HP Stream 11 review

HP Stream 11 review
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The HP Stream 11 is a laptop aimed predominantly at students, and it’s available for an extraordinarily low £179.99. For that you get a portable 11-inch laptop that even includes an Office 365 subscription worth £59.99 – it’s one of the key things that makes it perfect for students.
While it’s undoubtedly a basic machine, the HP Stream 11 isn’t as plain as you might expect. The speakers and battery life are excellent for the price, and it’s not bad-looking either. However, the 11.6-inch, 1,366 x 768 display is a weak point. Would you be better off shelling out a bit more cash on the Full HD screen of the Toshiba Chromebook 2? Possibly, but this remains an outstanding deal for a very good laptop batetry such as Hp HSTNN-CB0C battery, Hp HSTNN-D80D battery, Hp NY220AA battery, Hp NY221AA battery, Hp Mini 110 Mi battery, Hp Mini 110 battery, Hp Mini 110 XP battery, Hp Mini 110-1000 battery, Hp Mini 1101 battery, Compaq Mini 110 battery, Compaq Mini 110C battery, Compaq Mini CQ10-100 battery.
The HP Stream 11 is a cute little thing. It comes in two versions, ‘horizon blue’ and ‘orchid magenta’ – our review sample came in the former colour scheme. It stands out and in a good way – the child in me rather likes the bold, friendly blue design.
The plastic itself is soft to the touch, and any sweaty marks it picks up from clammy fingers fade away in seconds. An HP logo cut from a piece of shiny silver metal sits in the centre of the lid, while four rubber feet sit on the bottom and stop the PC from sliding around on table tops.
It lacks the elegance of something like the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2015 or MacBook Air, but the Stream is fun and visually pleasing. Too many budget laptops come wrapped up in dull silver or grey – a bit of variety is a very welcome change.
What you’ll find when you open the HP Stream 11 up is less attractive. The bezels on all sides of the screen are large and the base unit is clad in a two-tone, PowerPoint-style gradient effect. The top face of the keyboard dock closest to the screen is the same blue as the rest of the PC, but the side closest to the trackpad is turquoise. It looks naff, and is reminiscent of FC Barcelona’s ugly 2012/13 away kit. What’s more, it’s dotted in a load of small, silver spots. What inspired this look is beyond us, because it’s not great.
In this position, it’s apparent that build quality isn’t sublime. The plastic frame that surrounds the keyboard element is sharp and not quite flush with the top of the base. It felt rough on our palms and wrists when we typed and produced a scratchy sound whenever we rubbed against it. We also noticed that lots of flecks of dust got caught in the little gap between the frame and body almost immediately.
The screen element feels a little flimsy, and is easy to bend with your fingers. The hinge also allows you to force the screen several degrees further back than it should go, which isn’t reassuring. That said, the design and build quality is still above average for a laptop this price.
While it’s light, at 1.28kg, it feels a little heavier than it is. That’s due to the fact that it’s essentially an 11-inch laptop in the body of a 13-incher. The 11-inch MacBook Air is significantly lighter, at 1.08kg, but it also costs several times as much as the Stream 11. We found it fairly comfortable to balance on one hand while typing with the other for a few minutes at a time. For the price, we have no complaints.
You won’t have any problems carrying the Stream around with you, either. It’s only 19.7mm thick and at 300mm wide, it’ll fit comfortably into any rucksack or messenger bag. Just make sure you don’t stick it in the same compartment as your house keys, because the plastic body is prone to picking up scratches.
A strong selection of ports is available on the base. USB 2.0, USB 3.0 and HDMI slots sit on the right side, while the charging port, SD card slot and Kensington security lock are on the left. Vitally, any SD card you use doesn’t stick out at all – this means you can expand the limited 32GB built-in storage without inconvenience.