HP Stream 11 Review: A New Take On Low Cost Computing
by Brett Howse on December 17, 2014 8:00 AM ESTThe low cost Windows laptop world has been a rather frustrating experience over the last several years. Manufacturers created big, bulky designs packed with low resolution TN displays and some of the slowest components they could dig up. We are still at a point where the average consumer thinks more is better, so low cost laptops would always have low performance mechanical hard drives. If you wanted a traditional clamshell laptop running Windows, it was just accepted that it would be large, heavy, have poor battery life, and generally have an unattractive design.
Google’s Chrome OS has redefined the price point for an inexpensive laptop. With low system requirements and a (mostly) constant connection to the internet, processor requirements were low, and storage requirements could shift to 16GB or so of flash storage; due to the random access nature of flash, this allowed good performance with less than amazing specifications. The fact that Chrome OS was free also allowed the manufacturers to keep the price down and move the low cost definition even lower.
This is not the first time Microsoft’s Windows operating system has felt pressure from beneath. The original netbook design moved the price down by using the free and open source Linux operating system as the basis. To combat this, Microsoft released a lower cost version of Windows XP, and eventually Windows 7, and took back the market for netbooks; however, while many netbooks were purchased between 2009 and 2012, the overall experience was often lacking and tablets eventually killed off most netbook designs. Now the world has shifted, and Chrome OS has advantages beyond price. It is simple and quick, and with the rise of Android on smartphones, many people are already using the Google ecosystem to do their daily tasks.
Microsoft earlier this year announced “Windows 8.1 with Bing” which is a low cost (as low as $0) version of Windows that has the specific requirement that Bing must be left as the default search engine in Internet Explorer. Manufacturers who go this route will not be able to get paid by Google or Yahoo to set their search engine as the default; end users however can set it to whatever they prefer. Some devices, such as the HP Stream 11, also come with a free year of Office 365 personal (one copy of Office for a single PC, one tablet, and one phone, plus unlimited OneDrive storage) which normally retails for $70.
Microsoft also announced at their Build conference that the system requirements for Windows 8.1 Update would be lower too. Minimum RAM is now 1GB, and the minimum storage requirements are now 16GB due to a new method of storing system files called WIMBoot. These changes will allow PC makers to offer Chromebook-like PCs but with a full operating system installed.
HP has taken advantage of these changes to produce their Stream series. There are currently three laptops and two tablets in the Stream product line, and all offer a very low starting price. The model we will be reviewing today is the HP Stream 11, which has an 11.6” display and some low priced components to allow HP to offer the Stream 11 for only $199.
HP Stream 11 Specifications | |
Processor | Intel Celeron N2840 (Bay Trail-M) 2C/2T, 2.16 GHz Base (2.58 GHz Burst) 1 MB L2 Cache 7.5 W TDP 4.5 W SDP |
Chipset | Intel Bay Trail Host Bridge |
Memory | 2GB DDR3L-1333 |
Graphics | Intel HD Graphics 4 EUs at 311-792 MHz |
Display | 11.6" Matte TN 16:9 1366x768 CMN 1136 LED Backlit non-sRGB |
Storage | 32GB eMMC with WIMBoot Hynix HBG4e |
Optical Drive | N/A |
Networking | 802.11n WiFi Realtek RTL8723BE 1x1:1 72 Mbps capable 2.4GHz w/20 MHz Channels Miracast enabled Realtek Bluetooth 4.0 |
Audio | Realtek HD Stereo Speakers (bottom) DTS Studio Sound Headset jack |
Battery/Power | 3 cell 37 Wh 45W Max AC Adapter |
Left Side | SDHC Slot Kensington Security Slot AC Power Connection |
Right Side | Power LED HDMI Connection 1 x USB 2.0 1 x USB 3.0 Headset Jack |
Back Side | N/A |
Operating System | Windows 8.1 with Bing 64-bit |
Dimensions | 11.81" x 8.10" x 0.78" (WxDxH) 299.97 mm x 205.74 mm x 19.81 mm |
Weight | 2.72 lbs / 1.23 kg |
Extras | 720p HD Webcam Office 365 Personal (1 year) HP Connected Apps |
Colors | Horizon Blue Orchid Magenta |
Pricing | $199 MSRP |
It's interesting to note that sales of the Stream 11 have apparently been so good that HP currently lists it as being out of stock. You can find other resellers online, but the price is currently up 33% or more over MSRP depending on the reseller and their inventory. That's unusual, but it's a combination of the holiday shopping spree with a low cost laptop. We should see pricing return to MSRP in the future, but it could take a few weeks or more. Checking around, the device appears to be in stock at the Microsoft Store for the MSRP of $199.
To hit this kind of a price point, some sacrifices were clearly made, but the overall product is a nice looking, reasonably performing laptop. We cannot excuse all of the choices made, but when you are looking at a laptop with a $199 price point, expectations need to be moved down. The 1366x768 TN panel is no surprise, even though we would of course much prefer something with IPS. Touch is also not available at all on the Stream 11, though its bigger brother the Stream 13 has optional touch. Having eMMC storage rather than a "real" SSD is also expected, but the performance of the eMMC in the Stream 11 is actually pretty good. One thing that HP really did well though is the design.
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JarredWalton - Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - link
Except Jarred has a couple so I've added numbers for C720 to the appropriate graphs. Chromebook 13 from Acer is up next for review....Cryio - Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - link
I hate Bay-Trail so much.Where are all the Mullins/Beema laptops? :(
ExarKun333 - Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - link
LOL, they don't exist. No one sells them. :)Flunk - Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - link
Intel is basically giving the chips away, AMD can't possibly compete with that.Flunk - Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - link
I've spent a bit of time with one of these. Everything mentioned in the article is true, but what's really surprising to me is that the build quality is surprisingly decent. For $200 I expect a notebook built like tissue that looks like a brick and this feels quite good in the hand and looks quite stylish (color being extremely subjective or course). Other manufacturers could learn from this, it's not necessary for a notebook to cost $1000 to be built reasonably and plastic can be good.herzigma - Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - link
I'd like to see performance and battery life compared between a Chromebook at the Stream 11 running the Chrome browser in Desktop mode...tipoo - Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - link
Doesn't seem bad for what it is. I'm interested in the Stream 8s or 7s as cheap tablets for my parents, any plans on a look at those?Brett Howse - Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - link
Actually yes should be something up soon.tipoo - Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - link
Awesome! Thanks for letting me know.Cygni - Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - link
Do you want a horrid blue plastic laptop with a comically bad screen, predictably bad cheap laptop trackpad, terrible wifi, no storage, and a universally loathed OS? Are you so bad with money that the concept of waiting and spending more to get something that will actually last is foreign and maddening? Good news for you, the netbook is back!This would be an interesting laptop to get for a very young child who you also happen to hate, or to airdrop on 'developing nations' so they can burn them for warmth when nobody buys them.