Customer Ratings & Reviews

This was my first Chromebook. I needed something that would "just work", but I wanted at least 4GB RAM, 32GB local storage, and an SD slot to expand storage. The Samsung 3 fits the bill, especially on sale. I'm using the Micro-SD slot to increase storage by 128GB (not that I've really needed it yet). Besides typical Chrome usage, I've installed several Android apps that all work pretty well. The screen is okay if the brightness is turned up, but it tends to flicker (almost like an interlaced CRT screen) on lower brightness. Even on inexpensive laptops, I've not experienced such a "cheap" feeling screen. It's a super cheap machine, though, so I can accept that trade-off. The resolution is fine, and for casual usage it's not an issue. The keys are large, and the lettering on them is very large; I almost feel like I'm using a device meant for someone with vision problems -- like the TV remote controls with the super large numbers -- but functionally it's great. Better that, than a tiny squished keyboard. I've used it on battery for 5-7 hours without charge, on w/ screen on & at mid-brightness, before feeling as though I needed to plug it in (I typically get the itch to plug in anytime I fall under 40%, particularly around 30%); I've closed it and left it on the coffee table for several days, picked it up, opened it, and had over half the battery still left. It's not going to last as long as, say, an iPad, which is a shame... but it's certainly an acceptable battery life. Pros: - Lightweight; - Simple to use, once you become familiar with ChromeOS; - Powerful enough most of the time (see last "con" bullet point); - Battery life is good (not great, but good); - The speakers are surprisingly decent. Cons: - Screen flickers when brightness is down (increasing brightness seems to reduce the effect, but it also drains the battery faster); - Feels very cheap and plastic-y, but, it's a sub-$200 system, so that's fine; - Sometimes the processor seems to struggle a bit upon first opening it up (especially if it's been hibernating/sleeping, vs fresh boot). I'd recommend closing any open Chrome tabs or doing a fresh reboot if you open it up and it's slow or hesitant to respond. I'd recommend this little Chromebook for the following: - Kids - it's cheap, doesn't need to be patched or run antivirus, will do pretty much anything short of bonafide gaming (web-based games and some Android games should be fine); - Anyone needing a casual, secondary device with a keyboard (it's not a touch screen) for light productivity or entertainment (YouTube, Netflix, etc). Not recommended for: - Full time "laptop"/productivity - if there's an option, spend a bit more and get something with higher quality materials; - Any sort of gaming or heavy entertainment use. I'm rating it 4 out of 5 stars. I've purchased $279 laptops before that have a better quality screen and more functionality (since they can run any OS & application you want), so the screen quality being a bit below par is worth deducting one star. I got the Chromebook during a sale for $159, but it's normally closer to $199; if its regular price was ~$159, I'd give it 5 stars, but for $200... I'd rather Samsung had put a bit more quality into the screen and charged $220 or $230, OR price this laptop no higher than $179 as a truly "budget" laptop. At $200 it seems just a bit too "cheap" for the money, but just barely. If you're shopping Chromebooks and your next option is over $100 difference, and you're on a strict budget, don't be afraid to buy this. It'll get the job done. If you can afford higher quality materials, and/or want to use it extensively, look at something with better quality hardware. (My background: IT professional for 20+ years; extensive experience with PC's, laptops, Mac's (MacBooks, iPad's, Mini's, etc), iPads & mobile devices.)

The Chromebook is a great little laptop for traveling (light weight, compact, durable, low cost) when on personal/recreational pursuits. I use it for email/web-browsing when on the road when my smartphone is too small. I left the Chromebook in my car (on sub freezing winter days) when skiing and it worked fine upon power up. I have not tested it in extreme heat (leaving it in my car on a summer). Given the low cost of the Chromebook and my main Windows based PC (at home) has all my important sensitive information, I wasn't too concerned leaving the Chromebook in my car and subjecting it to temperature extremes. Key Points on Chromebooks: 1) Google Docs software (spreadsheet, word processor etc) is free and can read/write in the corresponding MS Office format (MS Excel, MS Word etc); however, the software is located on the cloud (not the Chromebook). As such, having internet access is important. 2) The Chromebook by itself has limited storage (32GB eMMC Flash Memory); however, if you are connected to the internet you can store larger items on Google Drive. 3) Coming from a Windows/PC background, the Chromebook takes a little while to get used to (e.g. file system, touchpad w/o buttons etc); however, there are a lot of good tutorials on the web to teach you the basics and come up to speed quickly.

Lightweight, portable, and boots in a flash, its a great low-cost option for a student not looking for high-end graphics, or a portable unit for purposes where gaming is a true need. On the flip side, the weight and plastic nature of it feel elementary -- I question how long the keyboard will hold up without strong reflex. But for the average student or low-need user, it fits the bill!

I am a home health RN, and I use this to do all my charting, as well as any other online activity I want to do. I can watch movies and videos without problems, and have not run into anything I can't do with it. With the compact size, the speakers are small and on the underneath side, so the sound isn't as good as the speakers on my husband's next size up chromebook -- but I wanted the more compact size for ease of carrying as I do my work. I rarely need great sound anyway, so the speakers are adequate for my needs. The screen is also smaller, compared to my husband's, but again, it rarely is an issue for me. I can hook it up to our larger monitor with an HDMI cable for Netflixing, which has improved sound anyway with the larger screen. I wouldn't recommend carrying it without a padded case or laptop bag, the plastic exterior is a little slippery, but personally, I'd have a case to protect it regardless. This is a compact little laptop that meets all of my work and play needs, purchased at a price point that worked well for me, and has functioned well over nearly a year of daily use, and it hasn't let me down.

My grandson uses it to link to the internet for streaming Comcasts. Research for home work and research other devices that would be useful. Sometimes he play games on it. It's held up pretty well for the abuse it sometimes gets. I think he's dropped it a couple of time. It's small, light and more than a tab.

I purchased this laptop because I needed something for school since my other laptop stopped working. It's a good price for a basic laptop that is fast and is very easy to use. The battery is also great, it recharges fast and I use it all day without having to charge it. Overall I really love this laptop!

This chromebook is a bit slow, and as mentioned by many reviewers the screen is pretty low-res, but for the price this is a great deal. Worked fine out of the box, was easy to set up. Super lightweight, just toss it in your bag, tether to your phone when wifi is not available, you have a pretty great mobile solution!

My daughter is homeschooled. She’s 14 and this laptop is perfect for her school. Light weight and easily portable when school isn’t at home! Speed is good. Saw a few complaints on the speakers, but they are perfect for what we need. No complaints!

I bought 2 of these Chromebooks. One for me for basic internet use, paying bills and for word documents and excel sheets. It works great for managing my scout troop. It has complete compatibility with Microsoft Office through different apps which is what I needed the most. The other Chromebook was for my daughter. Her school uses them regularly and she will be needing it next school year for her homework. She loves it! I love that I can monitor anything she does with the parental controls that can be set up if desired. They are rather inexpensive to begin with, but were even less on Black Friday. I'm very glad I bought these!

A very basic kind of chromebook, but it has done everything I've asked of it, for an awesome price. Not any lag, stutter, or anything. I would lrather a touch screen, or a brighter screen, but I'm not a gamer, I surf, check mail, and I read. I like it!

I never used a Chromebook before. I mostly browse and watch video on my personal laptop. I have another company computer for my job, so this is just a recreational computer for me. I had a Google account though and used Google Chrome on my Windows 7 laptop, so I thought I would try it. Setup was a breeze. Connect to the WiFi, sign into your Google account and go. The mouse pad is different, but easy to use. You turn it on and it's quick. The only drawback, it lags streaming Xfinity live TV for me. other than that,I am very pleased with it, especially for the price.

We use this chromebook nearly everyday for typing, watching videos, children's games. It is very light weight, but has held up with use. The screen is basic, but works for general purpose. The size works well for portability.

It's a great laptop the right size for me. long life on battery .very functional easy to use and simple to understand . I like that it's compact can go with me anywhere .have no problem with it so far.simply a all in all great laptop .

As long as you understand what a Chromebook is and isn’t, this is an excellent Chromebook. For the price, it can’t be beat. Samsung just makes very solid products. It’s very portable, comfortable typing on, its fast enough, the display is good, you can get schoolwork or work done easily, and you can use any app from the Google Play store! Perfect for email, surfing, streaming videos, typing papers, listening to music. The everyday user will enjoy this. Get the one with 4GB RAM though.

Bought this for my 11yo and it’s a great first laptop. She uses a Chromebook at school and it’s seamless to logon and keep working at home. Set up was easy. Nice size. The Black Friday price was unbeatable!

It is the right size and weight if you need a portable device to use for browsing the web or watching movies or youtube. The light weight is especially ideal since I use it a lot when lounging in the house

Small and durable, excellent for staying connected when travelling. Not as zippy as a full laptop, but given the price point it gets the job done for checking email, internet, and streaming movies.

I was looking at tablets but don't like typing on screens, so looked at keyboards that worked with tablets. I was looking at Android tablets and it occurred to me that this Chromebook was very similar to a tablet with a keyboard. This solution was more cost effective and I couldn't be happier with this Samsung Chromebook so far. I think it will be an ideal travel unit with a much bigger screen and full sized keyboard rather than suffering with reading the small print and "fat fingering" my phone. It is also very light weight and thin.

This thing boots up super quick and it sleek and beautiful. It's lightweight, has a long battery life and although it's smaller than a standard laptop.

Bought this as a Christmas present for one of my kids, since he'll be starting HS this year. It works great and lets him web surf, access Google Docs and email, and will be handy for him to do research and homework on. I like that it's not bothered by viruses since everything is done over the web and he doesn't have to download stuff to the laptop. It's also small and convenient for him to carry in his backpack.