Before buying ANY Chromebook, know these important usage tips:
- Web browsing, streaming video, and using online Chrome web apps are what Chromebooks are primarily used for, so fast and reliable internet connection is required to get the most use out of a Chromebook.
- Chromebooks are best for users of Google apps and services (Gmail, Google office suite, YouTube). Your login for the device is your Google account login.
- Chromebooks run an operating system that is not Microsoft Windows or Mac OSX, so make sure to consider the compatibility of any programs you plan to use.
- ChromeOS is relatively low maintenance (no need for anti-virus or anti-malware programs, and no need to wait around for lengthy system updates).
Now for some pros and cons for Acer's Chromebook 14 (Certified Refurbished)!
Pros:
- Solid build quality and design for this price ($200). The body of the laptop is brushed aluminum, and the keyboard keys are made of matte plastic, so the whole thing stays looking clean as fingerprints and smudges do not appear so prominently.
- 1080p display, perfect for watching videos. It is also an IPS panel, so colors are generally more distinguishable and the screen image does not distort or become discolored when viewed from different angles (Note: many cheap Chromebooks have do not IPS panels).
[UPDATE: Took me a while to notice that the display resolution is not set to the native 1080p out the box. You will need to go into Device Settings and up the resolution to 1080p. I suspect it is set it to run at a default lower resolution because running 1080p on a 14” display make the icons and UI elements much smaller, and turning down the resolution also means improved performance. But I bumped it up to 1080p anyway, and unless you have a problem with slightly smaller icons, it runs just fine... and it’s beautiful!]
- My certified refurbished unit was almost like new. No scratches to be seen, and the screen, keyboard and track pad were clean. Original feature stickers were also still on the device.
- Wireless capabilities are pretty good. It supports wifi protocol up to 802.11 ac, and it features Bluetooth 4.2.
[UPDATE: I was able to pair my wireless Apple AirPods with the device, but it seems there is a very slight delay between when sound reaches the left and right ears, so this causes a slight “echo” when listening to audio. I noticed this mostly when listening to YouTube videos. Additionally, sometimes the audio would sound very quiet even when the system and player volume would be maxed out. Not sure if this is just an issue with AirPods and Bluetooth 4.2.]
- This is one of the Chromebook models that support the installation of Android apps from the Google Play store.
Cons:
- Android apps are a great addition, but without a touchscreen, using many apps with keyboard and track pad can be awkward, or even impossible. Additionally, many apps are not optimized to run on a display of a 14-inch 1080p laptop, so some apps might not scale properly and end up looking stretched and squeezed across the screen.
- Display is anti-glare, but sunlight and bright light in general can still wash-out the display and make it difficult to view. (but I still cannot stress enough that the display is still better than most Chromebooks)
- No SD card slot. Do not plan to expand the internal storage, so Google Drive or other cloud storage services are necessary if you work with large amount of files.
With all that in mind, it is often useful to own a Chromebook as a secondary laptop. In my own case, I use a desktop tower running Windows 10 for running engineering programs for school, locally storing large files, playing graphics-intensive video games, and running any software that requires a system with a bit more performance power under the hood.
I use my Chromebook for web browsing, media consumption, and online document editing and sharing on the go. Additionally, Chrome OS does have a remote desktop tool available, so I use that to connect to my main PC over the internet from my Chromebook 14. This works beautifully at 1080p resolution and quite smooth when internet connections to both devices are strong and reliable (ideally have the main PC connected to wired Ethernet).
| Standing screen display size | 14 Inches |
|---|---|
| Screen Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| Processor | 1.6 GHz celeron_n |
| RAM | 4 GB LPDDR3 |
| Memory Speed | 1.6 GHz |
| Hard Drive | 32 GB SSD |
| Graphics Coprocessor | Intel HD Graphics 400 |
| Chipset Brand | Intel |
| Card Description | Integrated |
| Wireless Type | 802.11n, 802.11b, 802.11g |
| Average Battery Life (in hours) | 12 Hours |
