The HP Stream 11 is among the first of these so-called Chromebook killers: an 11.6-inch laptop running full Windows and priced at just $200. For the money, it looks and performs like a netbook, with a colorful plastic shell and an Intel Celeron processor chugging away under the hood. Then again, though, you also have the option of installing traditional desktop apps, which you can't do on a Chromebook, and Microsoft is further sweetening the deal by throwing in a terabyte of OneDrive storage and a yearlong subscription to Office 365.
Pros
- Low price
- Bright, playful design
- Comfortable keyboard
- $25 Windows Store gift card included
- Includes 1TB of cloud storage and a one-year Office 365 subscription
Cons
- So-so display
- Slow boot-up times
- Touchpad could use some fine-tuning
Summary
At $200, the Stream 11 is a good deal, especially compared to
pricier Chromebooks, but beware that it comes with many of the same
trade-offs as other budget laptops, including a low-quality display and
slow boot-up time.
