ASUS Chromebook C202SA-YS04 11.6" Ruggedized and Water Resistant Design with 180 Degree Hinge (Intel Celeron 4GB RAM, 32GB eMMC, Dark Blue)

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Ive been a Chromebook fan since 2015. Many people writing reviews on Amazon about their frustrations with certain Chromebooks are almost entirely confused about-- or unfamiliar with-- the OS, so they take it out on the machine. Thats not fair or accurate. By way of background, I also need to explain that I bought a pair of ASUS C100PA-DB02 10.1-inch Chromebook flips with touchscreens back in 2015. They have very glossy/shiny screens which glare, but the touch screen feature is nice. They also feature an actual aluminum metal chassis which is very elegant and classy looking (although prone to scratches). I saw this "ruggedized" version of a Chromebook on Amazon and thought Id pick one up. Im already an Asus fan, I like the Chromebook OS, and I was looking for a more durable Chromebook to literally throw in my backpack or briefcase and head out the door-- without worrying about a sleeve, case, or possible scratches if none of these was used. Well, this "ruggedized" version looks like itd be great for children. Not so great for professional adults whove been spoiled with the nicer Chromebooks or laptops. I dont mean to be harsh because the chassis isnt awful, but it does have more of a look of Fisher Price or Leapfrog than Apple or PC. The Screen: The screen on this laptop is dimmer and more grainy (of that makes sense) than my other two laptops (both my other Chromebook and a PC laptop). The screen is anti-glare to be sure (a good thing), but you can sort of see a matrix pattern on the screen (a bad thing). The colors are also ever-so-slightly more washed out and dull. I compared all the screens side-by-side. If youre a student or a parent buying this for a child in grade-school, I dont think youll be disappointed. If youre a photographer, visual artist, or someone who with a keen eye who enjoys HD movies, youll notice that this screen is simply not up to par with other laptops on the market. The Keys: The keys on this laptop are my biggest frustration. While many keyboards today are back-lit, that would be a luxury on a Chromebook. Fair enough. But is it too much to ask for high-contrast silk screening? Maybe a phosphorescent or white print color for the keys? Apparently so. This keyboard has mid-to-dark-blue lettering on black keys. A really, really stupid choice that makes no scientific or practical sense other than to match the color blue to the "ruggedized" cover trim. These keys will be hard to see in low-lighting. Lastly, the keys on this keyboard are noticeably taller than on my other Asus Chromebook. Probably twice as tall. You feel like youre typing on a manual typewriter. Very poor design choice. Summary: If I were a parent, Id buy my kid this laptop in a heartbeat. Its compact, durable, water-resistant, has excellent battery life, access to the Internet, if used with Google Drive and Google Docs all work is saved and backed-up automatically, the laptop is somewhat immune to viruses, and its certainly rugged. However, if I were a college student and wanted all the above *plus* the ability to really enjoy streaming movies and to comfortably type-up term papers for hours on end, Id probably get a Chromebook with a nicer screen and better keyboard. Sadly, for me, this laptop was a no-go and Ill be returning it. Sticking with the aluminum Asus 2-in-1 with touchscreen. If you found this review, please give me a thumbs up. Cheers.

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This is a very solid feeling unit, unlike many inexpensive Chromebooks. All the reviews are spot on about performance and battery life. I take exception to the comments about this unit (or any Chromebook) being "limited." Google "install Ubuntu on Chromebook" and follow the instructions, and you will have a fully functional Linux computer. Install LibreOffice for your office suite, Gimp for photo editing, Audacity for audio recording and editing, and any other Linux applications you want. Put a 64 GB SD card in the slot for all your data. You will have a computer that is more secure than any Windows computer, costs a small fraction of any Mac computer, and can do pretty much anything you want. The world of Linux software is amazing, and it is all free, OK, so it cant manage your iPhone, but it can do darn near anything else. All for under $200. I do not see myself going back to Windows or Mac ever.

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49 year old 3D designer here. I was looking for a light weight solution to get me out of my office when I just needed to use the internet, google docs etc. Figured for $200 it would just be a nice little cheap toy. This thing is pretty amazing. Nice keyboard, decent screen, great webcam (to use mostly with Hangouts) good speakers and its really fast. I watched about 4 hours of videos on battery and it only went down to 79% full. Solid unit, very happy with purchase.

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Great little device for writing. I am a writer and I needed something simple without a lot of bells and whistles and whips and chains :) This little Chromebook netbook is awesome for traveling. It takes a little bit to get used to Chromes operating system, but once you do youll discover some very nice proprietary advantages. A small—but nice thing—is not having to right click any more; instead, you simply tap with two fingers for word corrections. This is great for someone like me who writes a lot and needs to have a simplified workflow. The battery is long lasting and the keyboard is a perfect size, even for someone as big as I am. 63" 300. Because I use google docs to write with, this seemed a natural step. Chromebook seamlessly integrates Google Docs, and most other important apps into the framework of the little machine, so its very easy to use and get started. The offline stuff is very useful too as Im not always in a place where theres wifi and I can still work on my books. Another nice feature is how light it is. My wife bought a laptop a couple years ago and she would share it with me (begrudgingly) and I always hated working on it because it was big, heavy, and clunky. This little Chromebook weighs next to nothing and is easy to tote around. All in all, Id give this 10 stars if I could—especially considering the price. Disclaimer - shameless self-promoting in the photo :)

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This Chromebook hardly needs another review but Ive just been so happy with it lately I thought Id throw my two cents in here. *For a Chromebook* this device is fantastic. Of course its limited in many, many ways, but thats the whole point of buying a Chromebook. Ive been using this device for a little over half a semester in college for in class note taking, group work, etc. I use my desktop for any heavy duty stuff. Its worth noting that I rollerblade to classes, so I was looking for something as light as possible and as durable as possible. Pros: Very sturdy - Ive dropped it many times and the worst that has happened is the rubber edging will have to be popped back into place. Simple as that and it feels totally firm and solid once its back in place. Its great to not have to treat your laptop like the slightest bump could damage it. Fantastic keyboard - The keyboard has a nice "chunk" with each keystroke. The keys have enough travel and require enough force to avoid accidental keystrokes and typing feels great, even satisfying. Great battery life - I never bring my charger with me anymore, no matter how long I expect to be out. Good sunlight readability - The screen does a pretty fine job of reducing strong glare. Cons: Weight - Though its not particularly heavy for a Chromebook, its weight is a significant addition to my backpack. At just over two pounds, however, its not a huge compromise in return for how durable this machine is. Sometime slow - As youd expect. But honestly Chrome does a good enough job of managing resources that I only notice severe lag when opening presentations with many elements in them. All in all, this Chromebook has exceeded my expectations!

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Great Chromebook! Bought as a replacement for my Lenovo Ideapad 310, AMD A12, 8GB Ram. The main reason for the replacement was battery life. Only getting 2-3 hours on the Lenovo, I needed something that could handle my digital nomad lifestyle. PROS: Battery Life - You can easily get 8-9 hours with moderate usage. Performance - I was a tad bit concerned with this factor, but with: ----- 21 tabs open ----- Keypress Editior (coding app from Chrome Store) ----- Webserver for Chome (running a local server for web dev, from Chrome Store) ----- Box SVG (creating & editing vector graphics app from Chrome Store) ----- Polarr (a really good image editior from Chrome Store) ----- Enjoy Music Player (another Chrome Store app) I havent experienced any significant slow downs. Opening large SVG files or any other larger file, slows the system for a second or two (acceptable). Keyboard - I love typing on this keyboard. Even though its smaller than my Lenovo, I type faster. Keys are well spaced and feel good to press. Also the key font size is a small aesthetic that youll appreciate. Build Quality - I wont lie, its ugly, but it feels very solid in hand. Im not moving it around like its a new born baby, as I was with my Lenovo. I can quickly take it out my backpack and slap it on a desk. All the ports feel strong and sturdy. My flash drive does not wiggle while inserted. Screen - Its good for the price, nice matte finish. I havent had the urge to go back to my Lenovo (15.6) to watch a video or movie. It gets bright and dim to my satisfaction, nuff said. Charge Time - A fast charging device wasnt on my feature list, but this baby is fully charged from 35% in less than 1 hour. Better than my lenovo...Ill take it. Trackpad - It does what I expect and is perfectly placed. My only gripe is how loud actual clicks are, everyone at Starbucks will know when you double-click. Chrome OS - FYI, Im coming from Ubuntu Desktop. From a birds eye view Chrome OS may seem limited, but once you dig around the Chrome Store, youll start finding apps for all your problems and fairly decent app replacements. Furthermore, there are a plethora of web apps outside the Chrome Store to compensate most peoples unique necessities. Chrome OS + Google Play - In my opinion these two paired eliminate the "OS Limits". If you ever used Android, then youll know theres an app for everything. I personally havent even needed the Play Store yet, so I actually disabled it. Storage - I thought this would be an issue, but Google Drive is integrated very well. You get 120GB free for 2 years. You can also expand your local memory with SD card or flash drive. I always keep a flash drive backup. Speakers - As you can tell, Im not super picky. These speakers get the job done, better than my Lenovo. I dont find myself plugging in my headphones to hear things better as I do with my phone and laptop. They get loud enough for me. Wifi - This was another huge issue I had with my Lenovo, mainly because I was using linux. Asus definitely delivers, connections are always strong and never drop. Im using this Chromebook in the same locations as I did with the Lenovo. Bluetooth - I couldnt get it to connect with my phone. The pair would instantly drop. I havent looked for a solution. I sure a bluetooth mouse or headset will work. Its well documented that not all phones pair with Chromebooks. Weight & Portability - Its nice and small, easy to carry around in hand as well as light on the back. Has a great rubber strip on bottom, that not only holds grip on tables and laps better than any other laptop Ive owned, but allows it to be carried around like a spiraled notebook. Love Factor - It may be ugly, but I just love using it. It can do more than my phone and suitably replaces my laptop. Easy to carry around, not fragile, well built. Its the perfect piece of technology to augment yourself. Overall: Battery Life = 10 Performance = 9 Keyboard = 10 Build Quality = 10 Screen = 8 Charge Time = 10 Trackpad = 8 Chrome OS = 9 Storage (cloud) = 10 Speakers = 8 WIFI = 10 Bluetooth = no contest Weight & Portability = 10 Love Factor = 10 TOTAL 122/130 (excluding bluetooth) -------------------------------- 94% Chance I think youll like this Chromebook

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This chrome book only lasted three and a half months. The battery will not hold a charge, apparently this is a common problem with this model. I bought this from Amazon warehouse. I have always been happy with my purchases through them, but this time it didnt work out.

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it doesnt have a caps lock button but thats okay because i probably shouldnt be yelling at people over the internet anyway

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This little Chromebook is the best computer I have had in awhile. Setup is super easy and it runs incredibly fast. Many other computers take at least 2-3 minutes before I can do anything with them, but not this one! I can immediately get online and access documents without waiting or getting frustrated. The speakers are pretty good for the size of the computer, nothing super loud or anything, but definitely good and clear sound. The keyboards letters are a light blue color and bigger than most others. That does not make a very big difference to me, but it would help someone just learning how to use a keyboard or whose vision is not too great. I personally am not a huge fan of the touch pad because most of the time it is difficult or impossible to left click anything, but that was easily solvable by using a small, portable wireless mouse. It does effortlessly keep track of social media notifications, especially Facebook, which is a good but not overall necessary feature, at least for me. It has a good design and definitely would hold up to short distance drops or a little bit of water. I often take this to school and at times it sits in my hot car, but it always manages to work great when in use. My favorite feature of this computer? The battery life. Hands down, the battery life on its own is unbeatable. It lasts at the very least ten hours and I can get anywhere from 3-5 days use on one charge. I no longer need to take my charger out with me and worry whether or not there is an outlet nearby.

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I bought this for my 6yr old son who just began exploring the gamer world of minecraft. When come to find out, Chromebooks DO NOT support minecraft software, therefore I was completely devastated. I looked online for some guidance to see how I could go around this but all I found was the option to turn my brand new computer into what is called Developer Mode where I would be, in theory, reprogramming Its main functionality by installing a second Operating System called Lenux. Of course I wouldnt even dare since A. I have not the slightest knowledge how to Code (wish I did though) B. Tampering with it voids warranty. C. Id be pursuing a theory because it may work for some but not for others leaving no guarantee that tweaking it would even work. So finally, distraught since the ONLY reason I purchased this beautiful and economical piece of work was for my son to play minecraft, I gave up!! Only to wake up the next morning relentlessly reviewing the options I had when suddenly.... A new chrome is update! Chrome books can now use Android games and apps through Google Play. And with that came.... MINECARFT: Pocket-sized edition A big breath of fresh air!!!!! Now onto the actual hardware. Its very light, the color is true. The keyboard is perfect! Screen could be a bit more defined but it does the trick. Great little piece of work!! Highly recommend

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