HP Chromebook Fortis G1m 11.6" Rugged Clamshell HD Octa-core Review

Look, this HP Fortis Chromebook is a one-trick pony, but it's a pretty good trick. It's a tiny, cheap laptop that's basically a web browser with a keyboard. That's the one thing to know. If you need a device for checking email, using Google Docs, and watching YouTube on the go, and you absolutely cannot spend more than $300, this is it. But you have to understand what you're giving up for that price and portability.

Honestly, nothing about the performance surprised me, which is the point. The MediaTek chip and 8GB of RAM are fine for Chrome tabs, but they land in the bottom quarter of all laptops. It feels exactly as fast as you'd expect a $270 Chromebook to feel: perfectly adequate for basic tasks and frustratingly slow the moment you try to do anything else. The 64GB of storage is a joke, though. You'll be living in the cloud or constantly cleaning house.

At $270, the value is straightforward. It's worth it only if your budget is rock-solid and your needs are minimal. You are buying a portal to the internet, not a real computer. For that specific person, it's a fair deal. For everyone else, it's a waste of money.

Forget the MacBook Pro and gaming laptops on that competitor list; they're in a different universe. A more relevant comparison is any used or refurbished business laptop from a few years ago. For the same $270, you could get an older ThinkPad or Dell Latitude with a much better screen, more storage, and a proper Intel or AMD CPU that can actually run Windows apps. The trade-off is weight and battery life. The Zenbook Duo is also a weird comparison, but it highlights this Chromebook's biggest flaw: you're paying for a screen that's barely functional.

I can only recommend the HP Fortis G1m Chromebook to one person: someone who needs the absolute smallest, cheapest new device possible for web-based school or work, and who already knows and accepts the massive limitations. For 99% of people, even students, saving up another $100-$200 for a better Chromebook or a used Windows laptop is a vastly smarter move. This is a tool for a very specific, very narrow job.