The excellent news is that the keyboard and trackpad are fairly good right here. The Chromebook CM14 presents a snug typing expertise, and the trackpad is spacious, although the fabric Asus makes use of has slightly extra drag than I’d like. They’re backed up by a strong 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 appears extra like a 1,536 x 864-pixel display. You’ll be able to modify the scaling again right down to native decision and it appears 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 may eke out of this laptop computer, clocking in round 10 to 11 hours of combined use all through a standard workday. Asus claims you’ll be able to stand up to fifteen hours of battery life, so that you could possibly squeeze out much more relying on how you employ it.
The webcam isn’t something particular, providing you with a 720p shooter that appears OK on video calls. You get a bodily change 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 useful in order for you further storage, because the 64 GB of built-in storage is certain to change into restrictive.
Hunt for Gross sales
So do you have to purchase the Asus Chromebook CM14? Perhaps. While you dip into the funds vary, there are at all times trade-offs, and so they’re evident within the poor show and efficiency struggles. Nonetheless, shiny spots like nice battery life, a strong construct, and a great keyboard make the CM14 a Chromebook value contemplating if you may get by with probably the most fundamental of fundamentals.
What makes this a tricky resolution is the aggressive pricing I’ve seen on extra succesful Chromebook Plus laptops, which begin at $399 however are ceaselessly on sale for a lot much less. On the Chromebook CM14’s full $299 worth, it’s value contemplating whether or not you’ll be able to choose up a extra highly effective possibility, just like the Acer Chromebook Plus 514, by spending slightly further when it’s on sale. That mentioned, I’ve seen the CM14 dip to $180 when it’s on sale, and it’s completely an incredible purchase at that worth.
