The good news is that the keyboard and trackpad are pretty good here. The Chromebook CM14 offers a comfortable typing experience, and the trackpad is spacious, though the material Asus uses has a little more drag than I’d like. They’re backed up by a solid base to the laptop without any flex during normal use.
You get a full 1,920 x 1,080-pixel resolution on the 14-inch screen, though Asus has display scaling set out of the box so it looks more like a 1,536 x 864-pixel screen. You can adjust the scaling back down to native resolution and it looks suitably crisp. However, I can’t say the same about the washed-out colors, dim max brightness, and poor viewing angles of the TN display.
Photograph: Daniel Thorp-Lancaster
If there’s one superpower the MediaTek platform brings to the CM14, it’s efficiency. I was impressed with the battery life I could eke out of this laptop, clocking in around 10 to 11 hours of mixed use throughout a normal workday. Asus claims you can get up to 15 hours of battery life, so you may be able to squeeze out even more depending on how you use it.
The webcam isn’t anything special, giving you a 720p shooter that looks OK on video calls. You get a physical switch to block it for extra privacy, which is a nice touch. Ports are also relatively good for the price. There are two USB-C ports, one USB-A port, a 3.5-mm headphone jack, and one microSD card slot. The microSD slot is handy if you want extra storage, as the 64 GB of built-in storage is sure to become restrictive.
Hunt for Sales
So should you buy the Asus Chromebook CM14? Maybe. When you dip into the budget range, there are always trade-offs, and they’re evident in the poor display and performance struggles. However, bright spots like great battery life, a solid build, and a good keyboard make the CM14 a Chromebook worth considering if you can get by with the most basic of basics.
What makes this a tough decision is the aggressive pricing I’ve seen on more capable Chromebook Plus laptops, which start at $399 but are frequently on sale for much less. At the Chromebook CM14’s full $299 price, it’s worth considering whether you can pick up a more powerful option, like the Acer Chromebook Plus 514, by spending a little extra when it’s on sale. That said, I’ve seen the CM14 dip to $180 when it’s on sale, and it’s absolutely a great buy at that price.