This review is for the clamshell model, NOT the flip model.
Oh man. This is the little laptop that can. I've wanted a Chromebook for a while just as a tinker laptop. As a developer, I'm always looking for new tech to experiment with and this hasn't let me down. I find myself reaching for it more than any other device now. (Including an iPad Pro which used to be my go-to for getting on the web at home.)
The size is perfect. It's not going to replace my home computer nor my development laptop. But it's the right size and weight to grab whenever I nee a computer "right now" to look up something, compose a quick email, etc. I even use it for presenting during our daily meetings connected to a projector. Chrome itself is superb if you're doing nothing more than using the internet. I've even found enough solutions for more fringe stuff that I want to be able to do. For example, I have a vast assortment of plain text notes stored in Dropbox that need to be accessed anywhere. I've found a fantastic Chrome OS editor (Caret) and installed the Dropbox filesystem support for Chrome OS, and now I have access to all those notes.
I admit to having also opened up developer mode so I could install Ubuntu to create a web server for development as a proof of concept. I won't get much into that there, but it's something I've done.
I will also admit that this isn't a fast computer. Web pages (even Google's own) are slowish to load. For most people, this will be a non-issue. For someone used to gigabit ethernet on an i7 based computer, yeah, you're going to notice it. And yet I still continue to reach for it.
The keyboard is great, and the trackpad works surprisingly well. Google must have spent some time finessing the drivers because it works better in Chrome OS than it does in Ubuntu. The keyboard is good sized and the keys are adequately responsive with acceptable travel. I really enjoy typing on it.
The display is ... well, great for this price point. But even though it's an IPS, it's not exactly Apple quality. But, again, at this price point, I'm thrilled with how good it IS. It's unlikely one is likely to complain about display quality at this price point. I do not believe you can find another IPS Chromebook in this price range.
Battery life is phenomenal. I haven't measured it, but I have used it heavily and just been amazed that it keeps on going. I can use it all weekend and take it back to work to charge on Monday.
Rather than just ramble, I'll say that this is a great deal and a fine little computer. It's not the fastest or the most feature rich, but for the price it gets the job done quite well. Enough that this power user often finds myself going to it to handle all the small tasks throughout the day. If you're on a shoestring budget (or you like to tinker) grab one and be glad you did. If you need a computer that can run everything in the sun, then you're still going to want a Windows or Mac - that's just life. But if you (like so many) do 95% of your computing on the internet, this might be the device for you.
| Standing screen display size | 11.6 Inches |
|---|---|
| Screen Resolution | 1366 x 768 pixels |
| Max Screen Resolution | 1366 x 768 Pixels |
| Processor | 2.16 GHz celeron |
| RAM | 2 GB DDR3L SDRAM |
| Memory Speed | 2.16 GHz |
| Hard Drive | 16 GB SSD |
| Graphics Coprocessor | Intel HD Graphics |
| Chipset Brand | Intel |
| Card Description | Integrated |
| Wireless Type | 802.11ac |
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 1 |
| Number of USB 3.0 Ports | 1 |
| Average Battery Life (in hours) | 9 Hours |
