A $159 Chromebook Was My Only Computer For A Week - How It Changed My Mind About Cheap Laptops

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Asus' CX15 Chromebook is disposable now for $159.
• It's 1 of nan astir affordable 15-inch laptops released this year, pinch a fistful of features that make it particularly bully for students.
• The humble hardware puts a limit connected its performance.

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Asus' CX15 Chromebook is an affordable, durable laptop that handles nan basics for $159. With a modular hardware loadout and coagulated 15-inch shape factor, you've sewage a coagulated fund instrumentality that's particularly bully successful an acquisition setting. 

The CX15 is 1 of nan slightest costly caller Chromebooks you tin bargain correct now, having conscionable been released by Asus this summertime alongside nan Lenovo Chromebook Plus, a premium Chromebook pinch an OLED that's much than double nan price. 

Also: This Lenovo Chromebook easy replaced my Windows laptop for activity - and I can't spell back

But successful position of usability, these 2 devices aren't needfully worlds apart. The CX15's operation of humble hardware and a banal integrative build keeps prices low, but it still comes pinch nan latest productivity apps successful ChromeOS. 

In position of beingness form, nan 15-inch Asus CX15 isn't precisely nan lightest Chromebook connected nan marketplace astatine 3.5 pounds, but nan integrative assemblage feels durable enough, particularly for a schoolroom instrumentality that will beryllium utilized by aggregate students passim nan day. 

It besides comes successful 4 colorways that springiness it immoderate character: Pure Grey, Fabric Blue, Cream Pink, and Misty Green, a bully alteration of gait from nan oversea of firm grey and achromatic laptops --  and thing that will entreaty to younger users. 

Also: Why this 16-inch Acer is nan perfect ThinkPad replacement (especially astatine this price)

Under nan hood, nan CX15 has a humble action of hardware designed to grip mundane tasks. It comes pinch an Intel Celeron N4500 processor that runs astatine 1.1 GHz, and an Intel UHD GPU. The laptop is powered pinch either 4GB aliases 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM, and 128GB of eMMC storage.

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

This benignant of retention (Embedded multimedia card) is older exertion and a bully measurement to support nan value low, since it's little costly than an SSD (solid authorities drive) and a reasonable sacrifice to make since you don't request tons of section retention connected a Chromebook, anyway. 

Instead, moving successful nan unreality and navigating nan lightweight, streamlined ChromeOS feels conscionable fine, pinch each nan snappy capacity you'd expect. The full-sized keyboard allows for coagulated productivity work, pinch durable, integrative keys and a functional, if perfectly modular trackpad, if a small connected nan mini size. 

Also: This $500 Chromebook Plus has amended capacity than immoderate PCs I've tested

The 15.6-inch, 16:9 FHD show caps retired astatine 300 nits of brightness and isn't nan astir premium, but nan matte coating looks conscionable good navigating ChromeOS, moving successful NotebookLM, Gmail, aliases connected YouTube, pinch nan 1080p solution giving nan instrumentality much bang for its buck. 

Along these lines, nan speakers are beautiful standard. They're not nan best, but I've heard worse, and they get conscionable large enough. For TV shows and YouTube content, they're perfectly equipped for nan job. 

In position of connectivity, nan CX15 has 1 HDMI port, a headphone jack, up to 2 USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 ports, and up to 2 USB-A ports. They're not nan fastest ports, constricted to 5GB per 2nd information transfer, but again, for nan price, it's much astir nan access. Notably, it besides comes pinch a Kensington Nano information slot, further expanding its inferior arsenic an endeavor instrumentality aliases for usage successful schools. 

Also: Why this 16-inch Acer is nan perfect ThinkPad replacement (especially astatine this price)

The device's 42Whr artillery isn't peculiarly big, but it's capable for nan processor and display. We sewage astir 10 hours successful our artillery test, but it didn't past for a full workday for maine pinch nan brightness turned each nan measurement up. It prompts to beryllium plugged successful aft astir 7 hours. You can, however, get an full workday retired of this laptop if you move nan brightness down. 

ZDNET's buying advice

If you're looking for an inexpensive Chromebook but for illustration a larger screen, nan Asus CX15 is astir arsenic affordable arsenic it gets. For $159, you're getting a laptop that happily handles nan basics, comes pinch a full-sized keyboard, has capable artillery life for a afloat time of activity (as agelong arsenic you're not moving astatine max brightness), and is durable capable for kids. 

There are limitations connected its capacity -- nan CX15 is not going to multitask for illustration a dream pinch dozens of browser tabs, but it's not made for that. In that sense, I'd urge this laptop for anyone who understands its intended usage lawsuit arsenic a instrumentality for mundane tasks. 

If you want a Chromebook pinch much horsepower, I'd urge nan Lenovo Chromebook Plus aliases nan Samsung Galaxy Chromebook. If you want an affordable 15-inch laptop that runs Windows, I urge nan Asus Vivobook S 15.