ASUS Chromebook Detachable CM3001 10.5" Laptop - MediaTek Kompanio 520 - 4GB Memory - 64GB eMMC - Fog Silver

I am very surprised by this 2 in 1 chrome book. I've had a Chromebook long time ago, when Chrome OS was a new thing and at that time I thought it needed "more time in the oven" (the OS). Not this time, Chrome OS has greatly evolved and it is a legit OS these days and very light. I was surprised on how easy it integrates with the Android/Google ecosystem. The laptop itself is amazingly built. It feels sturdy, compact and Asus has put great care on the design. They include a nice case that doubles up as a stand and a nice magnetic keyboard with touchpad (the back of the keyboard also has the same material as the case and envelopes the laptop, closing the case). The laptop's material on the sides is almost metallic, like aluminum. It feels hefty and well built on my hands. The included keyboard is nice and the keycaps are your typical chiclet type. They are not backlit though. The touchpad is nice and responsive. I was surprised they also include a nice stylus with several functions and it goes into the laptop to charge (kind of like some phones that include a stylus that rests inside its own compartment). Because the keyboard attaches magnetically, you can detach it from the laptop and it instantly senses it has been removed and it switches to "tablet" mode. You can use the touchscreen to operate it and Chrome OS automatically becomes more of a tablet OS. Supported apps automatically go into full screen mode. Some may not automatically do that, but the device will ask you if you want to see the app in full screen mode. If you re attach the keyboard it goes into laptop mode and apps have your typical "X" on the top corner like other desktop OSes to close the apps. The tablet integrates wonderfully with an Android phone. If you login with the same info, it will ask you if you want to pair them for certain functions (like unlock the laptop if automatically if your phone is nearby, receive messages you get on your phone also synced up to your tablet). The cameras are alright, not going to win photo quality contests, but are plenty good for teleconferencing videos, photos/videos. Performance is great, I was dubious of the Mediatek processor, but its plenty fast, considering Chrome OS is such a lightweight and productive OS. Since its part of Google's ecosystem, there is also access to the Play store to download tons of apps. I have had no issues using them at all. The screen is also great, plenty bright and highly responsive to touch commands. I highly recommend this Laptop/tablet to anyone wanting one for work or school. You have a great laptop and a great tablet in just one device, and don't forget the included stylus!! +++PROS+++ +Two devices in one, laptop and tablet. +Included magnetic keyboard and protecting case (with back stand). +Included Stylus +Fast, lightweight ChromeOS +Access to the Playstore, tons of apps. +Included charger adapter (type C). Charging light. Charges very fast. +Fast CPU, great battery life (device notifies you how much battery life you have letf, not only in percentage but also usable time). ---CONS--- -Keyboard isn't backlit. -You are bind to the Google ecosystem (Chrome OS). -Not meant for gaming (although Play store games do work good).

Trackpad: - The trackpad feels good. However, you can tell that in ChromeOS that there is still significant latency. Causing accuracy errors. But found gestures to work well. Trackpad is also quite small. Which is to be expected. Keyboard: - The keyboard is good. Satisfying enough to type on. Keys are smaller than normal, relatively. Normal layout, and does have the ‘function’ keys at the top. I got 124 wpm which is around my average. The keys are NOT backlit. Stylus: - It comes with a stylus. Which is pretty awesome. It can be a bit hard to get out of the shell. There is a notes app you can write in and draw in. It is pretty basic. There is latency when drawing/writing but it isn’t horrible. Overall, a fun experience. I think it is a positive. But don’t expect miracles. Screen: - Honestly, I had no problems with this. Especially for the price range. It won’t win any awards. But it is a solid experience. It is crisp, clear, and easy to read text. Gets bright enough in normal environments (not outdoors) to see easily. Watching content is pleasurable. Contrast ratio is good enough to not be distracting. There is some IPS glow, blacks are pretty good only being slightly gray in challenging environments, with some dirty screen effect. For the price, no complaints, and I think this is a strong point of this device. Performance: - The CPU is low-end. As is the 4 GB of ram. On a Chrome device this is barely passable. Especially, for those who don’t know any better. But on a regular occurrence I noticed slow downs where my cursor would stop moving, I would have to wait for something to load, or the system would lock up on me for a few seconds while it caught up. For reference I do own a lot faster devices, I am considered a “power user”. Often having multiple things open, using keyboard shortcuts, very sensitive to latency, etc. Where I am going to be on the extreme end of criticizing a product like this. I am aware this is not a hardcore device and when using only kept 1 - 2 things open at a time with 2 - 4 tabs and still noticed those slow downs. Especially, when first opening an app or when switching between a different app. - If you are wanting to play games. This is not the device for you. First, the size is small so heat is a factor. But more importantly the CPU just simply can’t handle anything but the most basic of phone games. - Loading most YouTube videos took about 30 - 90 seconds. Where it would take a while to get the video up. Then would have to buffer or the video itself would skip around. Trying to listen to anything at 2x speed everything falls apart. Where you still get the audio but the picture does not keep up. - I found that staying in the Chrome browser over using the standalone apps improved performance. To be more reasonable and enjoyable. - Also, thought performance was better in tablet mode over when the trackpad and keyboard was attached. Speakers: - Keeping the price in mind here again. I thought they were acceptable. From a normal distance away I was getting 65 - 70 dB on my dB reader at max volume with music. Right next to the speaker 80 dB. They are treble focused making it sound a bit sharp. But that allows you to effectively understand voices. Making talking type content easy to understand. But makes music a lot less enjoyable. The bass is almost non-existent. Imaging is terrible. I can barely pull any sounds apart. Mostly you get the main vocals and main instrument with everything else blending together. - Unfortunately, the speakers are right where your hands would normally be when holding it in tablet mode. Muting them significantly. Not the best choice in position from them. Battery Life: - This is a place it excels. ChromeOS is lightweight, this chip doesn’t use a lot of power, making the battery life excellent. The estimate it was giving when writing up this review was 10.5 - 11 hours with 98% left with just a word document open. When playing a YouTube video in the background, max brightness, 50% volume, it dropped to 6 hours with 88% left. Lowering the screen to 50% volume to 50% it increased to 8 hours. ChromeOS: - The mixture between what works as a touchscreen and what works with the touch pad is a bit hit or miss. Something I think they could further improve on. For example in Google Docs to zoom in on the documentation I could pinch with the trackpad but I couldn’t pinch the touch screen. But most other places that particular thing worked like normal working on both. - But I still think overall, ChromeOS continues to be a better and better operating system with each update. Updates are quick and automatic. Making it ideal for those who are not computer savvy or for those like myself who set up systems for the rest of the family and don’t want the headache of keeping them up to date all the time. As it is very easy to navigate. Generalized Use: - I do like the size of this. As it is like a pocket computer. Screen for the price and size is good. Making reading articles, books, comics, digital school work, etc. excellent. - I really like that you have a tablet/keyboard open. As for a lot of things I found I liked to just use this as a tablet without the keyboard. Touchscreen felt good and responsive (not including the slowdown of the OS mentioned above which has more to do with the CPU over the quality of the touchscreen). - The overall device