I have bought this Chromebook from BestBuy when it was on sale for $120 and I have been using this for 4 weeks now on a daily basis. All assessments and comments listed below should be seen in light of that this is by a huge margin the cheapest (say: cost-effective) laptop I have ever owned.
Performance: The Intel m3-8100Y processor is good enough for all low-power applications, like web surfing, office applications, video watching, email, remote control of other computers, etc. I would not recommend it for processor-intense games (no personal insights into that, though) or any photo- or video-editing application for which I am using Dell XPS laptops.
Screen: It is absolutely sufficient for most applications. It is correct that it seems to be dimmer than other models but at the same time it is adequate for indoor, office-kind-of-applications. The color gamut is also reduced (I have read somewhere else that it is about 50% of RGB). So, it is not suitable for color-critical photo- and video-editing application purposes. Which I would not recommend for reasons listed above anyway. For everything else, the screen’s color rendition is absolutely fine! The 1080p screen resolution is great, adequate for a 14-inch screen. Via a USB-C adapter I have also connected my 4K external display. Works just great.
Storage: The Chromebook features 64GB of eMMC storage. After 4 weeks of installing software (plus the operating system) I am currently utilizing 16.4GB of the 49GB available. I have also added a 256GB SD card via the Micro SD card reader slot. More than enough for all practical purposes.
Memory: The computer offers 8GB of RAM. Just for the purpose of this review, I have started ten different random applications running in parallel. They occupy 4.2GB of the available 7.8 GB memory.
Keyboard: Ironically, this is one the high- and low-lights at the same time. The mechanical properties are great. For all my other laptops I am using an external keyboard allowing for a comfortable typing experience. Here I do not need that. I can type for hours using the Chromebook’s keyboard itself. This adds to the transportability of the whole setup. I only need the laptop and the external mouse to carry around in my bag. The downside is that under certain lighting conditions the keys are simply not readable; you are just ‘typing into the dark’. The key illumination doesn’t make much of a difference. Given my work pattern, I do not perceive this as a limitation, but I have also seen tons of complaints by other users. Something to consider.
Mousepad: For reasons unrelated to this Chromebook (or any laptop) I am exclusively using an external mouse. My wrist will thank me later …. So, I cannot comment on this from a long-term perspective. The very few times I have used the C425 mousepad, I found it to be very adequate.
Battery: Within the range of applications listed above, I usually get 4–6 hours of <estimated> battery time left. Given my usage pattern, I never got anywhere close to the point of running out of power.
Connectivity: Another highlight: the laptop features 3 USB 3.2 connections (2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C and 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A). I routinely connect my USB-C dongle which offers tons of additional connectivity options, including charging the laptop.
WiFi & Bluetooth: work great. No issues.
Last benefit: Chromebooks in general come with a bunch of software perks. At this moment, I only care about the 100GB Google Drive offer, worth $24. If you want to take advantage of all other perks also, the aggregate financial benefits outweigh the hardware cost; or in other words, the laptop itself comes for free. It won’t get much cheaper than that.
Summary: All in all, this is an excellent laptop that I can only highly recommend, especially at this price point.