Customer Ratings & Reviews

The Asus CX5501FE is my first Chromebook. A few years ago, I made the switch from Apple to Android for my tablet and phone. I've enjoyed my Android devices. I was curious what I could do with a good Chromebook. So, for the last week, I have been putting this Chromebook through the paces. I tested this Chromebook with an eye for whether or not I could replace my existing PC, tablet, or laptop with the Chromebook experience. While I discovered there is a good deal you can do with a Chromebook and in particular this Chromebook, the experience still felt rather limited to me. This Asus Chromebook is "functional". It's not bad, it's just very, very limited. If you're in the market for a Chromebook, this is a solidly built device. But you should know that there are some limitations over a traditional Android tablet or a Windows or MAC PC. Gaming? Well, I was excited to try a "gaming" Chromebook. A gaming computer is usually designated as such based on the video card and processor. But, this Chromebook is a gaming device in that it streams games from Geforce Now or XBOX. But, Geforce Now and XBOX Game Pass will require a subscription. So what gaming hardware sets this Chromebook apart? It has a Wifi 6 Intel 201 card. It isn't 6G, but it does get pretty good speeds assuming you have a WiFi 6 router. It also has an illuminated keyboard with a highlighted WASD keys. But outside of some mobile games from Google Play (more on that later), this is a gaming through streaming experience. Geforce Now could access my Epic Games, Steam, and Ubisoft games, but not all of my purchased games were accessible. For instance games from EA, Square Enix, and CD Projekt Red were available, but games from Rockstar and Sony were not. Streaming games is interesting. I'm sure the experience will get better. This Chromebook came with a three month subscription to Geforce Now. Basically, with a paid subscription, another computer is processing your gaming experience and you are then streaming that game to your computer over the internet connection. I believe the data is advertised at around 9 gigs per hour. Anyone on a restricted data plan should be careful. I played a few games. FPS games and twitch heavy games worked, but the fast movement felt compressed. Occasionally, I would get a hiccup in the stream and that would interfere with the experience. Playing Cyberpunk 2077 worked, but colors looked slightly washed out. Movements felt less crisp and clear than if you were playing the game on your PC. Stream gaming is never going to be my preferred option. If I'm at home with my WiFi 6 router and fiber internet, I'm going to be playing on a PC or console. Streaming would only make sense on the go, and at that point, I couldn't guarantee a fast internet connection or that my data cap wouldn't be an issue. Plus, Geforce Now and XBOX apps are available on tablets, phones, Windows PCs, and TVs. I'm not sure it's a selling point for this device when I could just as easily stream games to my iPad or a cheaper Windows based laptop. You can't download games directly to your Chromebook. You can't access every game in your Steam library. And, the amount of "free" games is pretty limited. So, you can play games, but I couldn't help but feel like the experience is far from optimal. Software Limitations: Google and Asus expect you will do pretty much everything through Chrome. There are apps, but many of them I tried weren't optimized for the Chromebook experience. For instance, Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime streaming apps were stuck on SD and had a horrible screen flicker. But, I could stream through the websites just fine. Having said that, Google TV, Youtube, and Pluto TV worked as expected. Some of my my previously purchased games like Ticket to Ride worked well. There is no Microsoft Office app for Chromebooks. If you want to type in Word or work on a spreadsheet in Excel, you will need to use the Office 365 web interface. It works for the most part, but is severely limited. For instance, if you want to open a document, it has to exist on one drive. It feels weird to me that I can get a Word app for my Samsung Android tablet, but not for a Google Chromebook. Hardware: This Chromebook can be set up as a traditional laptop, a tablet, or fold it like a tent as a mobile display. The keyboard is responsive. There are two USB-C ports and one USB-A port. The MicroSD slot makes expanding storage rather simple. The battery life on this Chromebook is amazing. I got seven to nine hours depending on usage. The built in speakers are loud and clear. Unfortunately, the entire thing is a bit of a fingerprint magnet. It's also surprisingly heavy. As a tablet, it always feels a bit large and awkward. But, tablet mode does work well. I love how easily this integrates with my Samsung Galaxy S22 phone. The interface is very clean. Setup is quick. The device boots up and shuts down in just a couple of seconds. So, do I like it? Yes. But, I feel like the experience is incredibly limited. Better app support and a better experience with game streaming would probably make this a much easier recommendation. As is, I recommend it, but only for people who know full well what they are getting into. 3/5

This Chromebook is a bit heftier than I thought. It has some sturdiness to it. It's not cheaply made. The screen is decent for viewing content and entertainment. You get two USB-C ports both can be used to charge. A USB-A port and HDMI port. The touch screen was amazing and functioned well. It was very responsive while playing games and other tasks. The Keyboard for what it was worked and I had no problems with it. The basic function for basic needs. The speakers on this Chromebook were the best part of it. The audio was loud and clear. Not much bass but the clarity was good. Listening to podcasts or movies was a joy with these speakers. I know this is advertised as a gaming Chromebook but I found that very difficult being a Chromebook. I thought I could load up my Steam account and play. Nope, being a Chromebook some apps can't be downloaded. It comes installed with GeForce Now which I found pointless because I would have had to buy all the games over again. Not sure how many people use GeForce Now to stream games. The biggest negative was the size and weight. Because this is a hefty laptop when it is too big in tablet mode. It's massive and heavy. If you are playing games from the Google Play Store, it could work. I found the size way too big for my needs. I still find it hard why use a Chromebook overall. This is no different than any other Chromebook I have come across. This is great for everyday tasks like checking email, watching videos, and some casual stuff on the side. A gaming device it is not. Outside of Google Play Store Apps, this is just a basic Chromebook. With it's size I'm not sure how many people will use this in tablet or tent mode.

All in all this is a great Chromebook. Nice bright screen and the audio is honestly the best I’ve ever heard on any laptop. The gaming aspect is a little misleading. Yes you can cloud game but you can cloud game on an Amazon kindle fire. Steam can be enabled under the beta channel if you choose. My only issue so far is it does have a tendency to turn off completely when the lid is closed. This is not a settings issue. Attempts to reach out to Asus customer service just circles back to bestbuy customer service. All in all a good laptop but maybe a little on the pricey side. I may end up returning due to the unresolved power off issue.

Seems ok. Touchscreen is not very sensitive. Holds charge for suffiently long period. And chromebooks in general require a number of operational changes that take getting used to

Do not recommend this not even for the basic streaming games. My internet is top notch and still streaming horribly stay away

The gaming on it is not what I thought is was gonna be

I got this ASUS gaming Chromebook for my daughter. She plays video games CONSTANTLY and her previous Notebook Pro stopped working. This sounded like a good fit. Unfortunately it wasn’t quite what she wanted. She hates playing Roblox on the iPad because she can’t play certain games on there, so she’s not been a happy camper since the prior laptop cashed out. As soon as she tried to play roblox on the ASUS she realized the file needed wouldn’t run and she had to download an app instead. Which then the game thinks she’s playing on a phone or tablet and negates the reason for the ASUS. She also found it easier to use the touchscreen to play the Roblox games just like on the iPad. After the 1st day or so came the laggy comments, and how her Notebook Pro didn’t do that. This ASUS has Bluetooth, yet we could not get her JBL headphones to connect. She’s never had a problem with any of our many apple products so idk what that was about. She has to plug them in every time. Which is inconvenient having to find the cord when you don’t normally have it around. The battery will last about 3.25hrs on a full charge. That’s with constant continuous use. The keys feel nice and are very responsive. The graphics are decent. The sound is good, not great. All around it depends on what you’re looking for. This Chromebook by no means compares to a $1k-$2k+ gaming laptop or desktop. It’s nice for the price range. Ending thoughts? She reaches for her iPad before this ASUS. Even though the touchscreen screen size on the ASUS is much bigger she still prefers the former. There are other games she enjoys playing on this ASUS so it’s not a total bust. But for people with kids who play roblox daily expect many complaints if they’ve played on an actual laptop or desktop prior to this.