It's hard for Chromebooks to stand out when they all have the same easy-to-use OS. In the case of HP's Chromebook 11 G4 , a satisfying keyboard and solid build quality help distinguish it from the pack. In the 11-inch category, however, this Chromebook has some stiff competition when it comes to battery life.
Design
The HP Chromebook 11 G4 appears modern and minimalist, with its two-toned color palette and rounded edges. The computer's lid is a sleek matte black, with HP's silver logo standing out in stark contrast and a Chrome logo in the top-left corner. The bottom of the case has a textured finish, which makes it grippy enough to carry in one hand while it's closed.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The Chromebook 11 G4's keyboard provides a fairly good typing experience. The keys are spaced out well -- going almost to the edge of the chassis -- and the matte plastic keys are comfortable to type on. The keys have only 1.3 millimeters of travel, which is a bit shallow for our taste (1.5 mm and up is better). However, they require 56 grams of force to press, which makes them feel fairly clicky.
Performance
The version of the HP Chromebook 11 G4 that we tested features an Intel Celeron Processor N2840 paired with 4GB of RAM (the base model comes with 2GB). The laptop turned in mixed performance in various benchmarks, but the extra RAM should improve your experience.
While writing in a Google Doc and streaming video from YouTube, I had to open 16 tabs in Chrome before I saw any serious stuttering in performance. Those who buy a configuration with 2GB probably won't be able to perform as many tasks at once without seeing a performance hit.