Over time, Chromebooks have evolved to a leaner and more elegant mid-range look. Thinner devices mean less space for a variety of ports and devices like the original Pixelbook have paved the way for the selection of ultra-refined ports on today’s Chromebooks. After all, if USB Type-C can do almost anything you need, why not give users some of them and move on?
Still, I’m enjoying the flexibility offered by older ports, like SD card slots, headphone connectors and USB Type A. With them on board your Chromebook, there’s less need for dongles, adapters and docking solutions when you is in transit. Yes, they take up space and yes, they look a little less stylish on the outside, but with the time you actually use your Chromebook, they really help to make the experience a lot simpler in the long run.
A port that no longer existed on many Chromebooks is the full-size HDMI connector and made a small comeback in 2020. Outside of a business Chromebook here and there in previous years, that door had completely disappeared from the consumer Chromebook scene. For this one, I kind of understood: the HDMI port is big, ugly and takes up a lot of space on the increasingly thinner Chromebooks that are available today. With a tiny adapter, any of its much smaller USB-C ports can perform the same audio / video tasks, so why not discard that strange port?
I was totally in agreement with this thinking process until some Chromebooks in 2020 simply changed their mind. Devices like the HP Chromebook Pro C640 and Dell Latitude 7400 came with this port and, most notably, the acclaimed Acer Spin 713 as well. With all of these devices, I ended up using this port a few times during the review process and used it numerous times on my Spin 713 over the past year.
Whether to connect the Chromebook to a larger TV for a video call, presentation or simply to consume media, each time I switched to the HDMI port, it was at a time when I didn’t have my dongle, adapter or fit right there in my bag. My main converter for this type of task is the dock that is on my desk and most of the time I don’t keep it with me. Now that I’m carrying a Chromebook that don’t really need it, I just don’t feel the need to have all the extra adapters in my bag all the time and, honestly, it feels liberating.
Look, I’m totally in favor of sleek design and minimal compromises, but Chromebooks (and laptops in general) are functional machines at the end of the day, aimed at productivity and consumption, and not really built with clean lines as the number 1 priority I suppose all of this is in line with the pointless decision to remove the headset connector from phones and the arguments of countless creative professionals who complain about Apple taking all ports out of its Macbook Pro line. Professionals and students need tools, not a cool look, and that matters on Chromebooks too.
I think the HDMI port will make a big comeback amid the large number of new Chromebooks on the way in 2021? Not really. I am hoping that some of them will include it, but I am not sure that it will happen. It is a little strange that the inclusion of some “old” ports on the Acer Spin 713 really helped me to see Chromebooks with a little more clarity as they are: functional devices used to get things done. Like this type of device, the more ports you have at your disposal, the better. While this does not fit all plans of all Chromebook manufacturers, I’m certainly hopeful that this will continue to be the mindset of some of them. I, at least, wouldn’t mind some less elegant Chromebooks on offer this year, which just so happens to keep those legacy ports for those like me who appreciate simple functionality.
