ASUS C433 Full HD 14 Inch Touchscreen ChromeBook Flip (Intel M3-8100Y Processor, 64 GB eMMC Storage, 4 GB RAM, Chrome OS), Silver/Blue C433TA-AJ0005

Having researched various Chromebooks, I spent a long time deliberating over this book and the newer model. I watched a lot of online reviews and read a lot of articles. Seemingly, this book wasn’t as functional as the C334 but honestly, I disagree. The main downfall on this particular book, by most reviews is the build quality. I’m not a technical genius, but there seems to be alot of them about. However, the keyboard and mouse track are made of plastic which by most accounts is flimsy and poorly made, coupled with a backlight that hinders ones ability to see the keys. As I’ve mentioned I’m not a technology buff, I know that I don’t get on well with tablets and I’m not overly keen about working on a computer at all. Having factored in cost, the things I need a Chromebook for and whether it could run some softwares that I need for work, I found that this book was perfect for me. I don’t know why there’s so much negative attention given to the build quality, brightness, touchscreen and in particular the plastic keyboard and backlight … if you’re not familiar with technology or like me you don’t see the need to spend a fortune because it’s not something you particularly enjoy but need for work or studies, then I’d say you won’t be disappointed. It’s fast, it’s plenty bright enough, as a woman the keyboard and trackpad isn’t too flimsy for me, I suppose if you’re heavy handed or something it might become an issue, I don’t know, but for me the plastic really doesn’t bother me. You can work on MS office on this device which is one of the features that was most important to me, the picture is clean, crisp and bright. It’s plenty capable of running numerous tabs simultaneously and if you’re an android user I think you can pair it to your phone. I’ve never used a better built device, granted I’m not a fan of technology so I try avoid it in my downtime but it’s handy to use in tablet mode too if you’re cooking, cleaning or busy with other chores the screen is just about the right size for me. I think if you’re realistic about what you want/need and consider what is the most important factor for you, unless it’s build quality, you won’t be disappointed. And, if like me you begrudgingly use computers as a means of work and occasional use then I don’t think build quality should put you off. It’s a far better build than other computers and laptops I have used and the price is reasonable if you’re looking for something that can move quickly through various tabs and not have to wait for installs and updates etc … I would recommend this device to anyone who, like me uses technology because they have to or if you’re looking for a device between a laptop and tablet. I’d also recommend for students although students could probably get a cheaper device given the range (obviously depending on their subject). I’m a researcher so for me it does more than I’ll ever need it to do.

I was looking to buy a new tablet, but the tablet market isn't as keen as it used to be - which got me thinking about buying a Chromebook to play with. Working in IT, I've always been curious about Chromebooks, but up until now wasn't ready to take the plunge. Having looked at the various Chromebooks available for between £400 and £500 I decided to go for the Asus C433, and I wasn't disappointed. For me, its not going to fully replace my Windows 10 laptop, but that was never my intention. It's the perfect replacement for my tablet (albeit costing more than I'd have spent on a tablet), and it's portability and ease of use means I expect to use the Win10 laptop a lot less. The flip screen works brilliantly, so I can use it as a tablet or a laptop easily. The shortcut buttons along the top of the keyboard are useful, and the gestures on the trackpad have become second nature. I've not had any issues with visibility of letters/numbers on the keyboard as others have mentioned - if I'm struggling, I just crank up the backlight, turn it down, or turn it off (using ALT+Brightness keys). Performance is better than I expected for a laptop with 4GB RAM - I've had multiple tabs and apps open without any lag. I've enabled Linux functionality, and installed GIMP photo editor as a test, and it works really well. As I exppected, some Android Play Store apps aren't compatible (eg, the Sky Sports app installs, but won't play streams), but I hope support to improve over time. Most other apps I've tested were fine. The ChromeOS is a little different to Windows, but its quick enough to pick up if you're curious. For example, I wondered where the right-click button was, and after a minute of frustration, I realised (after a quick Google) that you can achieve the equivalent of a right click by pushing 2 fingers on the trackpad. There's a backspace button, but no 'Delete' button - but again there's a way around it by pressing ALT+Backspace. If in doubt, just spend some time to do some research before buying, to make sure it has all the functionality to fulfil your needs. I've only had it less than a week, but I really can't complain about anythiing. If your expectations aren't too high (this isn't a super powerful gaming laptop to replace your high-end Windows laptop), and you want something for relative light use, such as browsing the internet, email, watching videos and playing with apps that don't need enormous umph, then you won't be disappointed with this Chromebook.

Good: * Fast start and good performance * Good bright screen * Good battery life * ChromeOS ok. Takes some getting used to, but not too bad. * Sturdy construction. Good hinge. * Linux (beta) surprisingly useful. * Sound good. * In tent mode, very good video player. Bad: * Heavy. I have an iPad and find myself wanting to grab that instead of this for a lot of things. * 2-in-1 design is less useful than you think. It can't decide whether it's a tablet of a laptop. Design means it has to be heavy. If you mainly need a laptop this is probably too much. * Camera is rubbish. I'd be embarrassed to used it in a video call. * Keyboard is so so. white(ish) keycaps on silver keys make the symbols almost impossible to read in most lights. Low backlighting make the keycaps almost invisible. Adjustable, but not great. * Trackpad is ok, but you find yourself reaching for screen (touch) or wanting to plug in a mouse. * USB port (type 1?) is a very tight fit. * USC C on each side good, but I'm used to magnetic connectors on older Macs so constantly worried about the power plug snapping off. Summary: * Good machine for Google-centric work. Will probably feel quite good if you're not used to higher quality kit from Apple. * A bit too heavy for carrying around. It's a older laptop weight. * Expensive, I think. * More a workhorse than something to truly enjoy.

For context: I have owned several Chromebooks, starting with a small plastic Samsung one some five or six years ago, use a recent model Dell ultrabook for work and sometimes also a MacBook Air. I'm not a graphic designer or video editor, but make broad general of laptops - including browsing, film streaming, video conferencing and document creation. A few observations. 1) The c433 is a beautifully made machine. It has a quality feel, with keyboard, trackpad, screen and folding mechanism all pleasing to use. 2) I deliberately chose a Chromebook over a Windows equivalent for its simplicity (in particular device management). It is simple but also powerful and Chrome OS has come a long way in recent years. I have yet to find anything that I can't do with the c433 that I'd want to do with the Dell or MacBook. 3) The c433 is fast even with multiple tabs on the go. 4) The touchscreen is excellent and way more useful than I had anticipated. 5) An odd design oversight means that it's relatively hard to open the laptop as the finger gap in the case edge isn't sufficient. Just a minor grumble for me as it's easy enough to work around, but I can see that it might be more of an issue for some users. 6) It is heavy and bulky relative to the MacBook Air - unsurprising if you consider the latter cost almost three times as much - but actually pretty sleek.

This is my first Chromebook. I was sceptical about how it would be with daily use, but I have to say I was surprised. Most of my work is browser based, as is my email. This is where this product blows me away. It seems faster and more responsive than my £2k Mackbook Pro. Of course, I can't use it for my heavy apps like my Adobe Creative Suite, but for most other things it's incredible. The battery lasts a true 10 hours. When it starts complaining that there's just a few % of battery left, there's still 20 or 30 mins remaining! The screen is great - the chassis is like a 13", yet the screen is 14". It doesn't heat up and have a noisy fan kick in. It doesn't have a clackety clack keyboard that keep the other half awake when using in bed. At £400, this is absurdly good value. The Macbook stays on charge whenever needed for the heavy lifting. FOr everything else, this is my main machine when away from my desk.

After fairly extensive research seeking a good quality, "known entity" (i.e. known brand) Chromebook laptop, I opted for this promising sounding and looking device made by ASUS. The price was within the budget I had for my daughter's birthday gift - and it was a bonus to have premium features such as touchscreen and a metal chassis. She was delighted - and having had a rather "plasticky" but also robust entry-level Samsung Chromebook for a number of years (which was still working but rather tired) - this seemed like a great upgrade. Initially it was a hit - and the screen is as good as you would hope, along with the bonus of being able to "flip" the device into a kind of tablet mode too. Happy days... or so I/we thought. The early signs of trouble (which she unfortunately didn't mention to me) was that both of the USB-C charge ports seemed a little loose fitting. Then, sometime after that one of them didn't seem to charge the device very consistently. Sometimes it worked... sometimes it didn't. To address that she typically used the other USB-C port all of the time. Not a big issue - after all it was good to have 2 such modern ports or a mid-range Chromebook like this. All seemed ok *apart* from that noticeable loose-fit and also one port seeming erratic. Alas, just shy of the device's 1st "birthday", the other USB-C port packed up completely. So with no other "charge" ports, it cannot be charged (at all) -so effectively dead. I closely inspected the ports (and charger) and discovered that a small piece has broken off one of the ports - and appears to be stuck in the charger cable connector! As such, I'm guessing this is why neither port works (one being broken, the other being "blocked" by the foreign object stuck inside the charger)...... Whilst it seemed suspicious timing (literally one day before the 1st year - i.e. when the warranty ran out) I was relieved to see the offer (by Amazon) to return it for repair. Having (wisely) retained the outer box I packed it with care and returned it Amazon's specialist wing for this (I did have to pay P+P = about £7.. but a small price to pay, I thought, for a hopeful repair or replacement). What a complete FARCE *that* has turned out to be! A couple of _weeks_ later, I have been informed that ASUS will NOT repair the unit as (direct copied quote): "Please note user damage is not covered by the warranty." USER DAMAGE??!!? WTF... Oh, and they also quoted a repair cost of (wait for it....) £646.60 !! (as a reminder, I paid approx. £389.99 for the laptop when NEW!). If it wasn't so fraudulent and outrageous, it would be funny... but it most certainly isn't. If you are considering this seemingly attractive, well spec'd and sensibly priced piece of kit, you may well have seen a couple of other 1* reviews along similar lines. This is THE TRUTH. Do NOT be tempted (even with a big discount and if you consider yourself a careful user). Chromebooks ARE great and so reasonable (vs. MacBooks, Surface Books and traditional Windows laptops). Don't let this piece of garbage put you off the O/S. However, DO NOT BUY one of these (or any other ASUS laptop of this nature). Absolute garbage (and I'm an experienced computer user of some 30+ years). #AVOID!

I got this for lockdown 3.0 after being fed up with there being no accessible devices and not wanting to shell out for another windows machine. Chromebooks seem to be generally about 30-50% cheaper than their windows equivalent, and certainly our kids' schools all use them so they were familiar with it for the purposes of home schooling. I decided most of what I do online involves checking emails, using browsers and uploading files or photos to teh cloud - all of which are what this is designed for. Onto the machine specifics: - Performance: good. I haven't experienced any issues with fairly standard apps (Chrome, naturally, and other G suite apps, plus things like internet banking - I even dabbled with music recording using Soundtrap). Can't comment on games as I don't use them. Remember, as a Chromebook is designed to use web apps and you don;t generally install things on it, it's more down to the speed of your internet connection. - graphics: again, not commenting on the gaming, the graphics cope fine with streaming like netflix. and also conferencing such as the ubiquitous Zoom call. The one related area where it's let down is the quality of the onboard camera is pretty poor. - form factor: I love the 360 rotation - I don't use it in tablet mode much myself but it comes into its own for the kids, as they can use it for reading school books online, playing educational games etc as a tablet. The actual transition to tablet mode is also very smooth. - Battery life- pretty decent. gets itself through the day generally without needing a top up, unless it;s getting very heavy use. - build quality: it's pretty solid looking, with a metal lid (although plastic body). It's reasonably heavy for its size but it's all relative - it's still pretty light compared to a larger machine. In summary, as a first Chromebook this one has been a really good, solid buy - I would recommend it for maximum flexibility and especially if you are using it with kids.

It's true that the keys are hard to use, as both the lit up and lights off are a little dim. And changing them all the time is a pain. Worst is that it crashes frequently (tip - holding down esc and lock at the same time seems to bring it back...) and has some repeating error message which nothing on Google seems to cure. Might just be mine - but there have been loads of updates since I got it. Should have returned it but I'd just returned another different one and was getting fed up with it all!