I wanted to buy my mom a laptop since her 10 year old Toshiba finally failed. I was looking at all the options out there, but everything in my budget range was either way too slow. All she does is watch movies and surf the web, youtube, etc., so I wanted to find her a laptop that was particularly keen for those type of tasks. I started looking into Chromebooks. Mind you, this was the very first Chromebook that I've purchased, so I didn't know what to look for when it comes to specs. I mean, lets face it-when it comes to specs, Chromebooks that are out on the market right now has some very weak specs. But dont be fooled by the unimpressive numbers. Chromebooks use Chrome OS which was developed by Google. They use a completely different user interface than, say Microsoft or Apple. Chrome OS uses significantly less resources, therefore your computer runs very fast, even with low specs. For example, my mom's old Toshiba had an 10 year old Intel Celeron processor, 8 GB of ram, 500 GB HDD. Nothing too impressive, just an average laptop. This Toshiba took about 4 minutes to boot up. When it comes to surfing the web, watching YouTube, etc., it was an absolute pain! This ASUS Chromebook has similar, or even weaker specs: Intel Celeron processor, 4 GB ram, 32GB storage. You would be wondering why on earth would anyone get a computer that has such weak spec sheet? Don't be fooled. I was skeptical too when I first purchased this Chromebook. The laptop is able to boot up in 7 seconds. Thats right, 7 SECONDS!!! The entire setup of the laptop took less than 2 minutes. All you have to do is log in using your wifi information and Gmail account. Everything else sets up automatically. The user interface was really simplistic, even a kid could operate it. It makes sense as to why it only has 32GB of storage. You store all your documents on Google's cloud. All the apps you could possibly ever want is included: Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Drive, etc. In my mom's case, all she does is watch YouTube, so this is the perfect laptop for that. Not to mention, it is incredibly thin! It almost looks like a MacBook Air from far away. The Chrome OS updates your computer discretely so you don't have to worry about the hassle of updating your laptop or be alerted to do so. You also dont get any viruses on Chromebooks too since Google has your back with their security features. All in all this is a fantastic laptop for the price. My mom has been using it for a couple days now and she absolutely loves it! In fact, she tends to baby it by covering it up with the packing sleeve after every use. LOL!
I have been using this Chromebook for a day now. The battery life is definitely all day, the OS is crisp and quick, and the new version of the OS allows you to download your favorite android apps from PlayStore. I am using it as my main business laptop too, as it is light and the screen is a good size. The OS will allow you to run Linux programs by opening the Linux terminal in its apps and typing:
sudo apt -get install libreoffice
It takes perhaps 15 minutes to download this Office substitute, but the substitute is very good and nicely Office compatible.
The power cube is good too. The USB-C cord and port is very convenient as one cord now charges this device, my Windows 2in1, my wife's laptop, and our phones. We have a few power cubes, and now we have another that has enough power (at 2.4 amps) to charge and run any of our devices.
Finally, the keyboard is solid and does not slow me down. One annoying thing coming from windows is the lack of a delete key and a snipping tool. However, there is a program switch key on the top row, above the number 6 which, if pressed along with CTRL and Shift, is a snipping tool. And, ALT backspace is a delete key. So, I can do everything I do, at a pretty sophisticated level, all on one bright and fast machine with long battery life and a $239 pricetag. Heck, Office alone almost costs that. This is a very good solution for home or corporate.
As someone who has used low-priced Chromebooks for several years, I thought this computer offered a great price for a lightweight, thin, large-display Chromebook that works with the Play Store. The one area this computer could have been improved is by having better speakers, but I could easily look past this for the other specs this computer offers for a bargain-basement price!
this laptop way exceeds my expectations. great performance. great screen clarity. super light.
it does very well for me using a connection via my tethered phone. it performs light years faster than my windows laptop utilizing a tethered connection. so i highly recommend if your internet connection is a limited one like in a tethered scenario.
keyboard layout is weird.. no page down, page up, delete, and other mainstays. but i am sure i will get use to the new alternative. just don't understand why companies institute change for the sake of change. it is a turn-off.
the laptop is made very well. the keyboard has good action. great display it boots up fast.. real fast from what i am used to. and light.. almost makes it seem cheap. it is not, of course. it is very well made. but that is how light it is.
i am thoroughly satisfied.
the only demerit has nothing to do with the laptop.. but it comes with absolutely NO documentation. not even a quick start guide on how to turn on... what ports are what.. power supply, etc. the manual is a downloadable file online, but how are you supposed to get to that without having enough info to get the thing up and running? i thought this was incredibly thoughtless of asus. i am a retired sun solaris admin, so i am able to get pretty much anything computer related figured out. but i'm writing this for the home user who might buy this thing.
and it seems to not be a fluke. when i was registering the device, the tech person told me that is the way they come... download the pdf. dumb. and overall, asus' website is a kludge, and their tech support is wooden. and all i was doing was registering a laptop. (their registration process online would not work that night, and the website has all the deftness of something designed by a govt agency)
bottom line.. great product. but don't have high hopes for any future company/customer interfacing.
I read some online reviews of this laptop in addition to the reviews on here; based on those, I was expecting to be satisfied, but underwhelmed. Not the case at all! The keyboard is excellent, the computer feels like quality and is very sturdy-feeling. Some people have complained about the track pad "ratting", but honestly the way it's designed feels like an intention (and pleasant) tactile touch rather than poor design. That's just me. It feels like it's designed to be easy to tap with a finger rather than clicked with a firm press (though of course both work fine).
The hinges of the screen are just the right amount of tight. I love the matte of the screen itself, and it goes as bright as I need a screen to go. I do tend to use computers indoors, but I'm sure it could handle daylight, especially with the anti-glare. As far as resolution, I really don't know what folks claiming it's grainy are talking about. It doesn't seem grainy to me at all, nor does it make my head hurt. HD videos look HD on this machine.
Battery is fantastic. I get about 8 hours or so it seems while using the internet and typing and occasional videos. I still haven't broken the battery in totally though, so it may get even better as it stabilizes.
This computer runs quite quickly, despite having a pretty low-end processor. You probably could not run any games on this smoothly, but if you stick to videos and browsing and don't have a bajillion tabs open, it should keep up with whatever you are doing just fine.
Very, very happy! I don't think anyone should hesitate on this one.
Feature Product
- 15.6 inch HD 1366x768 anti-glare NanoEdge Display featuring an ultra-narrow bezel with anti-glare coating to reduce reflections
- The HD display has a durable 180 degree hinge that can be laid flat to share content easily
- Powered by the Intel Dual-Core Celeron N3350 Processor (2M Cache, up to 2.4 GHz) for fast and snappy performance
- 4 GB LPDDR4 RAM; 32GB eMMC storage and USB Type-C and Type-A ports
- Chromebook runs on chrome OS - an operating system by Google that is built for the way we live today. It comes with built-in virus protection, updates automatically*, boots up in seconds and continues to stay fast over time
- All the Google apps you know and love come standard on every Chromebook, which means you can edit, download, and convert Microsoft Office files in Google Docs, Sheets and slides
- With the Google play store, you can access a rich library of apps, games, music, movies, TV, books, magazines, and more, All from your Chromebook
- Chromebooks come with built-in storage for offline access to your most important files and an additional 100GB of Google Drive space to ensure that all of your files are backed up automatically
Description
With its aluminum-finished lid, thin .6 inch profile and overall weight of just 3.1 pounds, the ASUS Chromebook C523 has a distinctively premium look and feel. Designed for effortless mobility, it's your take-anywhere companion that's always ready to go wherever your day takes you.The stunning 15.6-inch HD NanoEdge display has an ultra-narrow 6mm bezel, and features a matte anti-glare coating to reduce annoying reflections. The result is a laptop with an impressive 80% screen-to-body ratio that minimizes size while helping you maximize productivity — so you can see and do more, while carrying less.With its 180° hinge, ASUS Chromebook C523 can be laid flat to share content easily with friends and colleagues. Its unique, durable hinge design has been subjected to a grueling 20,000-cycle open-and-close test to ensure long-term reliability.Despite its thin and light design, the C523 doesn't compromise on sound quality. With dual high-quality stereo speakers and extra-large resonant chambers that generate high-fidelity audio, it can deliver surround-sound effects that are as good as much larger laptops, with crisp and powerful sound.Featuring powerful quad-core Intel processors, ASUS Chromebook C523 delivers great performance for popular apps, with extraordinary battery life. Combined with the full power of G Suite and other apps from the Google Play Store, the C523 lets you breeze through all your everyday tasks on the go.The power-efficient ASUS Chromebook C523 is designed to last for up to 10 hours* on a single charge, so you can work or play throughout the day while you're on the moveTwo full-function reversible USB Type-C ports make it easy to charge the C523 or connect it to other devices. USB-C provides superfast data-transfer speeds. For maximum convenience and compatibility, the ASUS Chromebook C523 also features standard USB 3.1 ports, and there's a microSD slot.A full-size, ergonomic keyboard with 1.4mm key travel ensures supreme typing comfort. Typing on a compact device has never been this comfortable.The ASUS Chromebook C523 gives you full access to the Google Play store, so you can use all your favorite Android work, play, or creative apps. The C523 also has automatic updates and built in antivirus protection. No need to worry about keeping your device safe, thanks to Google's Chrome OS.
I didn't want to risk dragging my expensive workhorse laptop everywhere. Just too high risk for when I'm going to browse and netflix. This is perfect for $229. It starts up fast, opens all my bookmarks like on desktop, but surprisingly Chrome doesn't slow down running 4gb Vs 8gb on windows. Audio is ok but i never watch netflix with laptop speakers. Only thing i'd have perferred is a better screen with improved viewing angle. But then it wouldn't be $229.
I purchased this laptop based on the positive reviews as well as the price. First, I will say that it is a beautiful laptop which appears much more costly than it was. The keyboard is extremely functional and a pleasure to type on and the large screen is an added bonus. I must however say that upon immediate use, I found the system slow and unresponsive to the point that watching any videos was impossible, due to constant stuttering and sound breaking up. After some online research, I discovered that an update might resolve the issue and to my surprise that's all it took. A chrome update that lasted about 5 minutes in length and my problem was solved. Everything is now working at prime capacity and watching videos is no longer a problem. Images are crystal clear and I have found the battery life to be more than adequate, lasting close to eight hours when watching videos. Very pleased with this purchase!
By far, the best Chromebook I have ever owned. We almost bought my Wife a new MacbookAir but decided since she only used her old one to surf and do email that this ASUS Chromebook would be perfect. It arrived today the day after Christmas (totally my fault for waiting too late to order) and we set it up on five minutes. Build quality is awesome, screen looks great and sound is fantastic well worth the 200 bucks or so we paid and we saved a thousand bucks and avoided the Apple eco system again! Cheers
Purchased this while on Black Friday sale.
Great upgrade to my C300. Same size body, but with a bigger screen, lighter weight, improved hinge, and better inputs. I love the dual USB C inputs for charging More than capable for the average Chromebook user. Only complaint is the track pad 'clicks' when using, but most of the time, I'm using an external mouse.
Time will be the real test of build quality, but as of now, easy recommendation for most Chromebook users.
I purchased this for my 88 year old mother. She needed a machine to do her email and perform online banking and shopping. I was able to quickly sign her up and get going and it has been going well (althought it has only been a few weeks). everything worked as expected and I was able to get her started relatively quickly (use of the touchpad will be problematic). I am reserving a star for future potential issues
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