Customer Images

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• See
  More

The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.

• Rated 5 out of 5 stars

  ASUS Chromebook Plus CX14: Not Just a ‘Browser Toy

  • Incentivized
  • Verified Purchaser

  I've used Chromebooks for years, and this ASUS Chromebook Plus CX14 is the first one that genuinely feels like a "real laptop replacement" instead of a compromise. On the plus side, performance is much better than I expected for this class. The Core 3 + 8 GB RAM combo handles 10+ Chrome tabs, streaming, and Android apps without hesitation, and it feels noticeably snappier than the older Celeron‑class machines I've owned. I was able to turn on Linux for Developers with a couple of clicks, install Remmina, and remotely connect to my Windows boxes smoothly. The built-in SSH terminal, combined with proper SSH keys, allows me to run X apps naturally, and Android apps from the Play Store install and run as expected. For someone who lives in Chrome, SSH, and RDP, the CX14 proves to be a surprisingly capable little device for developers and IT professionals, not just a "browser toy."​ The hardware is also better thought‑out than most budget Chromebooks. The 14" 1080p screen is sharp with good color and viewing angles for work and streaming, and text clarity is miles better than the cheap panels you see on a lot of entry‑level devices. The keyboard feels solid and comfortable for extended typing sessions, and multiple reviewers have noted it has a nice, quiet "thunk" rather than a cheap, clicky sound. Port selection is excellent for this class, featuring 2 USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, headphone jack, and Kensington lock ports, as well as Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.4. This allows for easy connection of an external monitor and mouse/keyboard. Battery life is sufficient to cover a workday of light to moderate use; reviewers report around 8–10 hours, depending on brightness and workload, which aligns with my experience so far.​ There are a few trade‑offs to be aware of. The screen is rated at around 250 nits; it looks great indoors, but in very bright rooms or direct sunlight, it can appear dim. The downward-firing speakers are just okay—fine for calls and casual YouTube, but thin and a bit distorted when you push the volume, so plan on using headphones or a Bluetooth speaker if sound quality matters to you. And like any Chromebook, you're living in ChromeOS, with web/cloud services, Android, and Linux containers: perfect for my use case, but not what you want if you need heavy local video editing or Windows-only desktop apps.​ Overall, though, this CX14 hits a sweet spot. It's light, sturdy, quiet, and far more versatile than older Chromebooks: it runs browser workloads, Android apps, Linux tooling, and remote desktop all comfortably in one machine. I'm happy with it as a power user, and I also expect my kids will get a lot of mileage out of it for school and media. For the price, it feels like genuine value rather than a "cheap Chromebook," which is a significant shift for this category.​

  ...See More
  • 

  Posted 2 weeks ago by MichaelH

• Rated 4 out of 5 stars

  Premium value

  • Tech Insider Network Member

  This is my third Chromebook and the earlier two were underwhelming when it came to certain things (screen/harddrive size/design) . Google fixed this by creating “Chromebook Plus” which requires some specs to get the label and I have to say this needs to be the standard for all Chromebooks as the CX14 is leaps and bounds above what I have used previously. The Good : The CX14 has a great in hand feel and is fingerprint resistant, no need to constantly clean it. The keyboard is a pleasure to use and I also noticed that the keys dont get stained after using it for the past week. The palm rest are perfectly sized, so my watch doesn’t rub against it when being used. The rounded corners make it a breeze to get in and out of backpack without snagging on anything. The CX14 looks and feels like a high-end laptop. The screen on the Asus CX14 is one of the best Full HD panels, the colors look great and true to life when watching content. When working on office task all the text are clear and this is huge, one of the worst things on entry devices is a bad viewing experience when it comes to document related things. Even when zooming in (Videos/Work/Photos) there is no distortion of any kind. The screen itself is limited when it comes to brightness as 250 nits but its surprisingly good and when looking at it straight on. Where the Asus CX14 excels is performance, running 10+ chrome tabs while streaming and no hesitation or slow down. This Chromebook handles normal task easily, it can even do some photo editing without much of an issue. When it come to video editing it’s not something I would recommend but it is still leaps ahead of other cellphone chips being used in other Chromebooks. I plugged the CX14 into a 5k ultrawide curved monitor and there was no issue, I was able to get 144 htz refresh at 5k which I was not expecting. I even ran some games to see how they play and there was no stutter or lag, even while playing on the 5K monitor. Even though the CX14 doesn’t have a HDR screen when plugged into a HDR screen it can push HDR content. Another area the CX14 does well is the ports, you have 2 USB C along with a HDMI, Kensington lock, USB A and a headphone jack. Now the ports are not for professionals, but they are more than enough for most people. Battery life is decent; I was able to get 4.5 hours with screen at full brightness while doing casual tasks. While you may think this isn’t enough this was at full brightness. What worked extremely well is the wake function every time I opened the lid the CX14 turned on instantly. The Bad: -The screen could be brighter, in a room with a lot of light it is hard to see. -The sound is not good at all, you will need headphones or wireless speaker. -The webcam quality is bad -Does slow down when doing heavy intensive task such as video editing/ running local AI processes. Overall: The CX14 is a great step-up for the Chromebooks, the Chromebook plus tag requirements provides a much needed premium feel. The CX14 is snappy and doesn’t slow down unless your doing extreme task. The fit and feel of the CX14 is great and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a solid machine to do casual tasks with. There is a difference between cheap and value and the CX14 is a value buy that looks, feels and preforms like a premium product.

  ...See More
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 

  Posted 7 months ago by JayS

• Rated 5 out of 5 stars

  Chromebook that sets the bar for durability

  • Top 500 Contributor
  • Tech Insider Network Member

  If you aren't familiar with Chromebooks, these laptops run Google Chrome OS and support web / cloud based applications only. Due to the cost effectiveness and compatibility, these laptops are popular with schools and businesses for day to day activities. The school systems in my area have moved solely to Chromebooks for their students, and for this reason I picked up the ASUS CX14 Chromebook Plus to see how it would perform against the high school required specs. TL:DR - If you need a Chromebook (or don't need traditional memory / hard drive based applications), the performance and features of the ASUS should put the CX14 at the top of your list. Built in AI (Google Gemini) assistant is also a nice feature, but many schools have implemented AI restrictions. Pros: Compact, lightweight, and rugged build FHD screen is viewable at most angles, will fold flat 128 GB storage is great, especially for school projects It will run cloud base apps all day, with almost no noise, and a full work day battery life Titan C2 security hardware to keep the Chromebook virus free Cons: This is still a Chromebook, you're limited to cloud / web based applications. Not a con for all, but that is what sets this apart from a traditional laptop. Wifi 6E, my personal opinion is that laptops should have wifi 7 at this point In the box is the laptop and USB-C charging cord. Out of the box, the first you'll notice the CX14 is a lightweight (3 lbs) yet rugged feeling build. Thanks to my teen, I have already performed a drop test off a counter height table, with zero damage to the case or screen. There is a single hinge that spans the majority of the back, allowing the laptop to lay flat, but also keeps the screen in place at whatever angle you choose. Screen viewing is great, starting at ~60 degrees (folded in towards the keyboard) and viewable all the way to 180 degrees / laying flat, with very minimal glare, even with overhead lighting. The keyboard is full sized, with slight spacing between the keys to help with accuracy for those with larger hands. The sound is about as expected for a laptop, it's a bit muted due to the speakers being on the bottom of the case. It does sound better if the laptop isn't on a flat surface, but nonetheless, still a relatively flat sound that most laptops are known for. Based off a few days of use, I find that the thing that sets the ASUS CX14 apart from other Chromebooks is the build specs. ASUS upgraded to an Intel Core 3, 8GB RAM, 128GB storage, 1080p front camera, and full HD resolution screen. As for connectivity, the laptop has an HDMI 1.4 port, a USB-A port, USB-C port, USB-C charging port, headphone jack, wifi 6E supported wireless card, and bluetooth. The build is very quiet, primarily because the fan doesn't have to work hard to dissipate heat associated with running resource intensive applications. As far as usage, on a fast connection, this laptop will stream, surf, and run cloud based applications with ease. The additional storage provided is nice, as it ensures there is plenty of room for downloading and sharing a full semester worth of school projects. The build seems like it will withstand a high schooler for at least one school year, if not longer. Most importantly, it's portable and budget friendly, which makes this a great option to take anywhere.

  ...See More
  • 
  • 
  • 

  Posted 7 months ago by EngineerMom