IF YOU’VE BEEN READING this issue
of Maximum PC front to back (like
any reasonable person would), you
have probably already enjoyed our
Chromebook group test feature. You
might have caught the reference to non-
Chromebook devices that run ChromeOS;
all-in-ones, compact computers, and
so on. HP’s Chromebase 22 is perhaps
the best example of these—a capable
Chrome-powered desktop, ideal for
either the home or office.
In general, Chromebases tend to look
much like any all-in-one Windows PC;
just a bulky screen with all the hardware
tucked away behind the display. With
the Chromebase 22, HP is looking to
shake things up a little; aesthetic design
suddenly leaps to the fore, with a thinner
screen that rotates 90° degrees for
vertical use and the components nestled
inside a fabric-wrapped central column.
It’s a futuristic-looking bit of hardware
that immediately catches the eye, unlike
most all-in-one computers.
HP is going for broad-spectrum appeal
here and the Chromebase 22 mostly
lives up to that dream. No, it’s not going
to impress any performance-focused
gaming nuts but, let’s face it, no device
natively running ChromeOS is going
to do that. Instead, we have a flexible
system that makes a solid argument for
replacing a PC, laptop, or tablet for either
a working professional or a younger user
for educational purposes. It’s ready to go
straight out of the box—ChromeOS only
takes a few minutes to set up and HP
has included a Bluetooth keyboard and
mouse for instant use.
Unfortunately, while seeming
generous, the keyboard and mouse are
not to snuff. While the Chromebase 22
itself is a sturdy, well-designed piece
of kit, both peripherals feel cheap and
flimsy in comparison. The compact
keyboard layout leaves some keys feelingRotation before procrastination
HP Chromebase 22
8
VERDICT HP Chromebase All-In-One 22BASED Impressive speakers;
clean design; good webcam
and mic; rotating screen is neat.
ACIDIC Ports are only found at the
rear; included keyboard and mouse
are mediocre.
$700, hp.comSPECIFICATIONS
CPU Intel Core i3-10110U @ 2.1GHz
Graphics Intel UHD Graphics
RAM 16GB (2x 8GB) DDR4 @ 2666MHz
Screen 21.5-inch IPS 1080p touch screen
Storage 256GB M.2 NVMe SSD
Ports
2x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A,
2x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C,
1x 3.5mm headphone jack
Connectivity Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5
PSU 90W Smart AC Power Adapter
Optical Drive N/Aa bit too small (especially backspace and
enter) and keypresses are spongy with
little travel. Batteries aren’t included
either, although we have to admit that,
aesthetically at least, these extras match
the appearance of the Chromebase itself.
The display is a more promising
feature. On paper, it’s a fairly standard
1080p touch panel but the maximum
brightness is excellent and color density
isn’t too shabby either. Switching between
landscape and portrait orientation is
easy, requiring only the slightest amount
of effort to smoothly rotate the display,
which instantly re-orients whatever
is on-screen. The resolution means it
isn’t ideal for high-end video or photo
editing, but the touch capabilities make
it a breeze to use in either configuration.
A 5MP webcam sits atop the display, with
a three-point privacy switch that can
both cover the camera and switch off the
integrated microphone array.
Beneath the lovely screen, the rounded
base of the Chromebase 22 contains
everything else. Of particular note are the
stereo speakers; the Bang and Olufsen
audio provides a seriously impressive
punch for music and speech, by far the
best speakers we’ve seen on either an
AIO computer or a Chromebook. Physical
volume controls can be found on the side
of the base, but they feel a bit redundant
when both the keyboard and touchscreen
can be used. At the rear, there are two
USB-A and two USB-C ports along with
a headphone jack. It’s a decent selection,
but a USB port on the screen edge would
have made using flash drives easier.
Although cheaper editions with Intel
Pentium processors are available, our
$700 review unit comes with a Core i3-
10110U and 16GB of RAM, with a 256GB
SSD. We might criticize that small amount
of storage on a Windows system, but
ChromeOS relies more heavily on cloud-
based storage so it’s not as big an issue.The i3 processor is more than capable
of handling web browsing and productivity
applications. In Geekbench 5, we saw a
single-core performance of 945 and
a multi-core score of 1956, putting it above
Qualcomm-powered Chromebooks but
not at the front of the pack. With Intel
UHD integrated graphics, don’t expect to
play anything more demanding than app
games from the Play Store.
We’d recommend picking up a separate
keyboard and mouse if you choose to
buy this, but overall, it’s hard not to like
the HP Chromebase 22. You don’t even
need the extra gubbins; ChromeOS is
optimized for touch controls, and we can
see the Chromebase 22 looking at home
in portrait mode on a kitchen island,
recipes at the ready. –CHRISTIAN GUYTONAPR 2022 MAXIMU MPC 79