Enlarge (credit: Valentina Palladino)

As the public embraces Chrome OS, OEMs have begun to incorporate Google’s operating system into their products in new ways. Soon, Chromebooks won’t be just the cheap laptops you buy for your kids as an alternative to a more expensive macOS or Windows machine—or for yourself as a secondary device. HP’s $599 Chromebook x2 is one of the first higher-end Chrome OS devices to come out, not to mention one of the first Chrome OS tablets available, too.

HP designed the Chromebook x2 to elevate the Chrome OS experience, similarly to how Google’s own Pixelbook handles the OS. The x2 is built with premium materials and packed with better internals than most Chromebooks, making it a good option for Chrome OS enthusiasts. At $599 for the tablet plus its keyboard and stylus, the Chromebook x2 isn’t trying to be the most affordable Chromebook—rather, it’s trying to appeal to those who want a premium Chromebook that balances style, versatility, and power.

Look and feel

Aside from Google’s Pixelbook, the Chromebook x2 is the most luxurious Chrome OS device I’ve ever held. The tablet’s weightiness struck me as soon as I took it out of the box, and its metal edges combined with ceramic white back finish make it a very handsome device. HP achieved the white color using the same anodized electrodeposition method used in previous Spectre laptops, showing that the company didn’t cut any corners, instead breaking the plastic-clamshell shackles that once restrained Google’s operating system.