HP Chromebook 14 ca050nr
USD
Pros
- Digital media card reader
- 180-degree hinge
- A long battery life
- Decent screen
- Thin and light in weight
Cons
- Small screen with thick bezel
- Keyboard is not backlit
- No fingerprint reader
- No numeric keypad
- No optical drive
In This Article
Verdict
With a battery life of up to 10 hours and a decent processor, the HP Chromebook 14 ca050nr laptop is a good one for basic computing. However, this affordable laptop comes with a keyboard that needs some improvements in its design.
HP Chromebook 14 ca050nr & Variants Price
Introduction
The HP Chromebook 14 ca050nr laptop is quite reliable to do some basic computing tasks, even streaming some videos and watching movies on it.
This is a good laptop for the students to use in schools and kids to use at home to do their home assignments as well as adults who are into blogging.
The specs and hardware configuration of this laptop may seem to be pretty low as compared to today’s standards but considering that this is a Chromebook and nothing exceptional should be expected from it.
This relatively cheap laptop offers a high value for money with its relatively high performance and price ratio. The features and other aspects of this laptop will help bloggers as well as average users alike.
The Intel Celeron processor with its integrated graphics card, the fairly good screen fitted to the base with a strong hinge that lets it open flat on a surface, the decent audio and cooling system all adds to its functionality, reliability, and utility.
However, the RAM is pretty low but you can do some basic multitasking on it and if the low storage bothers you a bit too much, then you can use the additional 100 GB of Cloud storage when you need, albeit for two years.
With all these features in it, this is quite a reliable and worthy laptop to invest on. It will allow you to stay productive even on the go with its high portability, decent connectivity options and long battery life.
Buy for: Affordability, better price to performance ratio, decent screen and audio system, large and responsive trackpad.
Beware of: Low storage, memory and storage are not upgradable, integrated graphics chip, it is getting warm for extended use, no cap lock or delete keys.
Best uses for: 10 year old daughter or son, blogging and other purposes.
The alternatives:
Design and Build
The design of the HP Chromebook 14 ca050nr laptop is pretty simple but is durable enough to handle the daily rigors of usage.
It is made from quality material but the weight of the system is pretty low making it extremely portable.
The Chrome logo sits pretty at the top-right corner of the lid and the textured HP logo at the center. Though the Chrome logo looks bright and vivid, the HP logo seems to be a bit subdued on the white base of the lid.
Opening the lid will greet you with a small screen with thick bezel. However, the display is quite good with its full HD support.
The IPS panel offers a wider viewing angle and the anti-glare property protects the eyes from any harm caused by the blue light emissions.
The best thing about this WLED backlit display is that you can share it easily with others working with you because it is attached to the lid with a strong hinge that allows it to open up to 180 degrees to lay it flat on the surface.
The keyboard of this Chromebook is something that may favor a few users while annoying a few of them.
It is fairly large and comes with large enough keys that have a decent travel distance and tactility to allow you to type pretty fast on it.
However, this keyboard does not come with backlights and therefore you will have difficulty typing in the dark or in any poorly lit setting while blogging.
It also does not have a separate numeric keypad or a cap lock and delete key, adding to the inconvenience.
The trackpad of the system, however, is pretty large and responsive to allow faster and better navigation.
It is buttonless which adds to its beauty and the touch and multi-gesture support of it allows easier gliding of the clicks with proper registering of the individual clicks and taps.
Performance
The performance of the HP Chromebook 14 ca050nr laptop is just as good as a Chromebook should be. In fact, it is quite high considering the price point.
The device is equipped with an Intel Celeron N3350 processor. This processor comes with two powerful cores and just two threads that can individually operate at a base clock speed of 1.1 GHz.
This operating speed can be increased up to 2.4 GHz in boost mode to ensure a faster processing and performance of the system to make the best use of the available 2 MB L2 cache in it.
The Intel HD graphics 500 integrated in this processor will also effectively and efficiently handle the graphics requirements.
With an 8 GB max video memory in two separate channels, this graphics chip can operate at a base and burst frequency of 200 MHz and 650 MHz respectively.
With DirectX and OpenGL support and using the Intel Clear Video HD technology, the graphics rendering is quite good, fast, and accurate in color.
The Chrome operating system, on the other hand, along with Google Drive will offer a better user experience while performing any online tasks and even blogging.
This operating system ensures a speedy boot up with proper security offered by default.
It also supports both ARM and x86 architectures as well as Microsoft Office for better performance and the application menu ensures better performance.
RAM & Storage
This Chromebook comes with a low amount of RAM. This DDR4 4 GB RAM is pretty enough to do basic computing jobs and some basic multitasking as well.
Whether you write blogs or surf the web, the 2400 MHz bandwidth of this SDRAM will provide you with all the necessary support. However, this RAM is not upgradable.
The storage of this system, on the other hand, is just 32 GB. This eMMC storage is found mostly in budget laptops and phones.
This compact Embedded Multi Media Card is compact and typically soldered directly on the motherboard of the device, and therefore is not upgradable as well.
However, it is good enough to offer faster and better performance provided your tasks are limited to the basics.
Ports & Connectivity
The HP Chromebook 14 ca050nr laptop comes with a decent set of ports that are varied and offers a better connectivity option to connect additional devices externally.
It includes one 3.1 Gen 1 Type A port, one USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type C port, and a Kensington nano security slot on the left side of the chassis and another one of each of these ports on the right. The Type A ports can however be used for data transfer only.
There is also a multi-format media card reader slot and another headphone out/microphone in combo jack on the right side.
For a better and reliable online use, this system also supports wi-fi connectivity standard of 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.2 technology.
Battery Life
The power to operate is supplied by the 2-cell lithium metal battery to this laptop. This comes with a 47.36 watt-hour capacity.
Though the battery may seem to be pretty low but, on the contrary, it has the ability to supply power to the laptop all day.
Ideally, even for mixed usage, this battery will last for as long as 10 hours and 30 minutes.
Additional Features
The HP Chromebook 14 ca050nr laptop has some specific features that adds to its functionality as well as the user experience.
You can have easy and fast access to Android apps to play some games on this device with its useful entertainment features.
Your visual pleasure while consuming multimedia will be significantly enhanced by the improved audio system by Bang & Olufsen that will enhance your listening pleasure with B & O Play.
The sound output is much better in comparison to other Chromebooks with more clarity in tone and louder volume. However, do not expect anything more than you would from a computer speaker.
You can make video calls easily using the built-in webcam of this system located on the top bezel of the screen.
This HP TrueVision HD camera and the integrated dual array of mics will ensure that both the images and sound are clear and loud enough to facilitate your video conversation.
Apart from the operating system and Google Drive, this system is also installed with Google Play.
This machine is shipped with a warranty for one year from the manufacturer which is limited to its parts and labor.
Specs:
- Brand: HP
- Screen: 14 inches
- Display: Full HD (1920 x 1080)
- Storage: 32 GB
- RAM: 4 GB
- Storage Type: eMMC
- RAM Type: DDR4 SDRAM
- Processor: Intel Celeron Dual Core N3350
- Graphics: Integrated Intel HD graphics 500
- Processor Speed: 1.1 GHz at the base clock frequency and up to 2.4 GHz in burst frequency
- Processor Brand: Intel
- Product Dimensions: 8.94 x 13.27 x 0.72 inches
- Operating System: Chrome OS
What Do Users Think About HP Chromebook 14 ca050nr?
This laptop delivers what the users wanted, said a few. They got what they paid for and are highly impressed about its performance.
It offers what they need in spite of being very thin and light in weight. It is easy to carry in one hand.
It can be used anywhere easily and it comes with a long battery life allowing them to use it all day. Check out HP Chromebook 14 ca050nr.
They feel that it is the simplicity in design, the usefulness and its performance that is the USP of this device. It is a good laptop for basic computing needs but the RAM and storage are pretty low, they felt.
The screen and audio of this system are pretty good and complement each other well to enhance the visual and audio pleasure, feels a few users.
Though the laptop does not allow doing anything complex or fancy on it, this is a good system that comes at a low price but offers a higher value for money.
It can be used for a long time very easily but does get a bit warm at the bottom which can be felt on the lap, they said.
It is a Chromebook and works just like a Chromebook should, said a few users. It will not go beyond its limits.
It is quite stylish yet simple and even streams videos and music without much lag and latency issues. It is, however, not a device to play games, they said.
It does not cause any problems as far as the usage is restricted to the basics. It can be used at home, in the office and also in schools.
The screen, its resolution and the audio are all good but for the keyboard design which does not come with backlights, separate numeric keypad and even with no cap lock key or delete key, they said.
This HP Chromebook is the best tech companion of a person who is on the go, said a few travelling business persons.
This is durable, comes with a fairly large keyboard, decent connectivity options, and is extremely light in weight which makes it one of the best devices to use outdoors. However, the low specs of it does not allow them to overdo it.
Our Testing & Analysis Report
We tested the quality and performance of the HP Chromebook 14 ca050nr and found that the performance level is pretty decent. Typing on it is, however, a bit difficult due to the poor layout of the keyboard.
We compared it with other different models of laptops at this price point and found that it offers just as much as possible. Still, we were pretty impressed with its relatively large screen, but found that the bezel gets in the way.
Our in-house quality control team found this laptop to be just good for doing basic computing tasks and providing adequate value in return. It is basically a very good entry-level and low-end device.
Technicians in our office who tested the product observed that the productivity score of the apps and operating system of the laptop, based on the benchmarks of Principled Technologies’ CrXPRT and WebXPRT, is pretty good, and the CPU is quite potent.
We also took the system to a service station to have a look inside it. They suggested that the parts and ports, the speakers and microphones, the webcam, and the storage, are all pretty decent to support multitasking while performing basic computing tasks on the laptop.
While carrying it with us, we realized that it is a good laptop to carry and work all day, making it a perfect piece for people working on the go. It is light in weight, thin enough to fit inside the backpack, and does not need frequent recharging.