Asus C423na-dh02 14 in Intel Celeron N3350 4gb 32gb Emmc Laptop Review

Asus has been on something of a gyre recently when information technology comes to Chromebooks. From the excellent C302CA from a few years, to the every bit impressive C433TA, the make 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, merely not across the lath. Battery life isn't particularly impressive, but in just well-nigh every other area, this is a good Chromebook for the money.

Pattern & Build Quality

Asus has opted to apply a plastic case on the C423NA rather than the aluminium one found on its more than premium models. This is fine, equally it not but keeps costs downward, just also does the same with the weight. At 2.65lbs/ane.2kg, it's a laptop that you'll be happy to bear around in a bag all day without feeling it on your shoulders.

Display

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

There are actually three unlike displays bachelor on the C423NA, all 14 inches in diagonal. The first has a 1366x768-pixel resolution, and the 2nd - the i Asus sent for review - being Full HD (1920x1080). The third is a Total HD touchscreen, which obviously pushes up the cost.

The panel in the examination model maxed out at 250nits, which is dimmer than another Chromebooks, simply 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.

The panel is surrounded by a rather large bezel, which at the top is home to a 720p webcam that is fine for Zoom calls and other video communications if yous're in a well-lit room.

The bottom office of the bezel is thicker and bears the Asus legend in a reflective silvery plastic, plus the 2 chunky hinges that are 'standard' ones rather than the fancy 360-caste pivots installed on the C423NA'south higher-priced siblings. You can still open it out to a 180-degree angle, so it lies flat on a desk-bound, but it's hard to see the point of doing this on whatever laptop.

Keyboard & Trackpad

Keyboard performance is on-par with most Chromebooks, in that information technology is consequent and like shooting fish in a barrel to blazon on. The keys can feel a little spongy at first, but later on five minutes information technology all feels very natural and I was up to my normal typing speeds with no attempt at all. The chiclet fashion layout is - of class - expected these days (which means there are gaps between keys) and the 1.4mm travel for each key gives enough tactile response to know that you've pressed it downwards successfully.

The trackpad is a like tale, with multi-finger gestures all responding quickly and efficiently. A squeamish surprise is that the clicking areas at the bottom of the trackpad experience solid and don't come with the hollow 'clicky' sounds that tin brand others sound a scrap cheap. That being said, I e'er utilize the tap-to-click option that's the default on ChromeOS and constitute the C423NA to exist very reliable in this mode.

Ports

In terms of ports, there are more than you might look. The C423NA offers 4x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (2x USB-C, 2x USB-A), 3.5mm headphone jack and a microSD card reader.

Speakers

2 downward-firing speakers are located on the underside of the device, returning a decent audio that tin become quite loud if pushed up to the maximum. They're a fiddling lacking in bass, which is to be expected with the light weight and affordable price, but if you proceed your expectations in check then the sound is actually quite good.

Performance

For general Chromebook tasks of viewing websites, writing in Google Docs, streaming video from Netflix and music from Spotify, I was very pleased with the operation of the C423NA. Webpages loaded speedily, having multiple tabs open didn't seem to cause any slow-downs, and I was able to go on with what I was doing without being held dorsum in whatsoever way by the device.

This is impressive when you consider that the 1.1GHz Intel Celeron N3350 isn't exactly expected to deliver stellar functioning. But, when paired with the 8GB of LPDDR4 retentiveness, the combination results in an enjoyable experience that will make the device a not bad choice for those who want a knockabout machine for mainly online activities.

You won't be able to keep likewise much on the 32GB of eMMC storage, just that'due south not really the idea with Chromebooks. Instead, you trust to Google'due south deject services, plus the other apps available through the Chrome Web Shop, and the 802.11ac (WiFi v) connection provided by the C423NA.

Putting the Asus through our standard battery of benchmark test saw information technology manage 267 (Single-Core) and 511 (Multi-Core) in Geekbench 5, 214 in Basemark three.0 and 37 on Jetstream 2.  Now, these are some of the everyman scores we've seen in recent Chromebook reviews, but it simply goes to show that criterion tests don't always tell the whole story.

Gaming is pretty much out of the question, which isn't the end of the world as the lack of a touchscreen (on this specific model) a no-get for any Android apps. If you lot're determined, you can e'er effort Nvidia'due south GeForce Now service, as this handles most of the processing on remote servers.

Battery Life

If in that location's one area where the Asus C423NA Chromebook disappoints a piddling its with the battery life. In our standard examination where we stream a Hard disk drive video until the battery is depleted, it lasted for 6 hours and 38 minutes. By comparison, the Acer Chromebook 13 managed 11 hours and 52 minutes (very impressive), while the Lenovo Ideapad 3 (14in) endured for nine and a one-half hours. So, as yous tin see, it doesn't off-white well against other devices in its class.

Software

ChromeOS has matured into a solid platform over the past ten years, to the point at present where it really is a valid alternative to Windows, macOS and Linux for a lot of people. The Google office suite means y'all're able to go plenty of work washed, then share it with colleagues even if you want to output it in Microsoft Office formats, as that feature is bachelor.

With so much of life now online, Chromebooks take really come into their ain. The normal caveat applies though, in that if you're reliant on a specific slice of software, search to run across if in that location is a web version rather than needing to install information technology, as the latter will probably not be possible on ChromeOS.

Yous tin also use Chromebooks offline for plenty of tasks, with the Google Part suite beingness a prime example, as the device will save all your work locally then sync it when you get back online once again.

Google Assistant is another bonus, significant you can control the device with your vocalisation. I was able to launch apps and search for websites on the C423NA just past instructing the device to do so, with of course the prefix 'OK Google'.

ChromeOS isn't for everyone, as the gaming side is quite lacking and specialist software for photo, music or video editing isn't really upwards to snuff. For most people almost of the time though, a Chromebook is well worth considering.

Price & Availability

The Asus C423NA model I tested, with the Intel Celeron N3350 processor, 8GB of RAM and the full Hd display is bachelor at present for a very reasonable £319.99 in the UK and 24.999 Rupees in Bharat straight from Asus. Our review sample was provided by Box and you can purchase device on its site for a very reasonable £241.99.

It wasn't available in the The states at the time of writing, simply you tin can go for the larger C523N which has a 15.6in FHD display for $269.99.

This puts the Asus C423NA upwards against the likes of the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 (14in) that sells for around £379/$394.99 and Acer Chromebook fourteen that you can get for £249/$249, all of which are solid choices if y'all're looking for an inexpensive every-day computer.

To see our electric current pick of the crop, read the best Chromebook roundup.

Verdict

The Asus C423NA Chromebook is a archetype example of cheap and cheerful. Information technology's not the fastest performer we've e'er seen only handles calorie-free use actually well. The lightweight chassis and comfortable keyboard/trackpad combination make it a device that'due south a pleasure to use and carry near, with the but real downside being the sub-par battery life, which disappoints fifty-fifty for this category of device.

For sheer value, we'd probably nonetheless recommend the Acer Chromebook 13, merely (bombardment problems aside) the Asus C423NA is a proficient laptop that will exist a fine retainer for anyone looking for an inexpensive Chromebook that leaves out the bells and whistles.

Specs

Asus C423NA Chromebook: Specs

• 14in (1920x1080) LCD display with a sixteen:9 attribute ratio
• one.1GHz Intel Celeron N3350 processor
• Intel Hard disk Graphics 500
• 8GB LPDDR4 memory
• 32GB EMMC storage
• 802.11ac/WiFi 5
• 720p Webcam
• 2x USB-C (USB 3.1 Gen ane)
• 2x USB-A (USB 3.1 Gen 1)
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• Micro SD bill of fare reader
• Twin speakers
• 38WHr 2-cell Li-ion bombardment
• i.20kg / ii.65lbs
• 322 x 228 10 16mm

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Source: https://www.techadvisor.com/review/asus-c423na-chromebook-3808100/

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