HP Chromebook 14" HD Student 2022 Review

So, you're looking at the HP 14" Chromebook. This isn't a powerhouse, and it doesn't pretend to be. It's a simple, straightforward laptop built for one thing: getting online and getting things done. If your daily routine is built around a web browser—checking email, writing docs in Google Drive, streaming videos—this Chromebook is designed specifically for that world. It runs Chrome OS, which is basically the Chrome browser as an operating system, so everything feels fast and familiar right out of the box. What makes this one interesting, or maybe a bit confusing, is the spec sheet. It lists Windows 11 S, but the highlights clearly describe Chrome OS. That's a pretty big discrepancy. For this review, we're going to assume it's actually a Chromebook, because that's what the hardware is built for. A Celeron processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage are classic entry-level Chromebook specs. The backlit keyboard is a nice surprise at this price point, though. This is a laptop for students on a tight budget, or for anyone who needs a dedicated second machine for the couch or kitchen. It's for basic tasks, and it knows it.

Let's talk about what that Intel Celeron N4120 and 4GB of RAM can actually do. In the world of Chromebooks, this setup is perfectly adequate for the basics. You can have a dozen browser tabs open, stream a 1080p YouTube video, and work on a Google Doc without much fuss. The CPU lands in the 36th percentile, which tells you it's on the slower end, but for web-based apps, it's enough. The integrated Intel UHD Graphics 600 is fine for decoding video, but that's it. Its 42nd percentile ranking confirms it's not for anything graphical. Don't even think about gaming or photo editing. The real performance bottleneck, and it's a big one, is the storage. That 64GB eMMC drive is painfully slow and fills up fast. It's in the 6th percentile, which is about as bad as it gets. Installing more than a couple of Android apps from the Play Store will have you managing storage constantly. Boot-up and app launches will feel snappy at first, but that small, slow storage will become the most noticeable drag on your experience over time.

Here's the tricky part: the price. Our data shows this model selling anywhere from $157 to a staggering $569 across different vendors. That's a $412 spread, which is wild. At the low end, around $160, this Chromebook is a justifiable purchase for its intended use. You're getting a functional machine for web stuff and a backlit keyboard. But as you creep toward $200, and definitely by $300, it becomes a terrible deal. For $569, it's frankly a scam. You could buy a much more capable Windows laptop or a better Chromebook with a 1080p screen and more storage for that money. Always, always shop around. The vendor selling it for $157 is the only one offering anything close to a fair price. Anyone asking for more is banking on you not knowing how limited this hardware really is.

The listed 'top competitors' like the MacBook Pro and Legion gaming laptops are laughably mismatched. They're in a different universe. For a real comparison, look at other budget Chromebooks like the Lenovo Chromebook 3 or the Acer Chromebook 314. Those often offer 1080p screens and sometimes 8GB of RAM for similar or lower prices than the high end of this HP's range. The trade-off is they might not have a backlit keyboard. If you can stretch your budget just a bit, those alternatives provide a massively better daily experience with a sharper screen and more room to multitask. Compared to a basic Windows laptop in the $300 range, this HP Chromebook loses on versatility but wins on simplicity and speed for pure web tasks. Windows laptops at that price often have similar mediocre specs but can run full desktop programs, which is a plus if you need that.

If you can find this exact HP 14" Chromebook for $160 or less, and you need a no-fuss machine strictly for web browsing, school essays, and video calls, it's an okay choice. The backlit keyboard is its best feature. But you have to go in with eyes wide open: the screen is bad, the storage is tiny and slow, and 4GB of RAM is a constant limitation. For anyone else, especially if the price you see is over $200, walk away. Spend a little more time looking or a little more money upfront. A Chromebook with a 1080p screen and 8GB of RAM will feel like a modern computer, not a compromised tool. This HP is for a very specific, very budget-conscious person who values that keyboard light above all else.