Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I purchased the C434 very near first availability date on Amazon after highly anticipating it's arrival. I've always been a fan of Chromebooks and anxiously anticipated upgrading to this work of art (and it really is beautiful). The build quality is excellent. The screen is amazing with those wonderful little bezels. The screen is bright and responsive and is a joy to look at and interact with in almost every respect. The computer screams quality. All of that said, after about three weeks with the C434, I decided to return it and ended up purchasing the HP X360. Here are my reasons. One of the initial reviews of the C434 complained about the keyboard. The person's complaint didn't relate to the tactile interaction with the keyboard (which is good) but rather to the viewing of the keys on the keyboard (white on metal). My initial thought on this, prior to receiving my own C434, was that this reviewer must be very short-sighted to return the computer for such a minor complaint. However, he or she was absolutely correct. In the spirit of creating a very contemporary keyboard, the white letters on the aluminum keyboard results in a very difficult layout to see in daylight. I would need to tilt and move the keyboard to position my hands properly (and I type very fast by touch so this is not a hunt and peck complaint). In dim light with the backlight on, the keyboard transforms into a wonderful experience, but using it during the day was a frustration for me I couldn't get over. I was also disappointed in performance. Since I was an early adopter, I have the 4GB model with the core i3m processor. For light web surfing and simple tasks it's fine, but if I wanted to view my Google photos, for example, or use the Android version of Lightroom from the App Store, there is a definite lag in performance. I'm not sure if this relates to the 4GM of RAM or the i3m processor, but once I upgraded to the X360 (8 GB of RAM and a i3 U processor) it was an entirely preferred performance experience. So, to conclude, here is my compare and contrast of the C434 with the HP X360. Price The HP X360 seems to be constantly on sale from it's $600 list price. I got it for $450 but it can be had for as little as $399. Great value at either of these reduced price options. I was going to hold out for the C434 i5 with 8GB of RAM but I ultimately concluded that that price point would not come close to the X360 at its discounted price. Screen The C434 is brighter and much nicer and has those little bezels. This is the one aspect of the C434 I miss the most. The X360 has only a bearable screen brightness and color output as compared to the C434, but ultimately this was a tradeoff I was willing to make (although I still struggle with). Weight The C434 is about 1/2 pound less in weight and is marginally smaller. Again, I would opt for the C434 in this case but the real world difference is really not that significant. Keyboard I love typing on the X360. It's got a great feel and travel and nice backlight. The C434 was fine at night but that keyboard during the day was awful to use because of the white on metal. Performance Hands down the X360 wins. Ok , it has a fan that comes on occasionally, but it smokes the C434 with any use other than normal web surfing or simple applications. Using the X360 with the better processor and RAM is a joy compared to the C434. Also, as an aside, I have noticed that Google Play Apps seem to run better on the X360 but I'm not sure why? For example, I have an app that gives me notifications and when I clicked on the C434 it would not take me to the App but I have no problem at all with the X360 properly behaving in this regard. Conclusion If you want a stylish Chromebook and your needs are limited to web surfing and light Applications, go for the C434. If, however, performance is at all a concern and you plan to do some work or moderate play, I would opt for the X360. Both are wonderful machines in their own right and it's a pleasure to see the evolution of the Chromebook.