Asus Chromebook CM14: Two-minute evaluation
The Asus Chromebook CM14 occupies the decrease finish of the market with its low worth and spec, nevertheless it aspires to nail the fundamentals.
It boasts a skinny and lightweight design that’s spectacular for a 14-inch Chromebook. The steely black colorway is pretty austere nevertheless it seems good. Construct high quality can be good, though the lid is a little bit flimsy – nonetheless, it does recline all the best way again to 180 levels, so it’s definitely versatile.
The partially recycled supplies really feel stable, and the keyboard is laid properly, with loads of house between keys while remaining compact, which is a mix I desire. There’s additionally a wide variety of ports on the Asus Chromebook CM14, with two USB-C ports, a SuperSpeed (SS) USB-A port, a microSD slot and a 3.5mm headphone port.
What isn’t so good, nonetheless, is the show. It lacks the readability and sharpness of a number of the best Chromebook gadgets round, and it’s too reflective when it strays even marginally past the optimum viewing angle, both washing out or blacking out solely.
Issues are worse on the subject of efficiency. Though it may well deal with gentle productiveness, basic looking, 2K video playback and a few gentle gaming, it may well battle with these every now and then. What’s worse, although, is that it is severely hamstrung by multitasking, with stutters, sluggish downs, and crashes a frequent prevalence, at the least when geared up with 4GB of RAM, which is low by right now’s requirements.
The typing expertise of the Asus Chromebook CM14 is nice sufficient, due to the tactile really feel of the keys and their low profile. Nevertheless, the touchpad is one other downside, as there’s an excessive amount of friction; the floor is nowhere close to as easy as that on, say, the best MacBook fashions. And it doesn’t matter what you do with the sensitivity settings, it both travels an excessive amount of – persevering with to maneuver even as soon as your finger stops – or too slowly, making it really feel sluggish and imprecise.
One of many saving graces of the Asus Chromebook CM14, although, is the battery life. It lasted over 9 hours throughout our battery take a look at, which isn’t that far off its claimed 15 hour determine. It’s additionally fairly fast to cost, taking about 4 hours to replenish fully from empty, once more near Asus’ declare.
The Asus Chromebook CM14 can be very low cost, and undercuts many different Chromebooks, even these which are thought-about good worth. However efficiency is sacrificed, particularly when multitasking. Should you’re looking out for Chromebooks that received’t break the financial institution, then the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook is the very best on this regard, whereas the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 is nice for college kids.
Asus Chromebook CM14: Worth and availability
- $299 / £299 (about AU$473)
- Out there now in black
- Cheaper than the competitors
The Asus Chromebook CM14 prices $299 / £299 (about AU$473) and is obtainable now in a single shade: black. It may be configured with 4GB or 8GB of RAM, however just one storage dimension: 64GB.
It’s cheaper than the best laptops within the budget-friendly realm, and even cheaper than the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 Chromebook, which is the very best Chromebook for these on a funds in our view. Nevertheless, the IdeaPad Flex 3 is a 2-in-1 gadget, so can be utilized like a pill when the temper strikes. It additionally has an excellent higher battery life than the Asus Chromebook CM14, and is constructed like a tank as well.
For about the identical worth or cheaper than the Asus Chromebook CM14 in some territories, you might have the Acer Chromebook 314, which is without doubt one of the best student Chromebook picks for these on a funds. Just like the Asus Chromebook CM14, it has a fantastic battery life, however with the added advantages of a 2-in-1 design and a powerful show – features the Asus Chromebook CM14 lacks.
Asus Chromebook CM14: Specs
The evaluation unit of the Asus Chromebook CM14 I had was configured with 4GB of RAM.
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Asus Chromebook CM14 |
|---|---|
| Worth: | $299 / £299 (about AU$473) |
| CPU: | MediaTek Kompanio 520 2.0 GHz (1M Cache, as much as 2.0 GHz, 8 cores) |
| Graphics: | ARM Mali-G52 MC2 |
| RAM: | 4GB |
| Display: | 14.0-inch FHD (1920 x 1080), 16:9 facet ratio, non-touch display screen |
| Storage: | 64GB eMMC |
| Ports: | 1x Kind-A USB, 2x Kind-C, 1x Micro SD, and 1x headset jack |
| Wi-fi: | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) (Twin band) 2*2, Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Digital camera: | 720p HD digicam with privateness shutter |
| Weight: | 3.20lbs (1.45kg) |
| Dimensions: | 12.78 x 8.93 x 0.72 inches (32.46 x 22.67 x 1.83cm) |
Asus Chromebook CM14: Design
- Skinny and lightweight for its dimension
- 180-degree opening
- Not the sharpest show
The Asus Chromebook CM14 sports activities a wise, understated design. The boring black colorway does little to inject a lot curiosity, nevertheless it definitely suits in knowledgeable setting. It’s additionally pleasantly gentle and skinny given its 14-inch dimension, weighing simply 1.45kg (3.20 lbs). Each these features make it straightforward to journey with.
The construct high quality appears fairly good too, with the partially recycled supplies showing comparatively sturdy for a Chromebook of this class. Nevertheless, the hinge for the lid isn’t the tightest, inflicting the display screen to really feel a little bit flimsy, however I wouldn’t spotlight this as a serious concern.
The hinges additionally prop up the again of the chassis when the lid is open previous 90 levels, however fortunately the underside stays steady sufficient to sort on. The lid additionally reclines all the best way to 180 levels, which offers versatile utilization choices.
The 2 USB-C ports are a welcome addition contemplating their versatility, as they permit for energy and knowledge – together with web – to run by way of, in addition to facilitating connections to a myriad of peripherals, together with exterior shows. There’s additionally one USB-A port with SuperSpeed (SS) functionality, a Micro SD slot, and a 3.5mm audio jack, helpful for these utilizing wired headphones or audio system.
The show, alternatively, is a let down. The 1366 x 768 decision seems outdated, with an ever-present blurriness plaguing the interface, regardless of the way you resize it within the system settings. It additionally seems a little bit washed out, missing the vibrancy of different Chromebook shows. It’s fairly reflective too, with sure angles inflicting the display screen to show virtually fully white or black, relying on the ambient lighting.
Asus Chromebook CM14: Efficiency
- Handles gentle work and gaming
- Good for typing
- Horrible for multitasking
Benchmarks
These are the outcomes of our benchmarking assessments for the Asus Chromebook CM14:
TechRadar Battery Life Take a look at: 9 hours and 26 minutes
Jetstream2 Benchmark: 86.506
Kraken Benchmark: 1769.0ms
Speedometer 3.0: 3.49 (±0.12)
The Asus Chromebook CM14 handles the sort of gentle productiveness Chromebook customers usually carry out fairly nicely. Phrase processing and spreadsheet creation are viable, as is video playback, even at 2K resolutions – however anticipate the occasional buffer and slowdown at this high quality.
As for gaming, the Asus Chromebook CM14 can deal with titles with low graphical calls for easily. I used to be capable of play Conflict of Clans with no problem, and Asphalt Legends Unite was nearly possible on excessive settings; though it was susceptible to stutter and slowdowns, it wasn’t sufficient to render it unplayable. At decrease settings and 30fps, it ran way more easily. I used to be additionally capable of join a controller through Bluetooth with no problem. Extra demanding video games can be out of the query, although, because the spec is definitely no match for the best gaming laptops on the market.
Sadly, the Asus Chromebook CM14 falls flat on the subject of multitasking, with the 4GB of RAM put in in my take a look at unit failing to deal with even weak workloads. Light-weight functions, together with Google’s personal software program, can create critical points, with frequent slow-downs, freezes, and outright crashes.
Should you hope to run even a few apps in tandem, then you definitely’ll probably be disillusioned with the efficiency. Even Chrome can battle to run with a less-than-moderate quantity of tabs open, and fundamental ChromeOS capabilities, similar to getting into job view, can lead to freezes too.
One of many extra constructive features of the efficiency, although, is the shortage of warmth and noise produced by the Asus Chromebook CM14. Throughout my time with it, I by no means heard the followers whirring up below heavy hundreds, and it by no means obtained too sizzling to the touch.
Typing on the Asus Chromebook CM14 is generally a nice expertise as nicely, because the keys are well-spaced and supply sufficient tactility. Their profile is low too, which makes gliding round them straightforward. And regardless of the nook of my proper palm making contact with the touchpad whereas typing, gestures, swipes and clicks by no means unintentionally registered.
Nevertheless, that’s about the one constructive facet of the touchpad, because it’s one of many extra irritating features of the Asus Chromebook CM14. It doesn’t matter what sensitivity settings I used, cursor actions had been both too sluggish or too quick, with the cursor persevering with to maneuver after my finger had stopped, making correct navigation tough. What’s extra, the floor isn’t easy sufficient and generates an excessive amount of friction, inflicting a nasty rubbing sensation on the fingers.
As for the webcam, the 720p decision offers simply sufficient readability, however there may be definitely a component of graininess to pictures. My digicam footage did freeze when making a name in Google Meet, however this might’ve been extra of a software program glitch fairly than a {hardware} one.
The audio system on the Asus Chromebook CM14 present cheap playback high quality, with little in the best way of distortion and tinniness, as different Chromebook and laptop computer audio system can endure from. Nevertheless, as they’re situated on its underside, audio is considerably muffled, so these after the utmost readability received’t be finest happy. Nevertheless, I discovered them enough for calls and different content material the place sound high quality isn’t a high precedence.
Asus Chromebook CM14: Battery life
- Nice battery life
- Higher than rivals
- Fast charging too
The Asus Chromebook CM14 redeems itself considerably with its battery life. Asus claims it’ll last as long as 15 hours, and through our benchmark, it lasted near 9 and a half hours, which is an admirable efficiency. Charging it from flat to full took about 4 hours, which is in keeping with what Asus claims.
It beats the Acer Chromebook Plus 515, our present decide as the very best pupil laptop computer, which solely managed 5 hours in accordance with our take a look at and was one of many largest drawbacks of that individual Chromebook. Nevertheless, it’s bested by the very best Chromebook general in our view, the Acer Chromebook Spin 314, which managed over ten hours.
Ought to I purchase the Asus Chromebook CM14?
| Attributes | Notes | Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Worth | It could be low cost, however that doesn’t essentially equate to good worth. | 3.5 / 5 |
| Design | The Asus Chromebook CM14 is gentle and skinny, but nonetheless a great dimension for simple use. The show is disappointing, although. | 3.5 / 5 |
| Efficiency | It could possibly deal with gentle duties by themselves, however turns into very sluggish if you try something extra. | 2 / 5 |
| Battery life | Each the operating and charging occasions are spectacular, and carefully match the figures Asus claims. | 4 / 5 |
| Complete Rating | The general type of the Asus Chromebook CM14 sadly isn’t matched by its performance, because it struggles with even fundamental multitasking, whereas the show fails to encourage with its visible constancy. It does have a low worth, however for good cause. | 3 / 5 |
Purchase it if…
Do not buy it if…
Asus Chromebook CM14 evaluation: Additionally think about
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Asus Chromebook CM14 | Acer Chromebook Spin 314 | Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worth: | $299 / £299 (about AU$473) | $380 / £329 (round AU$661) | $349 / £399 / AU$549 |
| CPU: | MediaTek Kompanio 520 2.0 GHz (1M Cache, as much as 2.0 GHz, 8 cores) | Intel Pentium N6000 Processor | 1.1GHz Intel Celeron N4020 (dual-core, 4MB cache, as much as 2.8GHz Burst) |
| Graphics: | ARM Mali-G52 MC2 | Intel shared graphics | Intel UHD Graphics 600 |
| RAM: | 4GB LPDDR4X | 4GB DDR4 | 4GB DDR4 |
| Display: | 14.0-inch FHD (1920 x 1080), 16:9 facet ratio, non-touch display screen | 14-inch Full HD 1920 x 1080p | 11-inch IPS touchscreen, 1,366 x 768 pixels |
| Storage: | 64GB eMMC | 128GB eMMC | 64GB eMMC |
| Ports: | 1x Kind-A USB, 2x Kind-C, 1x Micro SD, and 1x headset jack | USB Kind-C x 2, USB 3.1 x 1 , HDMI x 1 | 2x USB-C with charging, 2x USB-A 3.1 Gen1, Micro SD |
| Wi-fi: | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) (Twin band) 2*2, Bluetooth 5.3 | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 | 802.11AC (2 x 2) WiFi, Bluetooth® 4.2 |
| Digital camera: | 720p HD digicam with privateness shutter | 720p webcam | 720p webcam |
| Weight: | 3.20lbs (1.45kg) | 3.42lbs (1.55kg) | 2.64lbs ( 1.2kg) |
| Dimensions: | 12.78 x 8.93 x 0.72 inches (324.6 x 226.7 x 18.3m) | 26.5 x 326 x 227mm | 0.7 x 11.41 x 8.18 inches (17.8 x 290 x 207.8mm) |
Should you’re out there for a brand new Chromebook, listed below are some options to the Asus Chromebook CM14…
How I examined the Asus Chromebook CM14
- Examined for a few week
- Utilized in a wide range of situations
- In depth laptop computer and Chromebook expertise
I examined the Asus Chromebook CM14 for a few week, throughout which period I used it for working, looking, watching video content material and taking part in video games. I additionally linked numerous peripherals to it through Bluetooth and USB, together with a mouse and a gamepad.
I performed video games similar to Conflict of Clans and Asphalt Legends Unite. I used Google Docs and Google Sheets, and made use of third-party apps, together with Steam and VLC. I additionally used different standard apps, together with YouTube for watching video content material in full-HD and ultra-HD. I additionally streamed video content material through Twitch and made a video name to check out its webcam and inbuilt mic.
I’ve expertise testing laptops and have owned quite a few such gadgets, together with different Chromebooks, Home windows and Mac laptops.