What about a brand new Chromebook from HP, with all the goods, and all in a detachable form-factor? The new HP Chromebook x2 is not only the very first of its kind, but sports so many high-end features that it takes some stabs at the popular Apple iPad Pro. Used as a conventional laptop or a tablet, with up to ten hours of battery life, a Quad HD resolution, and Intel Core M processing power inside, let’s take a gander at just how much this could match up to one of the most prestigious laptops ever made, the iPad Pro.

This $599 laptop/tablet hybrid may deceive you upon first glance. Not only does the word “Chromebook” highly associate with the notion of affordable or mid-range, but thinking about HP and the company’s repertoire thus far, HP Chromebooks have been known to be very affordable and a bit on the low-end scale of “fancy”. This is not to say that the HP Chromebook x2 is ultra fancy, however it has enough significant features to make it more than ordinary, especially including its brand new association with the Android App Store. Some saw this coming, and others did not, but the notion of a Chromebook taking over the role of an Android tablet is quite compelling.

Although very intriguing, to say the least, the Android addition has nothing to do with the quintessential notion that it is competing against the iPad Pro. On the other hand, the fact that it is a 12.3-inch tablet, with a docked keyboard, stylus, and is priced less than the base configuration of the $649 iPad Pro, does. This Chromebook is far more of a fully-packaged deal than anything HP has done in the past, not to mention many other companies, who are recently catching on to the idea, but have yet to do it. Take the Dell Chromebook 13 3380, a similarly-sized device, but geared toward the education sector. This is a relevant example of the basic Chromebook, however don’t think for a second that Dell will hesitate from developing higher-end models. On the other hand, back in March, Acer announced its first tablet running Chrome OS. HP’s method is, by far, quite different, in hitting a higher-end audience, and supplying a nontraditional OS, in tablet form, at a very affordable price.

What does this thing have going for it that will make us want it the most? Well, besides the two influential reasons mentioned, we can get deep into specs and perhaps be in awe by how this all comes together. Unlike the Chromebook x360, where are you flip the keyboard behind the screen to make it a 2-in-1, the HP Chromebook x2 allows you to completely leave the keyboard behind if you want to. This is a very solid idea for those who might want less bulk to carry around, as well as being easier to work with on certain projects. As far as bulk goes, the device with keyboard attached is around 3.2 lbs and measures 15.3mm thick The tablet portion alone weighs 1.6 lbs and measures 8.2mm thick, noticeably easier to carry.

A fairly powerful machine, the device features a 2400 x 1600 QHD LCD screen, a 5MP front camera, a 13MP rear camera, and nearly 10.5 hours of battery life. The processor includes Intel's Core M3-7Y30 (Kaby Lake) CPU, along with 4GB to 8GB of LPDDR3 memory, and 32GB of internal storage. Ports and connectivity include two USB Type-C ports (for charging, data transfer, and peripherals), a microSD card slot for up to 256GB of storage expansion, a headphone jack, and the option of a digital pen on some models.

Everything here seems to prove that the HP Chromebook x2 has quite the potential of being more than the traditional, simplified Chromebook, prevalently used in the education system due to its simplicity. HP is an example of how vendors are incorporating more business-professional essentials to what you would consider a very basic tablet. Would Apple users take a step away from the more expensive option of an iPad? The notion could take a while, however, plenty of consumers will find the HP Chromebook x2 as a significant and diverse option; as it incorporates high-end qualities, a hinge-less design, as well as its desktop-style Chrome OS browser, with integration of Android app support.