Samsung Chromebook Plus Convertible Touch Laptop (XE513C24-K01US)

2 Days In So far so good. Its so light. Bought this to study off Khan academy and watch you tube and netflix. Tend to meet up with people at Starbucks/libraries/cafes. I had the fear of potential theft of my windows laptop while out and about so this seemed like the best choice as a daily carry machine. Messed around with the display at Best Buy and really liked it. The other reviews cover the pros and cons. I just needed this for the basics. Just got it, and I hope it wont have any issues like Shift keys sticking or wifi issues (so far none). Stylus hasnt been used much, so far. Touchscreen mostly which eliminates the need for a mouse (at least for me). Update June 19.17 Watching Videos/Speakers The display was a major reason why I bought this machine (to watch anime/shows). If you turn the machine into a L shape, the speakers (which are at the bottom of the machine) are decent. Using the machine in an A shape (tent?) the speakers will muffle depending on the type of material you have the sound bouncing off. Like it will be muffled if its on the couch (fabric), therefore I bought a small wooden bamboo cutting board to place it on while I play my shows and that I can rotate as I wander around the room cleaning. Playing videos on high resolution did not work and took a long time to loading/buffering so I just lowered the quality. Stylus/Mouse/Trackpad I have been using the stylus more when in tent shape or tablet mode. I realized that I dont really need an external mouse since I have stylus on hand at all times. So, it might be a consideration if you are debating on buying a C to USB adaptor. The trackpad is responsive its just taking a bit of getting used to the little differences like using 2 fingers to right click. I am not sure if there are settings for all of the Chromebook specific differences--Im just using it as is. Battery Depends what you use it for. I think 2-3.5 hours was the most I used the machine to continuously watch videos/youtube. (the battery also had not gone below 40%, I just prefer to keep my electronics charged above 50%). While studying and just browsing websites usage was 4-6 hours (depends if you are the type of person to recharge a machine rather than use it to 5% battery remaining) Cons: looking online, there arent options for an alternative keyboard. I miss using swype, but using the touchscreen, keyboard, and voice search isnt a big issue, but might be for others.

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I see this has happened to at least one other person here as well. Purchased in February and used it all of 4 times and I take excellent care of my devices. Barely 3 months later, I took it out to prepare for a presentation and it wont take a charge or power from the AC cord. Totally screwed me over and I had to ship it off to get repaired. Mind you I live in the city where their flagship store is but they dont fix their Chromebooks there.Go figure. I am SO not happy about this. My first time purchasing a Samsung product and very likely my last.

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This product line, together with the more expensive Chromebook Pro, have a widely known defect with their touchscreen panels. After short use the screens start behaving erratically as if someone were touching them randomly even though there is no touch. They pop up menus randomly, select words in websites randomly, open pages randomly and the pages "vibrate" up and down. They also stop responding to finger touches. The stylus and the touch pad still work, this is a touchscreen issue. Cleaning the screen, resetting the machine, "power washing" the machine etc. dont work. It is a hardware/manufacturing problem, so that Samsung should be required to recall these entire product lines. Their technical support is non-existent/useless, and they try to deny the issue, even though they know it perfectly well. They also have no fix. Sometimes lucky people might be able to return the machines (if they purchased directly from Samsung), and they often come back weeks later with the exact same problem still present. These would be nice products without this pervasive defect. DO NOT BUY UNTIL YOU READ THAT SAMSUNG ACKNOWLEDGED AND FIXED THE ISSUE, AND THAT THEY ARE REPLACING ALL DEFECTIVE MACHINES AT NO COST. I dont think this is likely to happen, though. Thats because after the Note 7 battery explosion/fire debacle they must hate to admit another meltdown of entire product lines. But it is a fact. Online reviews dont mention it, either because they received "fixed up" review models or because they used the machines superficially, and only for a few minutes. Samsung used to be an excellent manufacturer but after the Note 7 battery fires and the Chromebook Plus/Pro touchscreen defects, followed by the stonewalling by Samsung - instead of admission of the failures - destroyed my faith in them. Something bad happened to Samsungs QA. Probably greed causes them to mass produce without adequate quality controls. I wont buy another Samsung product until I read many times that all their product quality issues are resolved and that they are a high-quality manufacturer again. It may be many years - or it may never happen. I have returned my Chromebook Plus for a full refund with Amazons help - the day after I received it. Sad.

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0:00 0:00 This video is not intended for all audiences. What date were you born? January February March April May June July August September October November December 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1964 1963 1962 1961 1960 1959 1958 1957 1956 1955 1954 1953 1952 1951 1950 1949 1948 1947 1946 1945 1944 1943 1942 1941 1940 1939 1938 1937 1936 1935 1934 1933 1932 1931 1930 1929 1928 1927 1926 1925 1924 1923 1922 1921 1920 1919 1918 1917 1916 1915 1914 1913 1912 1911 1910 1909 1908 1907 1906 1905 1904 1903 1902 1901 1900 Submit Adobe Flash Player is required to watch this video. Install Flash Player Its a really nice computer. Loved using it, but has problems with touch screen. Screen would zoom in and out on its own; scrolled on its own; and would open random applications when nothing was touched, making it difficult to work on. Contacted Amazon about issue. They told me to powerwash device and to use chromebook repair utility. It didnt resolve the issue. I contacted Samsung about issue, they asked to send it in for repairs. I sent it in, still didnt resolve the issue. I contacted Amazon again and ended up returning the device.

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I wanted to give 5 stars to this beautiful machine. However, I have been using it just some days and there are two important things that are not working well ... both seems to be real problems with the computer: 1) The touch screen only works now with the pen. No matter what I do, my fingers wont make it to react. 2) The WIFI it is not stable, compared with any other device connected to the same data source. What I understand is that both are real issues for many users (checking recent complaints), and the big question is if they are software and/or hardware problems. If this is about some configuration or driver update, I can wait for the software to be updated ... but if this because a hardware failure, then Samsung must define an update path, maybe to recall the machines and to fix the problems for next ones before they are shipped. Taking these two problems out of the equation, the Chromebook it is a fantastic device. The only need to be taken into consideration is that metal body machines are prone to scratches, so be careful.

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I had an iPad for a number of years and it was getting on in age and a big sluggish. I had a few dollars laying around and decided I was tired of its computing power (or lack of) and determined it was time to invest in something new. Of course by default, I started investigating new iPads. Brainwashed! It dawned on me that perhaps I needed to look into some alternate makes/models. I should add that I use my iPad the way that most people do I presume: watching YouTube, looking things up in Googles search engine and occasionally using Googles cloud based suite of apps (Docs, Sheets and Slides). I do also have a fairly powerful laptop that I sometimes travel with if I know I will need to write up report for work of decent heft, or if I will be gone long enough that I dont feel like answering all my emails on my phone and typing with my thumbs. I have thought about getting a detachable keyboard for the iPad in the past but decided it was kind of crazy to add a peripheral to a tablet, which was as large as the device itself. So I started looking into other devices and I came over to Chromebooks. Well lets fast forward because you all know what I ended up buying. I can say now after taking this on many trips, using it in airports, hotels and even on planes, that I absolutely love it. I laugh at the criticisms that people are giving this hardware here in other reviews, as they obviously should have bought something totally different. You dont buy a Ford Taurus and then complain that it doesnt go 120mph or ask questions like does it come with a spoler?. The Taurus does not come with a spoiler, but it will get you to work everyday and then some, and you can put 200,000 miles on it. See where I am going with this? First of all, there should be almost no reason to ever install any apps on this thing. I dont play games on my phone or on my old iPad so I dont care about that. Even YouTube, the app offers nothing over the regular website in Chrome. I have installed nothing. The Google suite of Office products previously mentioned also work totally fine running from the cloud. Why do you need hard drive space on this device? Use Google Drive. I have put it in convertible mode (flipped backwards like a tent) and sat in Starbucks for hours watching YouTube. I can type probably 90% of my normal ~70wpm on this tiny keyboard. I can write extensive well written emails and work on reports, spreadsheets, presentations, etc... with this awesome device. I must admit it is a little odd using it as a tablet, perhaps because it is so large (this seemed awesome on paper before I got it), and feeling the keyboard underneath seems wrong. But I think these things are in my head. You dont need RAM, or hard drive space, or USB ports, or a DVD drive. If you need those things, it is easy enough to get a decent laptop for the same price as this. What this offers that a laptop does not is extemely small footprint, low weight, great form factor, and something that is built to interface flawlessly with Googles cloud products. I am a dyed in the wool Google user so this was a perfect fit for me. If you reject their products I suppose you could use Office 365 products fairly well as those also operate in the cloud. This thing boots up in about 3 seconds. I already use Chrome on my phone, home desktop and work desktop. So this all makes sense for me. Maybe it doesnt for you. And it certainly doesnt if you want to do video editing or some other high powered stuff, this is a netbook essentially and you dont drive a Ford Taurus if you want to pretend you are in The Fast and The Furious. I am 100% happy with this and I have taken it everywhere with me. Did I mention the battery life is insane? Well it is. I cant say enough about this and I cant believe I lived with an iPad for so many years. I would never ever turn back. That is nothing against Apple, I love my iPhone. Anyway, this is a great device and I suggest you pull the trigger.

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Samsung Chromebook Plus Review The Galaxy Tab S2 was a decent tablet, but it felt like a downgrade from the Galaxy Tab Pro due to its lower resolution and harder to access components. It basically felt like a fatter, slightly worse version of the same tablet. After being disappointed by a little more of the same happening with the Galaxy Tab S3 coming out and hearing that Chromebooks will now incorporate Android app compatibility, I decided to take a chance and get a Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus. After using the Chromebook Plus for a fairly decent amount of time, I find it difficult to determine why anyone would want to get a Galaxy Tab S3 compared to this. This does everything that the Galaxy Tab S3 does and more, but also better. This has a better I/O dual USB Type C as opposed to 1, plus more versatile in how you use it due to it being a full-fledged computer. Both come with a stylus built in with palm rejection which is nice, and both have very high resolution displays (although the chromebook has a slightly higher resolution, this is not that much of an issue for me as both tablets can churn out 1440p video). The chromebook has a keyboard built in where you don’t get that with the Galaxy Tab S3. One of the key benefits of Chromebooks compared to tablets is their full compatibility with Chrome as a browser. This is important because everything you can do on your computer with Google Chrome on a standard PC you can do on a Chromebook, where with the Galaxy Tab S3 you are stuck down with a watered down mobile version. This means that you can add extensions, use Adobe Flash without doing weird things to your Android Tablet, dual boot Linux, and more. Both can run Android apps well, although you may need to do more tinkering with the chromebook if you want to download apps outside the Play Store compared to a standard tablet. Once you do that though, you can also dual boot to things like Linux or even Windows if you so choose where the Galaxy Tab S3 is stuck with Android under most circumstances. Overall, there is really no reason to get a Galaxy Tab S3 when you could get the Chromebook Plus. It’s cheaper, about as portable, and it is way more versatile than the Galaxy Tab S3. The only thing that the Galaxy Tab S3 that the Chromebook Plus does not have is the rear camera, so if you think the convenience of an average tablet camera is worth sacrificing the crapton of versatility and the cost savings of this laptop, you could go with the S3. However, for most tablet users the Chromebook Plus is a better, more cost-effective device overall.

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My background is 30+ years in the consumer electronics industry: I’ve owned numerous consumer electronics companies as well as a consultant for many leading consumer electronics corporations. I’m currently in Asia and I wanted a new laptop. Since I’m a die-hard fan of Chromebooks my choice was easy; the new Samsung Chromebook Plus for it’s size, weight, performance and battery life. I currently own 3 other Chromebooks and absolutely LOVE them all! I want to start off by saying how INCREDIBLY AMAZING Amazon is when it comes to customer service. When I ordered the laptop Amazon shipped it directly to me in Thailand. When it arrived, the Samsung Chromebook case was defective through no fault of Amazon. I called Amazon and asked what to do; an Amazon representative told me to ship it back to them and once they receive it they would send me out a brand new replacement unit and credit me back for the shipping BOTH ways! If anyone ever has ANY doubts about buying from any company other than Amazon in a feeble attempt to possibly save a couple dollars DO NOT DO IT! There is not a retailer on planet earth who backs up their products like anyone else...believe me, I get paid lots of money to work with some of the largest electronics corporations in the world to streamline their customer service and customer retention departments...Amazon is head and shoulders above them all! PROS: Size and weight...as I said, I travel a LOT and having a lightweight, thin laptop is imperative for me. This Chromebook weighs less than 2.5 lbs and easily slips into a backpack, brief case or carry-on bag with ease. Battery: As good as any I have tested and used; approximately 10 hours watching videos with the screen brightness at about 50%. I can watch numerous movies in High Def on overseas flights without worry of my battery dying. It charges in around 2 hours from a completely dead battery. Display: Wonderful, clean, crisp and easy on the eyes. This screen is equally impressive regardless of what I’m watching; a High-Def movie, a YouTube video or typing a report. Resolution is fantastic, colors are vibrant, accurate and true to life, tremendous detail, sharp blacks and white colors...typical Samsung high-end screen quality! There’s a reason Samsung will be supplying Apple its OLED screens for the new iPhone 8. Touch Screen: Once again, it’s typical Samsung ingenuity; precise and balanced. All gestures work perfectly and the screen is ultra responsive. Pen: I honestly did not care much about the pen when I bought it and assumed I would only use it once or twice a year at most. The pen has turned into quite a nice feature for me to capture parts of the screen image, for notes, drawing circles around certain parts of messages, web sites etc. I now am hooked on it and wonder just how I lived without it? Fit and Finish: Like all Samsung products, their design is in a word sexy...nice lines, curves and subtle details where needed, not overstated but more functional and aesthetically pleasing in IMO. The keyboard works perfectly fine for me...the keys feel solid and the trackpad is precise. I would have preferred a back-lit keypad but for the price and functionality I’m MORE than satisfied with this Chromebook. The only nit-picky thing I would like to have changed is the accessibility of the Micro-SD card slot. It’s somewhat under the side on the base and I personally find it not real user-friendly. Again, that’s just my personal preference...your milage may vary. Speed and Performance: This is as fast as any Chromebook I have never tested or used. I generally have 10-15 tabs open simultaneously and it never bogs down. Every computer in the world may experience a hiccup on occasion, even $2,000 ones but this has been rock solid, super smooth and I personally have not experienced one speed-bump while using it. I can’t honestly imagine why anyone would opt for the Pro version of this Chromebook??? CONS: Ports: The only reason I deducted one star is because of the USB-C ports. Sure I knew that before I bought it but having now lived with it for over a month I find the USB-C ports a big headache. In time I’m sure most of the big guys like Logitech etc. will come out with mice and keyboards with USB-C adaptors already part of their ecosystem but until they do I personally find it extremely frustrating having to use multiple adaptors to expand and personalize my Chromebook. I ended up buying several adaptors to set up my new Samsung Chromebook. I use an HDMI cable connected to a 24” flat screen monitor as well as a wireless mouse (USB adaptor) and wired USB keyboard. I find the adaptors bulky, cumbersome and quite frankly the HDMI just does not work efficiently. It casts the screen properly to my monitor but when I open up anything from the Google Play store the screen flickers horrifically and is rendered useless! I have tried multiple adaptors from various manufacturers and they all to the exact same thing. I can’t use any Play Store apps at all when the monitor is plugged in. I’m sure it’s a Google compatibility issue with the Play Store apps that I hope will eventually iron itself out over time. For now, until more accessory manufacturers start making USB-C accessories that I can plug directly into my USB-C port I find it a real nuisance to have expensive, unnattractive dongles hanging out of my gorgeous sleek laptop. Other than the port issue this Chromebook is an absolute MUST buy! It’s super fast, clean, sexy, lightweight, incredible battery life and the touchscreen is phenomenal! With the built in pen what’s not to love!

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On the whole, the CB Plus is a good Chromebook. The keyboard is good (though not excellent--but keyboard feel is subjective), the screen is first-rate, and the touchpad is just fine (though not close to my gold standard in CB touchpads: the Dell 13"). However, potential buyers should note that the CB Plus (v. 59 stable channel) appears to have really hard time with less than optimal WiFi reception. If I move close the the AP, the speeds are as expected (50-60 Mbps). If I move into the next room, however, speeds drop to about 20 Mbps (still perfectly usable (signal strength is 44)). I get similar results on 5G and 2.4G (slightly better with 2.4G, probably owing to slightly better signal strength (mid 40s-50s on 2.4G, compared to about 40 on 5G)). When a Bluetooth mouse is connected to the CB Plus, WiFi DL speeds drop to about 10 Mbps. My Asus C302c (v. 60 beta channel), on the other hand, has no such problems: speeds at these two locations are consistent at 50-60 Mbps. Reported signal strengths are slightly higher on the C302c: 58 compared to 51 on 2.4G.

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If you buy this I think youll be disappointed. It does what it promises, but not very well. It is oh so very slow. The WIFI is slow, no matter how I connect. The keyboard reduces me to a two finger hunt and peck (I normal type at nearly 70 wpm). It runs Android apps... sort of. The apps are buggy and some fail to display key features. The apps are good, and work perfectly on an Android device. They just dont work right on this device. It sucks when you load up an app and then cant do anything but restart because the app doesnt provide a menu. I was hoping for a portable device that would be easier to manage than a smart phone, particularly for things that require lots of keyboard activity. The Chromebook isnt it. I rarely use it.

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