HP Stream 13 (13-c020nr)

The HP Stream 13 ($ 229.99) is an attractive ultraportable laptop priced to compete with cheap Chromebook, as well as the separation of the Sunday paper and special deals on the website. This is a full Windows 8.1 PC for users who can not bring themselves to use a laptop based on the browser, and it is attractive and fast enough to hold its own with more expensive notebook. It is a versatile PC for just under $ 230, and our first Editors Choice 'for budget ultraportable laptop.
Design and Features
The Stream 13 is thinner and lighter than the desktop replacement Dell Inspiron 15 Non-Touch (3531) it is priced to compete with. It measures about 0.77 by 13.25 by 9 inches (HWD) and weighs 3.33 pounds, so it's easy to carry around. It fit perfectly on an airline tray table or your lap at the local Starbucks while you write your latest TPS report or term paper.

When the system is in a bright blue, which HP calls Horizon Blue, with a dark blue-light cyan gradient on the keyboard deck. (The system is also available in Magenta Orchid.) It's too big, and looks like it has a higher quality than some of the cheap plastic entry-level laptop and Chromebooks we witnessed. The white chiclet-style keyboard, a nice contrast to the chassis color, full size and easy to type on, and the one-piece touchpad is responsive. The keyboard is not backlit, but that's to be expected at this price level.

The 13.3-inch, 1366-by-768-resolution screen is bright enough for use in a dimly lit room. Naturally, the text display and user elements larger than 11-inch screen with the same resolution as the Acer Aspire E3-111-C1BW and the HP Stream 11 (11-d020nr). The 13-inch screen with Toshiba CB35-A3120 Chromebook is full HD (1920-by-1080 resolution), but the system more than $ 100 more expensive and not Windows-compatible.

If there are any minor defect in the screen of Stream 13, is that it is relatively narrow viewing angle. If you're looking at the display while standing too far to the side or vertically, images look washed out or dark. In-Plane Switching (IPS) screen like the HP Chromebook 11 (Verizon LTE) has better viewing angles and show more clearly the text, but the LCD Stream 13 is certainly fine for a laptop budget. The speakers are capable of playing loud enough for a small room, but they are pretty tinny.

Storage on the light side, a eMMC 32GB solid-state drive (SSD) and 2GB of system memory. After the initial setup, only the 17GB trip is free. Doubles 32GB 16GB total still we witnessed the most current Chromebooks. You can increase the local storage with either a USB drive or by using microSD slot of the system. HP includes a one-year subscription to 1TB of online storage cloud OneDrive and use Microsoft Office 365 Personal system. Note that if you want to continue using the same service you will have to pay $ 69.99 a year or $ 6.99 a month after the first year. However, for the first year, you will have a fully functional copy of Access, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Word. Also included one license to install Office on your phone and one tablet as well. Wireless connectivity is standard 802.11 b / g / n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0.

In addition to the microSD card slot, HDMI port system, headset jack, two USB 2.0 ports, and a single USB 3.0 port are all on the edges of the system. The three-cell, 36-watt battery is not removable. The system has a one-year warranty.