Month: June 2022

Asus is back with a budget-priced Chromebook that has plenty to offer for the price, though battery life is not the C423NA’s strong suit.

Asus has been on something of a roll recently when it comes to Chromebooks. From the excellent C302CA from a few years, to the equally impressive C433TA, the brand has delivered quality products at the premium end of the Chromebook market.

Now in 2021, a new budget device has arrived in the shape of the C423NA. Can Asus still work its magic when price demands that a few corners are cut? It seems it can, but not across the board. Battery life isn’t particularly impressive, but in just about every other area, this is a good Chromebook for the money.

Design & Build Quality
Asus has opted to use a plastic case on the C423NA rather than the aluminium one found on its more premium models. This is fine, as it not only keeps costs down, but also does the same with the weight. At 2.65lbs/1.2kg, it’s a laptop that you’ll be happy to carry around in a bag all day without feeling it on your shoulders.

You’ll be able to get stuff done too, as the screen offers a good amount of space for writing documents, surfing the web and other traditional Chromebook duties.

There are actually three different displays available on the C423NA, all 14 inches in diagonal. The first has a 1366×768-pixel resolution, and the second – the one Asus sent for review – being Full HD (1920×1080). The third is a Full HD touchscreen, which obviously pushes up the price.

The panel in the test model maxed out at 250nits, which is dimmer than some other Chromebooks, but proved quite sufficient even outside on a sunny day. This was also aided by the matt finsh, which avoids the reflections that you get with glossy touchscreens.

HP takes on the Google Pixelbook Go with its new premium Chromebook x360 14c. It’s cheaper and in many ways just as good

Chromebooks are often the kind of cheap and cheerful devices that you can use as a second laptop, give to your kids for homework or buy for older relatives that don’t feel confident with computers. But, as ChromeOS is now a powerful platform, if you want to step up to a higher grade of hardware then there are a few you can choose from.

Google’s own Pixelbook Go is the company’s vision of what a decent but affordable Chromebook should be, and now we have a similar benchmark from HP. Here’s the full Tech Advisor review of the HP Chromebook x360 14c.

Design & Build
Taking the HP Chromebook x360 14c (or 14c-cc0003na to give it its laughably bad full name) out of the box reveals a very smart looking laptop. The Mineral Silver livery has a smoky look that’s offset well by the chrome HP logo situated in the center of the lid. I have to say, the new design, which features four angled lines, looks quite cool and lends the x360 a futuristic air.

This is enhanced by the two rear vents on the base section, which have just a hint of a spaceship that’s gotten lost and landed on my desk.

One slightly mystifying choice is the strip along the top of the lid, presumably there to give you grip when lifting the screen. At first, I thought it was a light similar to the one that appeared on my old Google Pixel C tablet, which you could tap to see how much battery charge was left. Sadly, this isn’t the case, but if HP wants to add that in the future, then it already has the perfect place to put it.

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A Chromebook that’s also a ThinkPad? Should be good. Here’s our review of the Lenovo ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook

The ThinkPad brand is synonymous with dependable and premium laptops, usually of the Windows variety. For a while now though, some have come with ChromeOS installed, as is the case with theThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook from Lenovo.

So, how does the change in operating system affect the experience? Here’s the full Tech Advisor review of the Lenovo ThinkPad C13 Yoga Chromebook.

Design & Build
Anyone who has seen a ThinkPad in the last decade or more will know that they come in black liveries. But, marking an unusual departure from form, the C13 Yoga Chromebook is decked out in Abyss Blue, which is a kind of metallic navy hue that looks very fetching on the aluminium chassis.

It still proudly claims its noble heritage though, thanks to the ThinkPad logo, along with the red glowing dot over the i, which occupies the top left area of the lid. Opposite this is the Chrome logo, denoting this a Chromebook, and there’s also metal plaque on the right lower side with the Lenovo brand.

While this might all sound a bit busy, it’s all tastefully done and keeps the efficient, business-like aesthetic for which ThinkPads are known.

Twin, angled hinges adorn the rear edge, providing a full 360-degrees of rotation for the 13in display, while the flanks have the ThinkPads usual wide selection of ports. These include 2x USB-C, 2x USB 3.0, HDMI, a microSD card reader, 3.5mm headphone jack and Kensington lock, alongside twin speakers.

Inspecting the lower edge of the front section reveals a small indentation. This is a stylus that lives inside the body of the C13 Yoga and can be used on the touchscreen display. A notched edge makes it easy to extract and then replace, which is excellent as little things like this are always easy to lose. There’s also a fingerprint sensor to the right of the trackpad, which adds another layer of security to the more business-orientated ThinkPad user.

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For those who prefer a larger screen when working on a Chromebook, the new Asus Flip CX5 could be a compelling device

asts a generous 15.6in display.

Design & Build
358 x 24 x 19mm dimensions
1.95kg weight
Aluminium lid and plastic base
As you might expect, the Flip CX5 (CX5500) is a bit of a beast. I’ve reviewed many Chromebooks recently, and the pattern is towards sleek, lightweight devices. Asus throws this out the window and delivers something quite different.

The expansive 358 x 24 x 19mm chassis is easily the biggest I’ve encountered for a device running Chrome OS, not to mention the hefty 1.95kg at which it tips the scales. This is not your typical, chuck it in your backpack and forget about it Chromebook, but that’s by no means a bad thing.

With so many of us working more from home in these days of Covid, having a honking big laptop isn’t really an issue as we only have to carry it from the kitchen to the front room. Plus, a bigger display might help with tired eyes and sore necks that arise from being hunched over smaller screens.

The design itself is quite attractive, though, with the aluminium alloy lid covered in a material that Asus states gives it ‘an elegant, ceramic-like texture for a gentle, simple aesthetic’.

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The affordable HP Pavilion 14 makes a powerful home-office companion – even with just a Core i3 processor. Here’s our full review.

HP’s Pavilion range has long been a popular option for consumers, offering a combination of performance and style at affordable prices, but how does the latest 14in HP Pavilion fare amidst a sea of competition? We find out in our full review.

Design & Build
The HP Pavilion 14 is a good-looking laptop. The aluminium chassis in frosted silver gives it elegance, despite the mid-range price. It’s polished for office use, without the awful chunkiness you get on some business laptops, such as the (otherwise excellent) Acer Aspire 3.

If you’re interested in a machine that will double up for personal and professional use, the Pavilion 14 definitely looks the part.

But more crucially: it’s portable. While there are lighter laptops out there, the Pavilion 14 isvery light at 1.46kg. Plus, it’s wonderfully compact. You can carry it with one hand if you need to rush off to the kitchen or a conference room for a call. Equally, it will comfortably balance on your lap if you’re commuting on a train.

A space-efficient keyboard does away with the numeric pad – which you’ll find on the larger Pavilion 15 laptops – reducing the overall footprint on your desk (or lap), while a slim profile keeps the laptop at less than an inch when closed.

Slipping it into a bag should pose no issues. See some of the best laptop bags and rucksacks here.

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