I was glad to see that the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 didn’t jump on the wrong touchpad. That goes a long way towards improving the experience of using a laptop on a regular basis. I didn’t get annoyed every time I had to click-and-drag or select a bit of text. The biggest weakness of this one is the screen, which is true of almost every cheap Chromebook I’ve tried. The color is bad and deaturated, giving the whole thing a sickly green tint. It’s also not the brightest in the world, as it stretches 1920 x 1200 pixels on a large 16-inch screen. But in terms of usability and performance, the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 is a great value, combining an Intel Core i3 processor with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. For a Chromebook that often retails for $350, it’s a steal.
While we’re here, let’s go cheaper, shall we? Asus has two affordable Chromebooks that I tested last year that mildly impressed me. The Asus Chromebook CX14 and CX15. Notice in the name that these are not “Chromebook Plus” models, meaning they can be configured with less RAM and storage, and even use lower power processors. That’s exactly what you get on the cheaper CX14 and CX15 configurations, which is how you sometimes get prices as low as $130. I definitely recommend the version with 8 GB of RAM, but regardless of which one you choose, the larger CX14 and CX15 are impressive laptops. You’d know that’s a huge compliment if you’ve seen how bad Chromebooks at this price point have been in the past.
Despite this, though, I appreciate the relatively thin bezels and thickness of the chassis, as well as the large touchpad and comfortable keyboard. The CX15 even comes in an attractive blue color. The touchpad isn’t great, nor is the display. Like the Acer Chromebook Plus 516, it suffers from poor color reproduction and only reaches 250 nits of brightness. It only has a 720p webcam, which makes video calls terrible. But that would be true for almost all competitions (and there aren’t many).
Of the two models, I actually prefer the CX14 though, since it doesn’t have the numbers and the off-center touchpad, which I’ve always found difficult to use. Look – no one will love with a computer that costs less than $200, but if that’s what you can afford, the Asus Chromebook CX14 will at least get you through without too much frustration.
whatever you do, don’t just go to Amazon and buy any old Chromebook on sale for $100 for your child. It’s worth the extra money to get something with better battery life, a more modern look and better performance.
Other Great Chromebooks We’ve Tested
We’ve tested dozens and dozens of Chromebooks over the years, having reviewed every major offering in a range of prices. Unlike Mac and Windows laptops, Chromebooks tend to last longer though, and aren’t refreshed as often. I stand by my picks above, but here are a few standouts from our testing that are still worth buying for the right person.
Photo: Daniel Thorp-Lancaster
