Customer Ratings & Reviews

As a gamer you know that you can never have enough gaming platforms. In this case i wanted to try something a little more powerful than a tablet but not as much a full fledged gaming laptop. And in this instance a gaming Chromebook is a nice middle ground but we'll discuss this in a bit. :::Initial impressions::: Taking this out of the box the first thing youll notice is that this is a heavy duty product. It feels premium because it is heavy so it isnt something youll be holding for extended periods of time with one hand. And it has a premium look to it as well it has pretty much all the kind of I/O that you would find on a windows based gaming laptop. From a gamers perspective this is both esthetically pleasing and in terms of hardware it is what you would want. I am curious though if the storage could be upgraded. Although 256 is plenty for a Chromebook it would be great if possible. :::General thoughts::: If you have ever owned an Asus gaming laptop then you know exactly what you are getting. The typical red color scheme is back and looks good. At first i was a little confused on who this product would really benefit but after using it for sometime it grew on me and I ended up answering my own question. So I am going to avoid the usual review spiel about specs I don't see the point in repeating whats already available on the product page. So lets take a look at what matters the display, battery life and how well the hardware and os works. -Display- The display is glossy and is quite a bit reflective but it's not any different from whats already out there. Now here is the thing for a "cloud gaming" device the display is only as capable as the network, the service you are using. Dont get me wrong the display is clear and plenty bright but don't give it too much thought because Chromebook gaming isn't as demanding as actual PC games in high settings. -Keyboard- This keyboard is what is available on the gaming laptops so it is tried and true. Asus isn't new to this so the travel is good the keys do not stick and it feels right. Also a plus is the backlit keyboard. WASD is highlighted in red and looks good. There's a full sized keyboard along with the number keypad on the side I definitely wasn't expecting that but it is a great addition. -Hardware- You have a desktop intel based cpu under the hood along with 256gb of storage so there is more than enough power to run everything on this. Just remember though most folk will use this for cloud gaming. I use Gamepass & Steamlink and I am more than happy with my experience. There are games on the play store that you can download but they won't really fully utilize the hardware to its full capability. :::Pros & Cons::: Pros: -powerful hardware -beautiful screen -battery life is great (chromebook quality) -keyboard is top notch -quality materials Cons: -The OS :::Closing thoughts:::: This product is meant for those who like to game on a number of other platforms. I use steam, gamepass, emulation and sometimes games from the play store. As long as you dont expect this to work like a windows laptop then you'll love this. Chrome OS is different and offers a completely different experience from Mac & Windows. So here is the million dollar question why should anyone buy this? If you are looking for a gaming device that isnt crazy expensive then consider this. It is more powerful than a tablet, as powerful as a windows device and comparable battery life. ::TL;DR:: You want a gaming laptop device that isnt the same old thing then you need to pick one of these up and grab a controller if thats your thing and a pair of headphones. You'll have a great time as I currently am.

Although personally I have always been a bit reluctant to trust many of today’s big tech companies with private data, Google and the Chrome book platform with it’s reliance on much of its content and storage being cloud-based, poses a particular dilemma. At initiation, there are numerous agreements that need to be approved in order to be able to use this device. Perhaps it’s just a foolish Luddite’s dilemma that to be able to receive free or nearly free goods and services in the form of software, you really are required to pay with your marketable privacy. So, initially I was reluctant to surrender, but did so for the sake of the experience and to be able to evaluate this hardware and its operating system. ASUS products have a great reputation for being cutting edge and dependable. Having used many motherboards from ASUS and one previous foldable Windows ASUS laptop, I can say I’ve rarely been disappointed. I am fascinated by how ASUS’s foldable, touch screen computers have progressed over time. This unit, the Chromebook Vibe CX5501FEA looks gorgeous, feels luxurious and performs very well given its included components which includes 8 GB of ram, an Intel I5 1135G7 processor, a 256GB PCIEG3 SSD and a 15.6”144Hz Full HD Multi-touch responsive display with very good off-axis accuracy. Although I freely admit I have little direct experience with Chromebook products other than watching my two children’s use of school-supplied basic Chromebooks back when they were in high school, I can say they would have been woefully jealous of this ASUS product, with its technological sophistication, Cloud–based game-centric identity and large, fast, clear, screen. Although they would most likely have loved the larger screen size, they probably would have, like most of us, struggled a little bit with stowing away that large 15.6” screen and carrying those 4.3 pounds of smartness. Included with the laptop is a 15V DC 45 watt 100~240 V AC input power supply with an annoyingly short cord of about 6 feet in length, which is approximately 1.5 feet shorter than the older ASUS Windows version of this style of laptop. According to the specifications, a full charge can yield as much as 10 hours of laptop use, but only about 6 hours when running videos. Also included were a few paper documents for warranty and safety notices, as well as the shortest quick start guide that I have ever seen. Perhaps of most interest for some, is a card for the new Chromebook owner that allows the redemption of access to free game playing. This is a laptop that is relatively thin as well as being very agile. With the help of a full touch screen, this model has a fully foldable and lit keyboard that can be situated as a tent, tucked under in stand mode, completely folded over in tablet mode or right there under your face, in the normal position. In addition, one of the benefits of the normal position, courtesy of the hinges, is a slightly raised rear keyboard that helps the typing position, allows extra airflow under the laptop depending on what the laptop is sitting on and also allows the Harmon Kardon audio system to have just a little more acoustic breathing room for dispersion. Connectivity-wise, this unit sports a full-sized HDMI 2.0 connector for an external monitor or projector, two USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 connectors, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A connector, a microSD card reader and an analog 3.5 mm audio jack. Keep in mind that the power supply, when charging, will be using one of the two, USB-C connectors. The wireless connectivity includes Bluetooth 5.0 and speedy Wi-Fi 6 (802.11AX) (as well as backward compatibility to recent earlier versions like Wi-Fi 5 and 4) that allows all that zippy, cloud-based gaming to occur with minimal network interference. In use, this product’s screen is the main attraction, as it is fast, beautiful, versatile and accurate. Next is the keyboard that is stylish, includes a full numbers pad and importantly for gamers, includes anti-ghosting technology to insure that when multiple keys are pressed simultaneously, all your commands get through unscathed to win your battle or do your bidding. The WASD keycaps used for some common game controls are highlighted with a bright color for quick location. One last area of interest is the low friction area of the palm rest that ASUS has dubbed, “Obsidian Velvet” or in plain descriptive terms, a slippery black surface. The online gaming capabilities are obviously the centerpiece of this device and I am just scratching the surface at exploring what it can do whilst writing this review. My son, the college student, is the serious gamer in the family, but is away for another few weeks, so this laptop will get a real workout when he gets home. Conclusion: So, the takeaway for this product is that it is easily powerful enough for most typical computing needs such as browsing, email and video conferencing (although the video camera is limited to 720P resolution, so not the best, especially in darker conditions). However, the limitations of some applications and storage reliance on network connectivity may inhibit usefulness and flexibility when out of Wi-Fi range. Also trying to find Chromebook equivalent applications for more specialized needs is frustrating, especially after dedicating years of experience to trusted programs that are not supported by this OS. For those using this device in schools, homes or within a culture that will always be accessible to trustworthy Wi-Fi, this works. For a lot of us that travel, or may have to rely on sketchy Wi-Fi or use specific programs that are unavailable to this OS, it doesn’t.

## What to know before buying - This is not a Windows gaming laptop, so you can't install a game like Fortnite directly on this laptop. - Instead, this Chromebook is optimized to use *streaming* gaming services like NVIDIA GeForce NOW and Xbox Cloud Gaming. These services typically require a monthly fee, but you may find some free-to-play titles (for example, you can stream and play Fortnite for free with Xbox Cloud Gaming at the time of this writing, but the game offerings can change at any time). - So while this Chromebook can play games, it requires a fast and stable internet connection in order to do so, as well as an account with a cloud gaming service. ## Design The Chromebook definitely has a more aggressive gaming design compared to most Chromebooks. It has a distinctive look that’s both stylish and functional, with orange WASD keys to help you quickly find the directional keys during online play. It has a large 15.6-inch 144 Hz Full HD monitor that provides a sharp display for gaming. Being a touch screen, it does have a very reflective surface, making it difficult to use outside or if there is a bright light source or window behind you. The screen can also be folded 360 degrees to use the laptop in tablet mode and to also use it in tent mode, which can be handy when gaming with a controller. However, at this price point for a Chromebook, I thought that ASUS could have took the design a little further and added RGB lighting effects, for example. ## Performance I tested this laptop with Fortnite on the XBox Live Gaming service with a fast Wi-Fi connection on FIOS. Gameplay was surprisingly good, with only a tiny delay between pressing a button on my controller and having the game react. Most of the time, I didn't even notice the delay. Graphic quality was also very good and visible on the large 15.6-inch screen, but like any streaming video, there are occasional artifacts and pixelation in the video display while playing. However, I still found Fortnite very playable on this machine. It's important to remember that gaming quality is very dependent on the quality of your internet connection. For example, if you're watching a show on Netflix, the video is not actually on your computer; it's streaming from a remote server, so the video quality is dependent on your internet quality. The same goes for these cloud gaming services. I was a tester for one of the first Chromebooks, and I'm impressed how far they have come through the years. They are capable machines for those who want something easy for word processing (Google Docs), web browsing and social media (Google Chrome), basic gaming (Android apps), video conferencing (Google Meet), and even some coding (Linux environment and VS Code). Chromebooks are also a lot easier to maintain and install updates compared to Microsoft Windows, and the security protections in place with ChromeOS help protect against a lot of the viruses and malware out there. ## Battery Life This laptop can last up to 10 hours on a single charge and can be recharged via USB-C. The USB-C also allows you to connect it to a monitor for times when you want to game at a desk. I was happy to find that the USB-C connection worked with my Belkin dock, but this doesn't necessarily mean it will work with every USB-C dock out there. ## Summary The ASUS Gaming Chromebook is great if you're into streaming gaming services, but remember that the games can't be installed directly on this machine and the gaming quality is highly dependent on your internet connection and requires an account with a cloud gaming provider that supports the Chrome browser. However, it still functions like a normal Chromebook and can be used for web browsing, social media, Google Docs, some Android and Linux apps, and video conferencing.

I am a big fan of Chromebooks and have used one as my primary laptop for about a decade. I have used everything from low-end Chromebooks, to the higher-end models like this one and I have always enjoyed their simplicity, safety (malware protection), and functionality. I always suggest to people, that when they are in the market for a laptop and do not need to do much more than web-browsing, email, video streaming, etc, Chromebooks are always the way to go. And now with video game streaming, they can now be used for high-end gaming as well. Here are my observations with this specific ASUS model. Pros: - The specs on this Chromebook are very strong with 8GB of RAM, a beautiful 15.6" touchscreen (1080p), and plenty of storage space on the solid state drive. - The screen can be folded over completely to function as a tablet (see picture). It's rather large to be used as a tablet, but having this option is useful when you have the need. - The GeForce NOW app comes pre-installed and it was easy to create an account, connect my Steam account, and play games that synced to the service. I had some lag using the free rigs they connect you to, but I imagine that gameplay would be much smoother with a paid account ($10 per month to get the premium rigs). Using a free account gets you 1 hour of gameplay per session. Gaming this way can help you play high end games without needing an expensive PC. - I enjoyed the keyboard and trackpad layout. A numpad is squeezed in and gaming keys are colored red to find easily. Cons: - The price of this laptop is higher than most Chromebooks. While the specs are great, if you don't need the high end performance (or plan to do any game streaming), I would go with a cheaper model. - A stylus was not included. I have another 2 in 1 Chromebook from another manufacturer that has an onboard stylus that you can pull out when in tablet mode that comes in handy. I'd like to see that be a standard for all touchscreen Chromebooks. Overall this is a terrific Chromebook and I would recommend it to anyone that likes to do a little gaming on the side or is just looking for a Chromebook that can do a little bit of everything!

high quality for a Chromebook! love that it is laptop quality at a Chromebook price point. so easy to use, a great size as well. have used it for gaming (ie. sims) is able to run these programs but not at the best quality, would not recommend as a daily use gaming laptop, but works well for the occasional gamer who doesn't want to drop a dime on a PC setup. great for travelling, streaming, work stuff. good battery life, much faster than my i3 chromebook

I got this laptop when it was around $600 dollars and honestly it was not a bad purchase I would recommend getting it if your new to playing games and want to play LOL, Fortnite etc. it runs smoothly and right now that it’s cheap I think it’s a good buy. Also if you can get the protection plan GET IT try it for a year it’s honestly worth it. And it has good quality like it’s really good I use it to do school work and I play roblox and resident evil on it and watch movies.

I honestly am extremely thrilled at being part of what gaming chromebooks can do now abd for the future. I am one to always give new things a try and this was my first gaming chromebook. It really has a lot of value packed in this one device. I pray the HOLY SPIRIT CONTINUES HELPING THEM IN PURSUIT OF SOME OF THE BEST LAPTOPS ALL AROUND. Terrifc device. Thank you for helping me get a hold of this purchase as it has all the potential to help do so much in the coming days and weeks and months and possibly years!

I love the speed of the processor and how well it worked The games were also fun to play

Specs fit right for our 10yr old daughter. She wanted to game on a PC, and she loves it. I do not regret a thing!

Very good gaming laptop. I can play all games on it.

Let me play my full pc games on the go! Let’s go peeps

Bought this product for my wife whom was wanting a gaming laptop / Chromebook which i beleive didnt exist till now. Since she is a play for fun type of gamer it gets the job done.

The Asus 15 5" touchscreen Cloud Gaming Chromebook has worked out really well for me. Some people have complained about the weight, and I definitely wouldn't call it light at over 4 lb, but I normally tell people if an extra pound or 2 is too much for you, maybe a few trips to the gym are in order. Besides, this isn't a tablet, it's a laptop. Chrome OS happily runs along on the Core i5 processor, 8 gigs of RAM is more than sufficient, and a 256 gig SSD is plenty for a Chromebook. This Chromebook is slim and the build quality seems really good. The hinge allows the screen to be flipped over on itself if you want to hide the keyboard. Because it's a large laptop, there is room for a number pad, which is a plus. And battery life is phenomenal. Design wise, my only complaint is with the matte black finish. While it looks great, it shows fingerprints like crazy. Get yourself a good cloth and be prepared to clean it regularly. But how does it do with gaming? All of the games I played had great graphics and smooth motion. I'm really into cars, so the majority of the games I play are racing games. With both Asphalt 9 and Real Racing 3, frame rates seem good, and graphic quality was excellent. The ASUS Cloud Gaming Chromebook works great for its intended purpose, but doubles as a general purpose laptop. And I feel like the price is fair for what you're getting. No regrets here.

It is difficult to rate this laptop in any meaningful way using a five star system. My bet is that reactions to this laptop are going to be quite polarized - and I think my allocation of four stars will be of little-to-no help for interested consumers. Overall, this is a beautiful and solid Chromebook. The Intel 11th generation Core i5 processor is a nice flex here - and with 8 GB of system RAM this Chromebook is very fast and unbothered by running multiple applications while maintaining countless browser tabs. Startup from the solid state drive is very fast - and the base system consumes less than 50 GB of the 250 GB drive. The touch screen is crisp and bright - but it is also EXTREMELY shiny (so reflections and fingerprints can be distracting) and the basic 1920 x 1080 resolution is going to be a problem for even the most entry-level gaming snobs. I love having a laptop with a keyboard that swivels 360° to allow the device to function as a tablet, but since this ASUS weighs-in at over four pounds, I can't say that it gives off a real tablet "vibe." The sound by harman/kardon is AMAZING - it actually startled me by how crisp and clean and loud it is! Unfortunately, the laptop is cooled by a fan that is just loud enough to be distracting (and it runs almost continuously while the laptop is in use). Finally, the 720p webcam captured images quite well, even in somewhat low light conditions (which I think is rare!). So.....let's talk about gaming. This is being marketed as a "Cloud Gaming Chromebook" - and my own opinion is that the only reason ASUS can categorize it that way is because it supports Wi-Fi 6. With Chrome OS (not Windows), you won't really be relying on the operating system and most processor specs for speed (you won't be downloading games to play directly). Most of the action is in the communication - and I found the wireless performance to be truly stellar. This Chromebook comes with free 3 month trial subscriptions to NVIDIA GeForce NOW’s top membership tier and to Amazon Luna+ and my experiences (with my very fast router) were practically without flaw. Overall, my impression is that this is a beautiful and desirable Chromebook. And I think it functions admirably well with streaming gaming services. It feels solid and well-built, but it is heavy. I really don't like the glassy reflective screen and I find the fan noise to be distracting. Ultimately, I took off one star because of my specific dislikes and because I didn't think the (non-sale) price was justifiable relative specifically to the graphics capabilities (rated as "budget friendly" in a laptop that is not priced accordingly). I would definitely recommend this laptop, but only with my specific caveats. I like it very much, but I believe that reactions, overall, are going to be mixed.

Unboxing was straight forward and the unit arrived with a well designed box that was solid and had minimal plastic. First off it had a good feel in the hand though at 4.17 pounds it is quite a bit heavier than my other chrome book. That being said it is quite a bit lighter than my two other gaming laptops that come in at a hefty 5.33 and 5.55 pounds. At this weight it is manageable and much more travel friendly especially with a precision-engineered 360° ErgoLift hinge that smoothly adjusts the display to any angle while lifting and tilting the keyboard into the most comfortable typing position. This alone makes the thought of using it while flying or even lounging makes a huge difference. The hinge action is very sturdy and has a secure feel that I think will last well. Also, contrary to my other gaming windows based laptops it has a touch screen that is very responsive. Squeezing a number pad in is a mixed blessing as I really like the convenience for data entry it does add considerable size but all in all I think it is worth it as the extra width allows for a 16∶10 aspect ratio for a boost in vertical space compared with 16∶9 panels. This is Chrome OS based so if you are a google docs person you are in good shape. I suppose I am a bit old fashioned so some of the differences can be annoying at first but after an adjustment period I was feeling comfortable. Being a cloud based device installing Office is, as far as I understand, not an option though with OneDrive or a Office 360 subscription you should be fairly functional. Because this is a cloud based machine gaming requires that you access your games and other content virtually. My nephew was happy with the response of the gaming experience though not all games are compatible. I also have a very fast fiber internet connection which I think helps greatly. I haven't had a chance to try this at a local fast food place or on a plane and look forward to seeing how that might effect how it works. The display is very pleasant to watch and provides an immersive gaming experience. The sound is exceptional for a device of this size though I would be inclined to use headphones most of the time. The movement keys are highlighted for easy recognition. I do like that it has a full size HDMI port to use an external monitor as well as a built in media reader that supports SD, SDHC and SDXC memory card formats. All in all this is an adequate device that balances size, performance and other factors into a useful bundle.

I have to admit I knew very little about the Chromebook before I received the Asus 15.6" Touchscreen Chromebook. The learning curve has been a bit of a challenge because I initially approached the entire experience with the expectations it would be just like any other computer I had ever owned. But the "philosophical" differences became quite apparent right from the start. The Chromebook is, and always has been designed as a cloud computer, that is, your files are stored in the cloud and can be accessed from any other computer with access to the cloud. This frees up the burden of needing a lot of storage built in to the laptop itself. Okay, I am liking it so far. Because it requires so little storage needs, the system can operate at much faster speeds. Now I am really liking it. Google offers a wide array of apps that are compatible with many Microsoft applications that are easily accessible via the web, such as Word, Excel, and so on. At this point I am pretty much sold on the idea of the Chrome OS. It was only when I understood that Chrome OS was never designed to be just another version of Windows or MacOS, but was intended to stand on its own merits as a viable and needed alternative to the other two operating systems, that I began to appreciate its true value. But let me address the ASUS laptop. As always, ASUS designed a beautiful laptop, elegant, durable, and worthy of the ASUS brand. It sports a rather impressive Intel 11th Gen Core i5 processor. This particular processor far out--performs many other processors in laptops costing much, much more. With 8 GB RAM, it has the ability to execute several tasks at the same time, and is certainly capable of staying up to speed with everything it is designed to do. I experienced zero lag with anything I tried to do. One of the greatest things I like about the ASUS/ChromeOS marriage is that it even allows users to enjoy several rather engaging online gaming experiences such as Fortnite, Halo, and others, making the ASUS not simply a dedicated boring work computer! The graphics card, the Intel UHD Graphics 630, is a decent graphics card, and that's all it is intended to be. My gosh, at this price point, I was highly impressed. Listen, for people who are looking for a great work computer with the ability to enjoy a little fun during down time, this is the perfect choice...touchscreen, lit keyboard, plenty of storage, and super battery life. I have only had a little while to get used to the ChromeOS, but I can see that I am now a solid convert. Of course, if you have already been using the ChromeOS, I don't need to try and persuade you, but if you are, or have been curious in the past, let me assure you it is absolutely worth giving it a try. I will most certainly be encouraging my friends and family to get this ASUS Chromebook.

At first I was confused with the words “gaming” and “Chromebook” in the same sentence. From a hardware standpoint, this wouldn’t handle very many modern games at all. However, more and more services are offering cloud gaming - letting powerful servers do the processing and streaming the game to your pc like a Netflix movie. With cloud gaming, this works beautifully. Took it to a local coffee shop with strong wifi service and it performed very well with fairly low latency and garnered attention from a few shop patrons. It’s fairly lightweight and very fast, and would make an excellent daily use pc for a high school or college kid. Google’s suite of data processors and their cloud services make the limited onboard storage a non-issue thanks to the wifi just about every school and business in the world has today. Again, to reiterate, this Chromebook “gaming” pc is for cloud gaming, student level data management, and media consumption. It’s almost a giant tablet with a keyboard. If you are needing something to play The Last of Us or handle a doctoral thesis with onboard computing cycles, this isn’t your computer. That said, I recommend this for parents as a gift for young adults stepping out into the world for the first time. This Chromebook plus a gift subscription to a cloud gaming service is cheaper and lighter than your average gaming rig.

This Chromebook feels durable and really made once you remove it from the box. The contents are just the Chromebook itself, the power cable and I few promotional papers. It powers up super fast and setup is quick and easy. Just connect to a WiFi network, install the update and connect to your Google account. There are few applications pre-installed so you are not having to remove a lot of bloatware. GeForce Now is pre-installed to get you up and running with cloud gaming. Connect to your preferred gaming application, such as steam, and you are good to go. GeForce Now has a free membership but your will need a premium members to take advantage of all of the performance features. I was able to connect my preferred gaming controller with ease and play my favorite Steam games with no issues. The performance was great, and as long as you have a good internet connection it will be lag free. The screen looks great and the fast refresh rate gives you an edge in fast past FPS shooters. The popular movement keys are all highlighted for quick reference. Sound is great through the speakers or connected through headphones. This is an excellent device to get you playing games games at high-end PC levels without the high-end price.

Solid gaming Chromebook. Games are smooth. The Chromebook is flexible. Moved to tablet mode easily. It setups are in minutes. The lost star is due to chrome OS more than the laptop. Chrome offers perks for free games and such yet you can’t take advantage of it when on a child account. Also I’m concerned how long the spacebar and other keys hold out when using it in tablet mode. No protection. Time will tell.