HP has taken to this year’s BETT event in London to unveil one Chromebook operating with Intel inside and another with AMD, bringing the two chip giants head-to-head for students and teachers alike. Aside from a few internal differences, however, the HP Chromebook 11 G8 EE and HP Chromebook 11A G8 EE are effectively the same.
Both the Intel and AMD variant of the HP Chromebook 11 G8 EE is an 11.6-inch Chromebook geared toward education. That starts with an identical ruggedized platform, complete with pick-proof full-skirted anchored keys. The keyboard housing those keys is spill-resistant too. That’s up to 350ml — 12-ounces — of spill-through protection as well as the ability to survive a good wipedown with common household cleaning wipes.
Not only is both the Intel and AMD version of this Chromebook additionally certified to withstand HP’s own Total Test Process and MIL-STD 810G testing. HP also ensures it can survive drop tests from up to 76cm — around 30-inches — and onto wood from 122cm — around 4-feet.
HP says its Chromebook 11 G8 and 11A G8 are the thinnest rugged Chromebooks on the market. Both are being shown in two colors with textured back-plates intended to make them harder to drop, to begin with. Those colors are Pebble Gray and Sage Green.
Two HP Chromebooks that aren’t quite identical
There are three key areas where the HP Chromebook 11 G8 EE and HP Chromebook 11A G8 EE differ though. Namely, that’s in terms of the RAM, wireless connection tech, graphics, and the processor.
The former device is all Intel on the inside. Buyers can pick between an Intel Celeron N4000, N4020, N4100, or N4120 processor, gradually stepping up in performance depending on what’s needed. That chip will, in any case, be backed up by 8GB of LPDDR4-2400 SDRAM — compared to the DDR4-1866 SDRAM found in the AMD machine.
For graphics, the HP Chromebook 11 G8 EE packs in integrated Intel UHD Graphics 600. The AMD-powered Chromebook 11A G8 EE from HP utilizes either AMD Radeon R5 Graphics or AMD Radeon R4 Graphics. For AMD fans, that’s going to depend on the chipset chosen. The HP Chromebook 11A G8 EE comes with either an AMD A4-9120C APU or an AMD A6-9220C APU.
For connectivity, both devices feature range-extending HP tech, MU-MIMO, and Chromecast support. The Intel machine is driven by an Intel Dual-Band Wireless-AC 9560 chip with slightly better Bluetooth — Bluetooth 5.0. HP’s AMD machine packs in Qualcomm’s Wi-Fi 5 chip coupled with Bluetooth 4.2.
Specs
Aside from processors, RAM, and wireless technologies, the Intel-powered HP Chromebook 11 G8 EE and AMD-driven 11A G8 EE are all but identical. But for those who need a deeper run-down of the specifications for these Chrome OS gadgets, here they are — as provided by HP.
HP Chromebook 11 G8 EE
| Available Operating System | Chrome OS |
| Processor Family | Intel® Celeron® processor |
| Available Processors | Intel® Celeron® N4120 with Intel® UHD Graphics 600 (1.1 GHz base frequency, up to 2.6 GHz burst frequency, 4 MB cache, 4 cores) Intel® Celeron® N4100 with Intel® UHD Graphics 600 (1.1 GHz base frequency, up to 2.4 GHz burst frequency, 4 MB cache, 4 cores) Intel® Celeron® N4020 with Intel® UHD Graphics 600 (1.1 GHz base frequency, up to 2.8 GHz burst frequency, 4 MB cache, 2 cores) Intel® Celeron® N4000 with Intel® UHD Graphics 600 (1.1 GHz base frequency, up to 2.6 GHz burst frequency, 4 MB cache, 2 cores) |
| Display Size | 11.6″ |
| Maximum Memory | 8 GB LPDDR4-2400 SDRAM Memory soldered down |
| Internal Storage | 16 GB up to 64 GB eMMC 5.0 |
| Display | 11.6″ diagonal HD SVA anti-glare WLED-backlit, 220 nits, 45% NTSC (1366 x 768) 11.6″ diagonal HD IPS anti-glare WLED-backlit, 220 nits, 50% NTSC (1366 x 768) 11.6″ diagonal HD IPS anti-glare WLED-backlit touch screen, 220 nits, 50% NTSC (1366 x 768) |
| Available Graphics | Integrated: Intel® UHD Graphics 600 (Support HD Decode, DX12, and HDMI 1.4b.) |
| Audio | HD audio, dual speakers, integrated microphone |
| Wireless Technologies | Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 9560 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2×2) Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth® 5 Combo, non-vPro™ (HP Extended Range Wireless Lan, MU-MIMO and Chromecast support) |
| Expansion Slots | 1 microSD (Supports SD, SDHC, SDXC.) |
| Ports and Connectors | 2 USB 3.1 Type-C™ Gen 1 (Power delivery, data transfer, DisplayPort™) 2 USB 3.1 Gen 1 1 Stereo headphone/microphone combo jack |
| Available Keyboards | Full-size textured island-style keyboard, spill-resistant with HP Improved Anchored Key Design |
| Available Pointing Devices | Touchpad with multi-touch gesture support, taps enabled as default |
| Camera | 720p HD camera |
| Software Included | HP Classroom Manager; Chrome Enterprise Upgrade Chrome Education Upgrade |
| Security Management | Nano Security lock slot; Google H1 Security Chip |
| Power | HP Smart 45 W USB Type-C™ adapter |
| Battery Type | HP Long Life 2-cell, 47.36 Wh Li-ion polymer Battery is internal and not replaceable by customer. Serviceable by warranty |
| Dimensions | 11.61 x 8.08 x 0.74 in; 29.5 x 20.53 x 1.88 cm |
| Weight | Starting at 2.91 lb; Starting at 1.32 kg |
| Energy Efficiency Compliance | ENERGY STAR® certified; EPEAT® 2019 Silver |
| Environmental Specifications | Low halogen; TCO 8.0 Certified |
HP Chromebook 11A G8 EE
| Available Operating System | Chrome OS |
| Processor Family | AMD A6-Series APU processor; AMD A4-Series APU processor |
| Available Processors | AMD A6-9220C APU with Radeon™ R5 Graphics (1.8 GHz base clock, up to 2.7GHz max boost clock, 1 MB cache, 2 cores) AMD A4-9120C APU with Radeon™ R4 Graphics (1.6 GHz base clock, up to 2.4GHz max boost clock, 1 MB cache, 2 cores) |
| Display Size | 11.6″ |
| Maximum Memory | 8 GB DDR4-1866 SDRAM |
| Internal Storage | 16 GB up to 64 GB eMMC 5.0 |
| Display | 11.6″ diagonal HD SVA anti-glare WLED-backlit, 220 nits, 45% NTSC (1366 x 768) 11.6″ diagonal HD IPS anti-glare WLED-backlit, 220 nits, 50% NTSC (1366 x 768) 11.6″ diagonal HD IPS anti-glare WLED-backlit touch screen, 220 nits, 50% NTSC (1366 x 768) |
| Available Graphics | Integrated: AMD Radeon™ R5 Graphics; AMD Radeon™ R4 Graphics (Support HD Decode, DX12, and HDMI 1.4b.) |
| Audio | HD audio, dual speakers, integrated microphone |
| Wireless Technologies | Qualcomm® Wi-Fi 5 (2×2) and Bluetooth® 4.2 Combo (HP Extended Range Wireless Lan, MU-MIMO and Chromecast support) |
| Expansion Slots | 1 microSD (Supports SD, SDHC, SDXC.) |
| Ports and Connectors | 2 USB 3.1 Type-C™ Gen 1 (Power delivery, data transfer, DisplayPort™) 2 USB 3.1 Gen 1 1 Stereo headphone/microphone combo jack |
| Available Keyboards | Full-size textured island-style keyboard, spill-resistant with HP Improved Anchored Key Design |
| Available Pointing Devices | Touchpad with multi-touch gesture support, taps enabled as default |
| Camera | 720p HD camera |
| Software Included | HP Classroom Manager; Chrome Enterprise Upgrade; Chrome Education Upgrade |
| Security Management | Nano Security lock slot; Google H1 Security Chip |
| Power | HP Smart 45 W USB Type-C™ adapter |
| Battery Type | HP Long Life 2-cell, 47.36 Wh Li-ion polymer Battery is internal and not replaceable by customer. Serviceable by warranty |
| Battery Life | Up to 10 hours |
| Dimensions | 11.61 x 8.08 x 0.74 in; 29.5 x 20.53 x 1.88 cm |
| Weight | Starting at 3.02 lb; Starting at 1.37 kg |
| Energy Efficiency Compliance | ENERGY STAR® certified; EPEAT® 2019 Silver |
| Environmental Specifications | Low halogen; TCO 8.0 Certified |
Pricing and availability
HP hasn’t provided specific dates for the launch of either the HP Chromebook 11 G8 EE or the Chromebook 11A G8 EE. But the company has provided a general timeline and at least some pricing information. The Intel-driven HP Chromebook 11 G8 EE is available now and starts out at $259 for the entry model while the AMD-powered counterpart doesn’t have a price just yet. The HP Chromebook 11A G8 EE is currently expected to arrive in February.
