Review on 💻 Samsung Chromebook 4+ 15.6" Full HD, Intel Celeron N4000, 6GB RAM, 64GB eMMC, Gigabit Wi-Fi, Chrome OS - XE350XBA-K03US, Silver by Michael Syph

I've been using a Chromebook as my main computer for over 5 years. The last one I used was an Acer c720 with an i3 processor, I really liked that. I replaced the battery and it still works great, but this offer was too good to pass up. $450 for a convertible Chromebook with a 7th Gen m3 processor and a dedicated pen is a lot. Given that Google offers free note-taking apps on their suggestion page, that's a good deal too. In my opinion, this PC offers significantly better value for money than any Windows PC in this price range. I originally ordered it when it was $495 and a third party sent me a xe521qab (dark grey) instead of the listed xe520qab (light grey). At the end I will compare both devices. I'll start with an overview of the specs and hardware as I feel it is important to mention the overall build quality and why I chose this device over others. I will also compare both models as everyone needs to know what they are buying before actually buying it. I'll also briefly review Chrome OS's features and limitations so first-time buyers have an idea of what they're getting. Low-power CPU (fanless computer) - Full HD screen (1920x1200 resolution) - Long battery life - Great sound, just quiet - Linux apps accessible from ChromeOS - Keyboard has good travel, very comfortable for typing - Trackpad is a good size and responsive Cons: - No backlit keyboard (some Chromebooks in this price range have them) - Cannot install Windows or Mac software - Cannot play PC games but can play Android mobile games Processor: Processor in this Device - Intel Core M3 -7Y30. It's one of the best processors you could ask for in a Chromebook in my opinion, but it might not be powerful enough for a Windows laptop. The two specifications that I think are the most important are the TDP of 4.5 W and the clock speed of 1.0-2.6 GHz. In layman's terms, this processor has an extremely low power consumption that consumes power and can boost its clock speed high enough to get things done. This chip can also be hyper-threaded, which basically makes it more efficient per core and increases speed. Because of this low power state, the processor does not get too hot and the computer does not need a fan. The computer makes no noise. I didn't notice any lag at all, even with the stylus. This thing is too powerful for most of the tasks Chrome OS requires. It's a great balance between the performance you need and maximum battery life. To give you an idea of the price, the MSRP of this processor is $280. The view already covers half the cost of the computer. Screen: Incredible, given the wide viewing angles, I can see the screen from every possible angle. My old Acer c720 has the worst screen imaginable with a very narrow, low resolution display. This thing is as handy as the retina display in any MacBook. Battery: As already mentioned, the M3 processor does not consume much power compared to other processors, and not having a fan also saves a lot of power. battery test, the rate of decay without starting is about 1% in 300 seconds, or about 12% per hour. So I would say 8-8.3 hours of battery life at best. It's good, not the best, but definitely good enough for me. I had 3 days of continuous use before needing a new charge. In comparison, my Acer C720 consumed about 1.25% every 300 seconds, or about 6.7 hours of battery life. It's older and has different processors, but overall it's much better. Audio: Great for a laptop. The sound has a good dynamic range, but no bass. These are solid speakers and feel premium, but nowhere near as premium as, say, a MacBook. Chrome OS: When you buy a Chromebook, you should use it primarily for web browsing and simple tasks. When connected to the Google ecosystem, it can do a lot more. On the other hand, if you're connected to the Apple ecosystem, this can pose a problem. Chrome OS cannot run computer programs designed for Windows or Mac, such as Microsoft Office and Photoshop. You can use an online office suite or Android apps, but they are not the same. Setting up a wired printer can be confusing. Uploading Word documents can change their appearance when opened in Google Docs. Conversely, saving data from Google Docs in Word format can also mess up the formatting, which is an issue I plan to address in the future. Overall, I think Chromebooks are absolutely ready for widespread use. Chrome OS is much more secure than Windows and Mac, the fact that you almost never download anything keeps your computer fast and secure. The lightweight OS just flies, for everyday tasks it's much faster than Windows or OS X and you'll notice the difference right away. Linux programs: Once upon a time (6 years ago) you had to boot into a Linux operating system to use Linux applications. It worked, but was cumbersome and made updating Linux a lot harder. Also, it took up valuable space on your Chromebook and you had to switch operating systems entirely to use it. Nowadays, ChromeOS has a built-in Linux virtual machine, and you can pull applications from the Linux database right inside ChromeOS. and start applications. It's completely amazing to me and I'm not sure when Google decided to do this, but at heart it makes ChromeOS an almost complete machine with far fewer limitations. This gives you access to good software alternatives to Photoshop and Microsoft Office, especially if you need something that can do a little more than the Google apps. It's by no means as good and complete as Windows or Mac as it still requires knowledge to get it right and keep it up to date, but it's free and open source and I think it's important to this idea to maintain. Linux and Android are two of the most popular open source platforms, you can do a ton of things with both, and it's great that both are available on Chrome OS. Tablet: This is the road to ChromeOS, so I wouldn't recommend buying a Chromebook that isn't currently converting. It's nice to have and allows you to run Android apps. The apps that would be useful on a Chromebook are any that can take notes and use a pen. This is handy for annotating presentations, drawings, or school notes if you prefer writing to typing. Everything else is just useless, but being able to flip the device over and access a high-resolution tablet is still amazing. lower price, I had to return it and got 520. Revain unfortunately couldn't match the price. I took photos so everyone can see the difference. 521 is just better. It has a darker body, metallic keyboard and smooth edges; it just feels so much better and more expensive. It's rounder in most places, and tablet mode feels smoother and more comfortable. The only two things I like about the 520 are how it looks when it's closed and how it feels better when it's open. The sharp edges are nice and clean, but the plastic keyboard isn't as comfortable. If you can find the xe521qab for the same price as the xe520qab, I'd happily go with the 521. Otherwise you get the same. Both are fantastic computers and I'm sure both would be happier to choose one. $450 is an absolute bargain for any of these computers.