB/64 GB eMMc or 128 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD |
|
Battery |
3C 58 Whr, up to 10.5 hours battery life, Optional Fast Charge |
|
Keyboard |
Optional Backlit Keyboard, full-size, spill-resistant; integrated lattice |
|
Ports and Connectivity |
2 USB Super Speed Type-C 5Gbps signaling rate (USB Power Delivery, DisplayPort 1.2); 2 Super Speed USB Type-A 5Gbps signaling rate; 1 headphone/microphone combo; 1 HDMI 1.4 Combo Headphone/Mic; 1 microSD, Nano Kensington Security Lock Slot |
|
Miscellaneous |
HD camera with dual mic and privacy shutter, Titan C chip, optional fingerprint sensor |
|
Dimensions |
323.6 mm x 221.0 mm x 16.5 mm, 1.54kg (3.39lbs) |
The port selection is generous: You'll get two USB-A ports alongside two USB-C slots, and there's a full-size HDMI 1.4 connector. You can also extend storage via microSD, and you can plug in a Kensington security lock. A fingerprint reader sits next to the touchpad, which should help with seamless logins. Wi-Fi 6 support is also on board. The fast-charging 58 Whr battery is rated to last up to 10.5 hours, though independent testing will have to confirm that.
The big question remains pricing. HP will start selling the Pro c645 in early December and will only share what the configurations will cost closer to that date. The laptop will also be sold to businesses as an Enterprise variant.
While HP might be the first manufacturer to announce AMD Ryzen-based Chromebooks, we could soon see similar announcements from Asus and Lenovo.
HP Chromebox Enterprise G3
If your computing needs are mostly stationary, but you don't want or need a regular Windows or Mac machine, you might be interested in the new Chromebox G3 instead, the first of its kind in a while. It's a small 1.3lb (600g) box that should fit any desk. It comes with 10th-gen Intel processors (ranging from Pentium to i7), up to 16GB of RAM, and up to 128GB of storage. It doesn't have Wi-Fi 6, but you can connect it via Ethernet instead. On the back of the black box, you'll also find three USB-A 3.2 slots, one USB-A 2.0 slot, one USB Type-C 3.2 connector, 2 HDMI ports (up to 4K@60fps), a microSD slot, and an audio/mic combo. The Chromebox will be available from October, starting at $254.