Customer Ratings & Reviews

I’m biased against laptops that do not have backlit keyboards and this laptop does not. What is making me think less about this omission is that it is well built. By that I mean that as I type this the screen is not shaking or vibrating, the keys are responsive to the touch and the spacing of the keys feels comfy to my large fingers. I’m not looking at an OLED or 4K screen, which is great because I’m seeing only the white background of this digital page instead of my reflection. And who really wants to watch 4K HDR content on a 14 inch screen anyway. Asus describes the color of this laptop as “rocky grey” and against the black keys of the keyboard, I’m actually liking the look more than I thought I would. As I type this I’m surrounded by a sea of grey and black laptops and I find an odd comfort in being able to easily pick this device out of the pile of other laptops simply based on the color. The underside of the laptop includes 4 rubber feet at the corners with the rear two connected with a long strip of plastic. At first touch with the laptop closed, this seems like an odd design choice, but when I placed the laptop on my lap and began typing I was pleased to see the laptop is not slipping off my legs. The long strip of plastic acts as an anti-slipping mechanism trading visual aesthetics with functionality. I’m impressed. This model includes a touch screen and 8GB of RAM which for a Chromebook is more than enough RAM. At least until Artificial Intelligence hit the computing space. The laptop can be upgraded to 16GB if for some strange reason you want to turn this thing into a local LLM. The built-in camera includes an orange privacy shutter which starkly contrasts against the black bezels, presumably to let you know without a doubt that the camera is being blocked, but my eyes keep floating up to glance at it which is really affecting my ability to focus. After a few days of experimenting I’ve resigned myself to keeping the shutter open. It’s like trying to talk to someone with a red dot on the center of their forehead: you just can’t ignore it and you have to look at it. I’m adding this to the negative check box list on what not to do on a laptop. Geeking out on specs for a moment all the basics are covered. HDMI 1.4, 3.5mm Audio Jack, Dual USB Type-A and dual USB-Type-C (supporting display / power delivery) and Wi-Fi 6 make for a happy external connectivity experience. Overall I’m thinking less and less about the missing back-lit keyboard and as long as I keep the camera uncovered, I’m finding the general computing use of this laptop to be a great experience.

I have used plenty of laptops of all different styles, shapes and sizes and Asus by far makes the budget laptops that pack a serious punch. This machine is no different, and if you are looking for your bacic Chromebook with internet capabilities and a machine that does a lot more than that, this is the device for you. Not only does this boast a 14" beautiful screen that delivers a powerful graphics processor, this also packs a bit of memory for everyday tasks and this is a machine that will be fast on Wifi and processing plenty of speed when it comes to streaming or just about anything you want to do. Why get a bulky large machine when you can get the same tasks done with a sleek, slim smaller laptop that you can easily pack away in your bag or backpack and not paying it any mind that it takes up space. This laptop delivers just what I needed it to do and more and plus its backed by the reliable Asus name which lasts a lot longer than most other machines on the market that tout more capability.

As a long-time ASUS fan, I went in expecting good things from the CX34 Chromebook Plus. ASUS has consistently delivered quality and reliability in every device I’ve owned (including a gaming laptop, an older generation laptop, and even a tablet at one point). The CX34 Chromebook keeps that streak going for me. This is a very reasonably prices laptop but really it looks and feels more expensive than it is. It’s not heavy, it’s lightweight and slim, but you know when you can just feel quality? This feels solid and durable—and it’s my travel/on-the-go laptop. I tend to prefer that over a tablet because I find them easier to use, with a track pad and more normal feeling keyboard. And let’s face it. AI is here and it’s not going anywhere, so we have to talk about that and it’s integration into the CX34. I honestly wasn’t sure how useful they’d be, but they’ve become part of my daily routine. Google’s Magic Eraser is one of those little tools I thought was cool but didn’t know I needed until I had it. I’m not sure if I have any unedited photos left! I like the AI enhancements during video calls too. The lighting in my front room where I take most calls is kind of funky at different times of the day. The automatic lighting adjustments and background noise filtering make a huge difference without me having to tweak anything or try to move the laptop to different angles without making myself look like I’m standing in front of a funhouse mirror. Basically, as an Asus fan, I’m sold. Good price, great features, Asus quality. Highly recommend it to anyone who wants something travel worthy but still gets the job done.

For the sake of transparancy, I wanted to give it 3 strs, but part of my desire is due it's OS. That would be like giving a family sedan a 3 star rating for not being a sports car. I mean, it is what it is. More on that later. Out of the box, it has an attractive look, and feels high quality. Nice tactile feel on the keyboard, mouse pad and touchscreen. The screen resolition is 1920 x 1080, but the refresh rate is 60Hz, meaning that it refreshes the screen 60 times per second. Perfectly adequate for daily use, entertainment and productivity, but not optimal for some games. That said, most gamers would not even considder this machine, but for every day use, the screen is nice. At 128 gig SS storage, it is adequate for most casual use. Having 256 or 512 gig wouold be nice, but 128 is OK for entertainment and productivity suites. Memory is 8 gig. Again, on the low end, but for this machine and it's users, certainly adequate. For input, it has one HDMI, two USB-A, and 2 USB-C ports. The USB-C ports are used for noth charking the machine, as well as for charging external devices. This machine is rated at WiFi 6, which is very good connectivity and stability. It also has a 1080 p front facing camera and microphone. Perfectly adequate for on-line communication. All in all a decent machine, but back to the 3 star want, but 5 star rating. While I am an Adroid guy (have been for as long as I can remember), the Chrome OS is... Quirky. To be fair, back to my sedan/sports car comaprison, Chrome OS is probably really good, but having spent decades both at work and home on Windows, I am competely engrained in that OS. Thus, I gave it a 4 as it is not the fault f the machine, but moreso the user. Now the dealbreaker, and catalyst for wanting to give it 3 stars... There is no backlight on the keyboard. I use my laptops a great deal at nigh in my self-selected dark living areas and bedroom. On an airplane at night? No backlight = no good. You would think a machine at this price point would have the BL KB. Dissapointing. End of the day, it is what it is. And it does what it does. Fortunately, I have several other options, but this will be a nice option for brainless app gaming, basic streaming, and Internet browsing when I travel. It is light, portable and decent battery life.