HP Chromebook 15.6 (2023) review: Good enough for the price

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The latest HP Chromebook 15.6 is the most average laptop that’s worth considering. It doesn’t have top-of-the-line specifications or a great display but the overall package is something that would appeal to many, especially school students. If you are considering buying a Chromebook under Rs 30,000, you should consider the new HP Chromebook 15.6. Here’s why.

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The HP Chromebook 15.6 is built out of plastic, like other devices in the price segment. It weighs 1.69kg, which is light enough for a laptop this size. The laptop is bulky to hold due to the thick chassis. It doesn’t feel premium but that makes sense given the price tag. I like the Treal Forrest colour variant as it stands out from the crowd and offers a more vibrant look and style to the laptop. But it’s not disturbingly teal all over the body – the keyboard comes in a silver finish with black keys.

The HP Chromebook 15.6 features a slew of ports that includes (2xUSB-C with PD, 1xheadphone/microphone combo, SD card reader and 1xUSB-A). The port selection is decent, and I have no complaints here. The hinge is solid and doesn’t flex.

The new HP Chromebook features a 15.6-inch display with an HD resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. The company labels it as a “micro-edge” display – a term used to describe thin bezels but the Chromebook 15.6 has thick bezels and offers an 80 percent screen-to-body ratio. The display supports 45 percent colorgamut in the NTSC colour scope. It supports s50 nits brightness, which should be fine while working indoors.

The display is average at best as the colours are muted and feel washed out most of the time. The viewing angles aren’t great either. However, I like the fact that this is an anti-glare display so I don’t see my face reflection on it in certain situations. While the speakers are serviceable, I don’t recommend consuming content on this display, unless it’s needed.

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The HP Chromebook 15.6 is powered by an Intel Celeron N4500 processor, paired with 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM and 128GB of eMMC storage. HP is offering 100GB of Google Drive storage for the first year. The specs might seem humble but a ChromeOS laptop doesn’t need high-end processors to run smoothly.

I used the HP Chromebook 15.6 mainly for writing and editing purposes. This includes having 10+ tabs open on Chrome while juggling between Slack and Teams. I could get my work done but the laptop isn’t fast. That being said, I had no major hiccups with it. ChromeOS runs smoothly and is ideal for school students whose work revolves around web apps like Google Docs.

Unlike Windows, you don’t get full-fledged desktop apps on ChromeOS. This means, applications like Microsoft Word, Notepad and Powerpoint are missing but HP is offering Microsoft 365 (the web version of Microsoft Office) for free. You won’t feel limited in any way. I like the fact that it offers a way to transfer data from the phone to a laptop conveniently with the HP Quickdrop app.

Plus, ChromeOS lets you sync your Android phone with the laptop, so your images on Google Photos can also be viewed on the laptop. It also allows parents to manage this laptop for their kids with the Android Family Link feature.

The HP Chromebook 15.6 houses a full-sized, spread-out keyboard with a separate number pad. The keys are tight and have a good feel on the keypress. If your work involves a lot of typing, you won’t be disappointed. This is a good laptop to type on. However, it doesn’t have a backlight, which I feel is a must on any laptop keyboard because it helps immensely when working in low light.

You also get shortcut keys for screenshots, volume, showing opened windows, quick menu and more. These can be helpful once you bring them to your workflow. Coming to the trackpad, it’s large but positioned more on the left side of the palm rest. Like the rest of the laptop, it is made out of plastic as well. The webcam is below average but serviceable for attending online classes.

The HP Chromebook 15.6 continuously lasted 4.5 to 5.5 hours in my three weeks testing period. It’s an average battery life for a laptop this size, and I'm fine with it because I can plug in the type-C charger, and don’t need to carry the proprietary charger everywhere I go.

At Rs 28,999, the HP Chromebook 15.6 (2023) offers a good value for students. It comes with an average display, good performance and keyboard, solid build with recycled plastic, and average battery life. If you are a parent looking for a laptop for their child, the HP Chromebook 15.6 (2023) is worth considering.

If you want a device to primarily consume content and work second, I recommend getting a tablet instead. The Xiaomi Pad 5 and iPad 9th Gen could be good alternatives but you’ll have to spend extra on the keyboard accessory. If you want a full-fledged laptop with a primary focus on getting work done using web apps, the HP Chromebook 15.6 (2023) is the way to go.