Google today launched two new Chromebooks in India, with an affordable 12,999 price tag. These Rockchip CPU based Chromebooks are similar to Haier and Hisense Chromebooks which were launched in western markets couple of months back for $149. These are the cheapest set of chromebooks to ever launch in India. Here are our first impressions.
Xolo And Nexian Chromebook Specs
- Display Size: 11.6 Inch (1366 x 768 pixels) IPS LCD display at 16:9 aspect ratio
- Processor: 1.8GHz Rockchip RK3288 Quad-Core Cortex-A17 processor with ARM Mali-T764 GPU
- RAM: 2 GB
- Software Version: Chrome OS
- Camera: 1MP (1280×720) webcam
- Internal Storage: 16GB
- External Storage: MicroSD Slot, 100 GB Google Drive storage for 2 years
- Battery: 4200 mAh
- Connectivity: WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, 2 X USB 2.0, full HDMI Port, headphone jack, Card reader
Xolo Chromebook Hands on Review, Features, India Price and Overview [Video]
Design, Build and Display
Both Xolo and Nexian Air chromebooks are similar on the inside but differ on the outside. The Xolo Chromebook is heavier and more professional looking, while Nexian Chromebook is peppier. Port and button placement remains same on both of these devices.
The plastic used has soft matte finish. Left side has power port, HDMI port, USB port, SD card reader and Audio jack. The right side has another USB port and Kensington lock. The battery is easily removable on the Nexian chromebook, but on Xolo Chromebook it is not user replaceable.
Notably, the Nexian offering has a rubber strip running on the rear edge, which can be stretched to form a suit-case like handle for easily carrying it around.
The 11.6 Inch display has more than HD resolutions but viewing angles are average. Again, you will have to balance your expectations with the price. The chicklet keyboard and trackpad on both chromebooks give very good feedback. Overall, the build quality is better than what you’d expect at this price.
Processor and RAM
The low cost magic lies in the new Rockchip 3288 quad core Cortex A17 based processor clocked at 1.8 GHz and based on 28 nm process. Rockchip is a Chinese chipmaker which directly licenses ARM designs and churns out energy efficient and cheap SoCs. We don’t have much experience with the processor yet, but surprisingly, everything was very snappy on the new chromebooks even when we opened 20 tabs.
The chipset is further aided by Mali T760 quad core GPU and 2 GB RAM for durable long run performance.
Camera, Software and Storage
Both Chromebooks include a 1 MP rear camera with 720 x 1280p HD resolution. Most laptop cams aren’t outright impressive and it won’t be wise to expect much here either.
Chromebooks need a good speed internet connection to be efficient. The 16 GB internal storage is meant for storing chrome apps and other small documents. For everything else, you can avail 100 GB Cloud storage or store on external SD card or other external drives.
There are several apps available on Chrome which will suffice for 90 percent of things most users use their PC for. You can edit pictures, videos, share screen, engage on social networking and use google docs.
Battery
Both Xolo and Nexian include a 4200 mAh battery. Xolo promises 10 hours of back up, while Nexican promises 8 hour worth of mileage. This is great backup time, in line with what you would expect with other chromebooks, but we assume these stats are with display brightness turned down. We will test battery backup in day to day conditions when we get our review unit.
Photo Gallery
Conclusion
Both of these affordable chromebooks feel better than we expected them to. Of course, you can’t expect much at these prices, but if you are looking for a decent low cost PC experience, mostly for web related activity, these new chromebooks are worth considering. Xolo Chromebook is available on Snapdeal, while Nexian Chromebook is available on Amazon.in starting today.
