The excellent news is that the keyboard and trackpad are fairly good right here. The Chromebook CM14 affords a cushty typing expertise, and the trackpad is spacious, although the fabric Asus makes use of has a bit extra drag than I’d like. They’re backed up by a stable base to the laptop computer with none flex throughout regular use.
You get a full 1,920 x 1,080-pixel decision on the 14-inch display, although Asus has show scaling set out of the field so it seems to be extra like a 1,536 x 864-pixel display. You possibly can modify the scaling again right down to native decision and it seems to be suitably crisp. Nonetheless, I can’t say the identical concerning the washed-out colours, dim max brightness, and poor viewing angles of the TN show.
{Photograph}: Daniel Thorp-Lancaster
If there’s one superpower the MediaTek platform brings to the CM14, it’s effectivity. I used to be impressed with the battery life I might eke out of this laptop computer, clocking in round 10 to 11 hours of combined use all through a traditional workday. Asus claims you possibly can stand up to fifteen hours of battery life, so that you could possibly squeeze out much more relying on how you utilize it.
The webcam isn’t something particular, supplying you with a 720p shooter that appears OK on video calls. You get a bodily swap to dam it for further privateness, which is a pleasant contact. Ports are additionally comparatively good for the worth. There are two USB-C ports, one USB-A port, a 3.5-mm headphone jack, and one microSD card slot. The microSD slot is helpful if you’d like further storage, because the 64 GB of built-in storage is certain to change into restrictive.
Hunt for Gross sales
So must you purchase the Asus Chromebook CM14? Perhaps. Whenever you dip into the finances vary, there are at all times trade-offs, they usually’re evident within the poor show and efficiency struggles. Nonetheless, vibrant spots like nice battery life, a stable construct, and a great keyboard make the CM14 a Chromebook value contemplating if you will get by with essentially the most fundamental of fundamentals.
What makes this a troublesome determination is the aggressive pricing I’ve seen on extra succesful Chromebook Plus laptops, which begin at $399 however are continuously on sale for a lot much less. On the Chromebook CM14’s full $299 value, it’s value contemplating whether or not you possibly can choose up a extra highly effective possibility, just like the Acer Chromebook Plus 514, by spending a bit further when it’s on sale. That stated, I’ve seen the CM14 dip to $180 when it’s on sale, and it’s completely an awesome purchase at that value.
