HP just announced two new 2-in-1 Chromebooks, the 12 and 14-inch Chromebook x360 (numbered 12b and 14b), which sport metallic keyboard decks and Bang & Olufsen branded audio.
The 12-inch HP Chromebook x360 12b sports a 3:2 aspect display that HP marks calls HD+, which we're guessing is larger than 1280×720 (technically HD) but not as big as 1920×1080 (Full HD). The HP Chromebook x360 14b's display is HD. Both support touch input, so they're going to be good for Android emulation.
Coming later this month, the Chromebook x360 12b costs $359 and the Chromebook x360 14b costs $379. HP's own Rechargeable USI Pen will be available in November for $70. work with the laptops' magnetic pen dock.
These are the first HP Chromebooks with support for USI (Universal Stylus Input), the first open standard for active stylus protocols, which seeks to make more styli work with other laptops. HP and Google are the two companies with any brand presence in America listed on the USI's press release.
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In terms of battery life, the 12-inch model is rated for up to 12 hours of battery life while the larger, 14-inch Chromebook x360 is expected to last up to 10 hours. Both Chromebooks run on a Celeron N4000 CPU and include 4GB of RAM and 32GB of eMMC storage. Pentium CPU and storage upgrades (up to 128GB) will be available.
You don't need to worry about these laptops getting too loud (on their own) as HP's built them with a fanless design. Our laps can't wait to see how that works with heat management.
