One of the most interesting machines to appear in the last few years have been without a doubt Chromebooks. With basically no one expecting it, they have been gaining ground on the cheap laptop territory, and it has definitely been a new challenge for Microsoft.
So, if you’re Microsoft or any of its partners, how do you compete with Chromebooks? This is the review of the HP Stream 13-c140nr, a machine that might be the answer to that question. Stick around to find out if both HP and Microsoft accomplish what they set out to do.
In depth review of the HP Stream 13-c140nr
Electric blue on a 13.3 inch display
The first thing you’ll notice about the Stream 13-c140nr is its electric blue color, a feature that is very common with these laptops. The body itself is slim, with a white keyboard adorning the base and the usual HP logo both on the back of the display and on the lower front bezel.
The size is a bit larger than usual. This is a 13.3 inch laptop, which sits in a medium-to-small category. The display itself is a touchscreen with a 1366x768 resolution that, while not the highest, it’s still HD and will work for playing videos, for example.
The size will work for longer than average sessions, even a bit friendly for desktop-like use, and the touch capabilities will perform best on Windows 10 than any other computer OS.
Power and multitasking
HP includes an Intel Celeron 3205U processor with the Stream 13-c140nr. This is a low-voltage, entry-level chip designed precisely for machines like this one. As such, with its two cores clocked at 1.5 GHz, it’s suited for office work and multimedia playback (think music, and any sort of video service), but more demanding tasks might slow it down.
Likewise for the multitasking, we have an entry-level spec of 2 GB of SDRAM (DDR3L) available, a spec that is expected thanks to its very low price tag. You’ll be able to have a couple of programs open simultaneously, but heavier sessions will result on loading times.
What games can I play?
As you might’ve guessed by now, gaming is not an option for this machine. It’s simply not what it's meant to do. 2D games and older classics should be playable smoothly, and modern titles with lower requirements like The Sims 4 might be played on lower settings. Further than that, however, is not an option.
Battery life is one of its strongest features
In this review of the HP Stream 13-c140nr one of the most important things to think about is the battery life. HP claims up to 8 hours and 30 minutes without having to plug in. Even if we expect a bit less, that’s a great result for a laptop that’s meant to be portable first and foremost.
Storage and connectivity
On the connectivity department we find very competent capabilities. First, we have one USB 3.0 port and two 2.0 ports available. The audio combo jack and SD card reader are givens, but the HDMI port is a nice surprise that will work great for connecting to an external monitor or even a TV.
Storage wise, we have a speedy 32 GB solid state drive. This might not seem like much, but it’s precisely what these machines are made for, and the fast performance will make the difference. Besides, with today’s enormous SD cards available for very little money, storage shouldn’t be much of a problem.
What’s the verdict?
After reading through the review of the HP Stream 13-c140nr, it’s pretty obvious as we mentioned at the beginning that this is meant to be a Chromebook competitor first and foremost.
The touchscreen capabilities however, coupled with a touch-friendly Windows 10 are a better experience than Chrome OS currently offers. The secret weapon? A year-long subscription of Office-365, which will net you the usual goodies like Word and PowerPoint, something Chromebooks can’t brag about. If you’re looking for an low-cost office-friendly machine, you might’ve just found it.