The HP Stream 11 is one of the best budget-friendly laptops available. It is decently built with a compact size, making it portable. With its battery life of over seven hours and great audio, it proves to be the best option available, especially if you are considering buying a cheap laptop for your child. Although the keyboard may feel cramped and the display does come off as dim, not only that, but its Intel Celeron Processor can only manage basic tasks such as playing videos and web browsing, which is why it can’t be used for multi-tasking and demanding workloads.
With that basic overview, why would HP Stream 11 be your child’s best option? Read our in-depth review below to find out.
An In-Depth on the Specifics of HP Stream 11
Here’s an in-depth HP Stream 11.6 review with all the vital information that makes up a device:
Design and Configuration
In terms of the design, the HP Stream 11 is either something you love or hate. The laptop is available in colors like purple and aqua blue, adding a vibrant touch to the setup. The touchpad is horizontally grained, perfect to navigate. Even though it has a bright layout, it might not be appealing to someone in corporate or university because it might be too exotic and colorful for them.
It’s made from sturdy plastic and comes with a minimal keyboard and a palm-resting area. However, you might feel discomfort if you have long typing sessions, which may result in wrist aches.
For ports, you get a 2.0 USB port and an audio jack on the left side of the laptop. On the right side, you get a charging port, a battery indicator and slot, a USB 3.0 port, a microSD slot, and an HDMI port for HDTV connectivity.
The HP Stream 11 weighs around 2.5 pounds with 11.8 x 8.1 x 0.7 inches. It’s a lightweight and slim laptop compared to the prior model and is relatively compact. It’s perfect for people needing a portable laptop and is ideal when traveling, too.
HP Stream 11 Battery
After a battery test with continuous usage of the Wifi and online browsing, the laptop lasted for almost 9 hours. This concludes that the battery is quite moderate, but of course, it has a shorter time span than the competitors. Similar laptops might last longer, such as the Dell Inspiron 14 3000, which went till 9:01, which is decent battery power.
HP Stream Performance and Visuals
Bringing to you commendable performance at a shocking price point. The HP Stream is powered by the Celeron N3060 and 1.6GHz Intel processor, with 4 GB RAM, Intel Graphics 400, and 32 GB eMMc flash storage, ensuring a seamless experience while managing everyday tasks.
Indulge in your work research while keeping more than 6 tabs open. Stream different videos and make changes to your documents using the HP Stream 11. The laptop might have a bit of lag, indicating it cannot handle heavy work. On a test at the Geekbench 4, the HP Stream 11 outperforms some of its competitors with a 2023 score, such as the Dell Inspiron 14 300 and Lenovo Ideapad 100S-14. Its impressive transfer speed lets users copy almost 5 GB of data in just a minute.
It has an impressive Intel HD Graphics 400 GPU, providing decent visuals, especially for gaming. However, it’s ideal for light gaming sessions and not intensive games like Call of Duty and Red Dead Redemption.
HP Stream 11 Software
The Stream 11 is packed with decent software, enhancing the user experience. The HP Orbit can connect your mobile phone to the laptop for a smooth experience in managing your device. In terms of internal storage, you also have the opportunity to get cloud services in Dropbox, granting users 25 GB and 1 TB in OneDrive.
Moreover, applications like McAfee, Netflix, and Amazon are installed before selling. HP offers an additional one-year hardware warranty and 90 days of chat support.
Audio Output
In terms of audio quality, the HP Stream 11 provides an impression experience, especially with its $200 tag. You get rich and dynamic audio output with dual speakers at the bottom front of the laptop. The DTS Studio Sound dashboard crosses HP’s audio game, enabling users to personalize their audio experience according to the type. The laptop is ideal for diverse music genres; the settings are quite versatile; from your usual tracks to on-stage performances, you can listen to all types of songs.
Hp Stream Display
The HP Stream comes with an 11.6 screen display with a 1366 x 768 resolution, ensuring a visual experience with both highs and lows. When you look at the screen, the colors may seem washed out and seem like they lack the vibrancy you will see in high-end displays.
So, in terms of color accuracy, they might not be the best, but with the price range, they do align with other laptops in a similar range. It comes with a Delta-E rating of 3.69, which can be compared to similar laptops. Conversely, the brightness matches the Lenovo Ideapad 100S-14, and there might be a chance that the blue displays appear gray.
However, the Stream 11 covers about 77.5 percent of the RGB gamut and crosses the Chromebook 3’s 63.1 percent. Both laptops outperform in this domain and produce an excellent range of colors.
Vertically, the viewing angles remain at a disadvantage. Stream 11 demands a middle position to achieve an optimal viewing experience. Unfortunately, the ability to tilt restricts a user’s ability to find the perfect angle. It goes back about 25 degrees, making it challenging to avoid any dark spots when viewing from multiple angles.
HP Stream Pros and Cons
Here are the positives and negatives of the HP Stream 11:
Pro
- Attractive and unique design
- Impressive performance
- Decent speakers and audio output
Cons
- Washed out screen, resulting in a downgrade of the color output
Bottom Line
Choosing a laptop can be tricky, but the HP Stream 11.6 reviews can be pretty helpful. You can get an insight into the battery, the visuals, performance, design, and layout. You can understand the warranty, the display, and the audio output. This information will assist you in comparing to the competitor laptops and then making a choice.
So skim through the review, the pros and cons, and decide for yourself!
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