The HP Chromebook x360 14 (2021) is a budget convertible Chrome OS laptop with a 360-degree hinge. It has great portability, and its metal top shell and keyboard deck contribute to its good build quality. Its keyboard feels good to type on and doesn't cause fatigue over long periods, while its touchpad tracks movements and gestures well. It's also completely silent since it's fanless, and it doesn't get hot even under load. Its battery can last through a full 8-hour workday before needing to recharge, although you need to bring the power adapter with you if you plan to do any demanding work. It has a reasonable port selection, but you'll still need a dongle for multiple wired peripherals. Unfortunately, its TN panel has a noticeably low resolution, looks washed out, and doesn't get bright enough to overcome glare. Also, its webcam captures an overly bright image, loses out on fine details, and exhibits a fisheye effect that distorts your face in video calls.
Our model of the HP Chromebook x360 14 has a dual-core Intel Celeron N4500, integrated Intel UHD Graphics, 4GB of RAM, and 32GB of eMMC storage. You can get it with the quad-core Intel Pentium Silver N6000, and you can also upgrade the RAM to 8GB, both of which will provide a better multitasking experience. There are also larger 64GB and 128GB eMMC storage options. While the higher-end options may be too much for casual users who use Chrome OS for the lightweight experience, the extra performance overhead might be useful when running demanding Linux apps. Additionally, you can upgrade the screen to a sharper 1080p IPS panel, which we expect will have significantly better viewing angles than the TN display.
Our Verdict
The HP Chromebook x360 14 is alright for school use. Its great portability and good build quality mean you can easily carry it around in a bag without worrying about it getting jostled. Unfortunately, its sub-par max brightness and disappointing reflection handling mean you can't see the contents of the screen while outdoors during the day. Also, its webcam is too bright, loses fine details, and has a slight fisheye effect that distorts your face. On the bright side, its keyboard and touchpad feel good to use, and its battery lasts over eight hours of light productivity before needing to plug it in. You can also buy the HP Active Pen separately to take notes directly on the screen.
- Excellent portability, and lightweight plastic-and-metal build.
- Battery lasts a little over 8 hours of light productivity.
- Keyboard feels good to type on and doesn't cause fatigue.
- Screen isn't bright enough to overcome glare.
- Webcam could distort your face in video calls.
- Keyboard isn't backlit.
The HP Chromebook x360 14 is a poor laptop for gaming. Its display maxes out at 60Hz and doesn't support any variable refresh rate technology. There aren't any upgradeable parts, and it's only available with power-efficient Intel Celeron or Pentium Silver CPUs without an option for a dedicated GPU, so it can't properly run graphically demanding games. Also, it runs Chrome OS, so it isn't compatible with DirectX games developed for Windows.
- Doesn't get hot and stays silent under load.
- Only available with power-efficient CPUs and no dedicated GPUs.
- Can't run DirectX games.
- Screen maxes out at 60Hz with no VRR support.
- No upgradeable parts.
The HP Chromebook x360 14 is sub-par for multimedia use. Its speakers don't get very loud, and since they fire upwards through the keyboard deck, audio can sound muffled if you watch content in tablet mode. Its TN screen's low pixel density means you can see individual pixels even from a normal distance. It also doesn't get very bright, looks washed out, and doesn't handle reflections very well, so it isn't a good choice for use in bright environments. We suggest you opt for variants with the sharper 1080p IPS panel if you care about image quality. Fortunately, it's easy to carry around, and its battery comfortably lasts through three feature-length films before you need to recharge.
- Excellent portability, and lightweight plastic-and-metal build.
- Can be used in tablet mode.
- Battery lasts through three feature-length films.
- Screen isn't bright enough to overcome glare.
- Display looks washed out, with a disappointing contrast ratio.
- TN panel has poor viewing angles.
- Speakers don't get very loud.
The HP Chromebook x360 14 is poor for use as a workstation. While its Intel Celeron or Pentium Silver CPUs are more than enough to run the OS smoothly, they aren't meant to run demanding workloads like 3D rendering or large physics simulations. Also, its eMMC storage drive is slow to read and write data, and there aren't any replaceable parts.
- Doesn't get hot and stays silent under load.
- Only available with power-efficient CPUs and no dedicated GPUs.
- Can't run x86 programs.
- Slow eMMC drive.
- No replaceable parts.
The HP Chromebook x360 14 is passable for business use. It has great portability, with a metal top shell and keyboard deck that feel well built. Its keyboard has a good amount of travel and doesn't cause fatigue even over extended periods of use, and the touchpad tracks movements and gestures well. Also, its battery lasts through a full 8-hour workday of light productivity. However, its port selection is only alright, so you'll likely need to use a dongle or hub for multiple wired peripherals. Unfortunately, its webcam is too bright, and its fisheye effect can distort your face in video conferences.
- Excellent portability, and lightweight plastic-and-metal build.
- Battery lasts a little over 8 hours of light productivity.
- Keyboard feels good to type on and doesn't cause fatigue.
- Screen isn't bright enough to overcome glare.
- Webcam could distort your face in video calls.
- USB hub or dongle necessary for multiple wired peripherals.
- Difficult to service.
Changelog
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Updated Aug 29, 2025:
Added mention of the Lenovo Chromebook Duet Gen 9 11 (2024) as a more compact alternative in the Portability section.
- Updated Oct 27, 2023: Added mention of the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i Chromebook 14 (2023) as an alternative with longer battery life in the Battery section.
- Updated Jul 17, 2023: Added mention of the ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5 14 (2021) as an alternative with a brighter display in the Brightness section.
- Updated Feb 24, 2023: Added mention of the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 (2022) as an alternative with a better webcam in the Webcam and Microphone section.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the HP Chromebook x360 14 (2021) with an Intel Celeron N4500 CPU, integrated Intel UHD Graphics, 4GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage in the Natural Silver color scheme. The CPU and integrated GPU, RAM, storage, and color scheme are configurable; see the table below for more options. It's closely related to the HP Chromebook x360 12 (2021), which is the 12 inch model with a 3:2 touchscreen display and similarly performing CPUs. There are other 14 inch models of this laptop, like the Chromebook x360 14a and Chromebook 14c, but they have different chassis designs and use CPUs with different architectures. To avoid confusion, our review only applies to variants with the model number "14b-cb".
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Our display and performance results are only valid for the configuration we tested. If you come across a different configuration option not listed above, or you have a similar HP x360 14 Chromebook that doesn't correspond to our review, let us know, and we'll update it. Some tests, like black uniformity and color accuracy, may vary between individual units.
You can see our unit's label here.
Popular Laptop Comparisons
The ASUS X515 (2020) is a Windows laptop that can only be used in regular clamshell mode, while the HP Chromebook x360 14 (2021) is a 2-in-1 convertible device that runs Chrome OS. The HP provides a better user experience that's likely better for school or business use as it feels significantly sturdier, its keyboard has more travel and better-quality keys, its touchpad tracks significantly better, and its webcam and microphone are better. Also, the HP's battery lasts much longer. On the other hand, you can get the ASUS with significantly better-performing internals, including a quad-core Intel Core i7 CPU, dedicated entry-level NVIDIA GPUs, and much faster PCIe NVMe SSDs. You can get both laptops with much better-performing 1080p IPS displays if you don't like the 720p TN panel option.
The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 (2020) and the HP Chromebook x360 14 (2021) are both 2-in-1 convertible devices running Chrome OS. Either laptop might be better for you, depending on your needs; the HP has a longer-lasting battery, a much better-tracking touchpad, and much better-sounding speakers, while its USB-C ports support display output. You can get it with a 1080p IPS display if you don't like the 720p TN model. On the other hand, the Lenovo laptop has a much better webcam and microphone, which will make you look better in online classes or video conferences.
The HP Chromebook x360 14 (2021) and the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 (2020) are both Chrome OS devices with 360-degree hinges, but the Acer is a better laptop overall. The Acer's 3:2 aspect ratio screen is taller, so you don't have to scroll as much, and it has a significantly higher resolution, gets brighter, and is more colorful. Its speakers, webcam, and microphone are also much better. Also, the Acer has an HDMI port, gets significantly better battery life, and is available with a variety of high-performance Intel CPUs. The HP is completely silent since it's fanless, and it doesn't get hot even under load.
The Lenovo Chromebook C340 15 (2020) and the HP Chromebook x360 14 (2021) are both Chrome OS devices with 360-degree hinges that you can use in tablet mode. However, the Lenovo is a better laptop overall, with a significantly longer-lasting battery, a better-quality build, more neutral-sounding speakers, and a superior webcam. Also, its touchpad tracks movements and gestures better, the keyboard feels better to type on because it has a good amount of travel and a noticeable tactile bump, and there's also a Numpad. On the other hand, the HP's microphone records better-sounding audio, and it stays completely silent even under load since it's fanless.
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