Finally: An AMD Chromebook, Courtesy of HP

HP has announced today something long-rumored and hoped for but not actually available in stores: a Chromebook powered by an AMD processor. We saw it for ourselves, the Chrome OS-backed HP Chromebook 14 runs on a dual-core AMD A4-9120 CPU with integrated AMD Radeon R4 graphics. It starts at $269 and arrives later this month.

HP Chromebook 14 Specs

Intel has been holding a firm grasp on the Chromebook CPU space, with most Chromebooks today sporting their Celeron, Pentium or older-generation Core i3 or i5 processors. But HP (as well as Acer) has broken the mold with its latest Chromebook. As a low-cost Chromebook, it’s meant for basic productivity and only runs Android Apps, so you can't expect HP to pack much performance power into the 3.4-pound lightweight. The Chromebook 14’s CPU has a 2.2-GHz clock speed and can reach 2.5 GHz at turbo boost. It has a solid, for a Chromebook, 4GB of memory and integrated AMD graphics.

In-person the laptop was surprisingly light with the thick, rounded edges and the relatively tough exterior of a kid-friendly device but the sleek color and finish of a grown-up PC. HP calls it chalkboard gray with a textured finish. It impressively has not one, but two USB-C ports, for charging and data, and a 180-degree hinge for laying the machine flat. 

HP claims the laptop gets up to 9 hours and 15 minutes of battery life. In addition to its 802.11a/b/g/ac connectivity, the Chromebook also supports MU-MIMO for better internet connectivity.

With AMD under the hood, HP may have just given some Team Red enthusiasts reason to consider a Chromebook as a secondary or kids' device.