MANILA, Philippines – Competition in the Chromebook space just got a little bit more heated as both HP and Acer announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2019 that their new Chromebook laptops are powered by AMD processors.
Previous Chromebook models predominantly sport Intel and ARM chips but it seems like AMD intends to give both companies a run for their money with their new chips.
HP at the event unveiled the Chromebook 14. Meanwhile, Acer unveiled the Chromebook 315. Both of which are powered by the new dual-core AMD A4 processor with an A6 processor available in select markets.
According to The Verge, the AMD A4 and A6 chips are about the the same level as the Intel Pentium and Celeron line when it comes to performance and power. They are lower-end processors that are made to be power-efficient.
However, AMD claims the 7th-gen AMD A6-9220C chip is faster at web browsing than say, a Celeron N3350 by 24%.
Aside from the new AMD processor, the HP Chromebook 14 will house 4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and a 14-inch screen with a 720p display while the Acer Chromebook 315 will pack similar specs with a 15.6-inch 1080p IPS screen. Both laptops are set to launch this year.
The report notes that it’s not entirely clear why HP and Acer decided to use AMD processors in their new Chromebooks. Whatever the motivation for the change is, more AMD-powered Chromebooks are likely on the way as Chrome Unboxed reported back in August last year that as many as 3 laptops were already in development. – Rappler.com