Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I’m a professional IT guy. So when I buy something for myself, I know what I’m looking for and I do my homework. This is easily the best overall Chromebook out there right now (under $500). There’s nothing I don’t like about this device, so in order of importance, here’s what I love about it. Backlit Keyboard First off, WOW - I’d pay an extra $200 (the difference between this Chromebook and the average entry-level Chromebook) just for this lighted keyboard. The nerd press may talk about key travel and deflection, but I’m just talking about visibility. I’m typing this review in a dark room, and it reminds me how much I LOVE this backlit keyboard. The keys are clearly lit, and there’s the perfect amount of luminosity between them to provide good contrast and relief for the keys and the keyboard. This could not be better executed. Like I said, I’d pay an additional $200 just for the keyboard. Speed - CPU (Intel Core m3) I love how quick this thing is. I have an 8th Gen Core i5 16GB laptop at work, so I’ve become conditioned to instantaneous response. This thing isn’t that fast, but for loading web pages, it’s pretty close. The older Chromebooks were ok, especially for the price - you got what you paid for. But with this generation, you get more than you pay for! Screen Brightness and Clarity Great! The brightness and clarity are awesome. Don’t be worried about nits and lumens and all those other measurements. The nerd press use them in their evaluations because they have to, but in the real world, the rest of us only worry about what looks great and what doesn’t, and this screen does. Build Quality and Appearance This is quality hardware, and it shows. More than once I’ve had fellow nerds admire it, and for those of you who don’t know tech, that’s the highest compliment you can pay a device. One nerd even said he thought it was a new MacBook. Touchscreen It’s great. I don’t really use the Chromebook as a tablet, but I use the touchscreen much more than I thought I would - as another input device, like an adjunct mouse or touchpad. It’s complementary, not revolutionary, which is much more intuitive and useful. Hinges and 360° Foldability Again, this is where the build quality really shines. This thing folds and sticks in any position like a Swiss Army knife. There’s no flex in the movement, just perfect uniformity of motion along a single axis. Surface - resists fingerprints, smudges Being a nerd - and proudly OCD - I don’t do dirt. I value cleanliness, and even more, the appearance of cleanliness. I don’t hate dirt because it’s dirty, I hate it because it’s a distraction. The matte silver finish of this device feels great and looks great. Very sterile. MicroSD card slot A big part of this device is its gorgeous aesthetic. Older Chromebooks had SD card slots that left the card jutting out. Not this one. The MicroSD slot leaves an inserted card perfectly flush. I dig that because then the card is visually integrated, not an obvious add-on.