Chromebook Plus ASUS CM3401 (JB Hi-Fi)
Needs minor improvements
28/03/2024 22:08
I received this product at a discount in exchange for my honest opinion.
As an Avid Windows user in both my personal and professional life, I was always concerned that a Chromebook wouldn't really be for me. I'd had brief experience with Chromebooks at work which honestly wasn't the best. But, I am also a Google/Android Ecosystem enthusiast, so a part of me wondered if I was missing out.
I purchased the ASUS CM34 Flip and was quickly surprised with it overall. Whilst heavier than most laptops, it makes the machine feel well built and less flimsy than most laptops today. The machine also features a backlit keyboard with comfortable keys and a generously sized trackpad that is quite responsive. The Ryzen Processor, 8GB memory and SSD definitely provide added speed, with the machine only taking a few seconds to boot. Once the machine was setup, access to my Google Cloud items was a breeze, but the unit also has ports for external devices such as USB's and MicroSD Cards should you need them.
The screen is quite nice for viewing, regardless of the content and when paired with the Harman Kardon speakers, which put out awesome sound, make for a pretty great user experience. However, I do have to say that at times I have found the display colours to be washed out or dull which I believe is either due to a glitch in software or a hardware problem with the light sensor.
Using ChromeOS has been both a good, but also a somewhat disappointing experience so far. It's great knowing that Chromebook Plus devices have the Titan C2 security chip in conjunction with ChromeOS offering extra piece of mind by only being able to download apps from the play store. This however also limits what software can be run on the machine, especially if your task doesn't have an Android/ChromeOS app, or can't be done via a website or online portal. I also found that most, if not all apps on the Play Store aren't made for/natively support ChromeOS (for example Microsoft Office and G Suite apps such as Docs, Sheets and Slides), and as such either don't resize correctly or otherwise force quit after a few seconds of use. You can use Office online for free (in my experience) which is a plus but I feel dedicated apps would make for a better experience.
In summary, Chromebook Plus devices (in my case the ASUS CM34 Flip) are unfortunately let down by a few minor things at this stage, but if rectified, they have definite potential to be a really great device for many users!
dirronq96
Arriga , Austrálie
Age: 28
Gender: Female