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00:00🎵
00:04Hey, how's it going? Dave2D here.
00:06So this is the Asus C302. It's their Chromebook, their top-of-the-line Chromebook.
00:11And I don't do much coverage of Chromebooks on this channel, at least I haven't in the past,
00:15because I feel like this type of hardware, Chromebooks,
00:18their value is highly dependent on their software.
00:22Like, without a good software experience, this whole ecosystem doesn't work very well.
00:26And in the past, it has been great.
00:27But recently, actually, in the very near future, these will become awesome.
00:32So, before I get into the whole, like, review of this particular unit,
00:35I need to talk about the state of Chromebooks in early 2017.
00:39So, Chromebooks have traditionally been just like...
00:42Okay, if you don't know what a Chromebook is, it's an inexpensive laptop-like device.
00:47Well, it's basically a laptop, and it runs Chrome OS, which is a software made by Google.
00:52Now, in order to put applications on these things,
00:54traditionally, you would go to something called the Chrome Web Store,
00:57which is kind of like their App Store.
00:59So, iPhones have the App Store, Android phones have the Google Play Store,
01:04Chromebooks have something called...
01:05Well, they used to have something called the Chrome Web Store,
01:08which was their application kind of library.
01:11The problem was that developers just didn't develop much for the Chrome Web Store.
01:16Like, most of the popular applications weren't available on the Chrome Web Store.
01:20So, Google did this thing last year where they're like,
01:22Hey, we're going to allow Android applications, the ones that you would see on your Android phone,
01:26we're going to put those onto Chromebooks in the near future.
01:29And that is right now.
01:31In the next week or two, they're going to be rolling out across most Chromebooks,
01:35at least all of the current generation ones and future generation Chromebooks,
01:39they're going to be able to run Android applications.
01:41So, at first glance, it's not like a huge thing.
01:44Yeah, it's like a bunch of apps are coming into the system,
01:47but this really is a game changer.
01:49So, not only do you have just a gigantic library of apps now,
01:52you're now able to do stuff offline.
01:54So, if you want to do editing of documents offline,
01:56if you want to play games offline,
01:58if you want to download videos and watch stuff off Netflix offline,
02:02you can now do this on a Chromebook.
02:03These are basically full-fledged computers.
02:05So, the addition of these Android apps into this Chromebook ecosystem,
02:09I think it's going to heavily affect the sales and just the livelihood of Android tablets.
02:14This is a Galaxy Tab S3, came out a week, maybe two weeks ago,
02:18and I feel like these products are dead on arrival.
02:21Why would you purchase that when you could buy these for half the price
02:24and they're just as, if not more, capable than those?
02:28Some apps don't work yet, like VSCO Cam.
02:30This is a really popular photo editing app,
02:32and when I try to install it, it says it's incompatible.
02:35But chances are, if your favorite app isn't available right now,
02:38there's going to be an alternative or two or ten that are available
02:41and able to run on Chromebooks already.
02:44So, in general, I think if you are an average user,
02:47I mean, I know a lot of my audience are like they're heavy gamers
02:50or just photo or video editors.
02:52If you're one of those people, then you probably won't be able to use this
02:55as like your only machine, maybe as like a secondary device.
02:58But for most people, you can get by with the Chromebook.
03:01The app store selection is huge.
03:04So, yeah, I think that's just the state of Chromebooks right now.
03:07So, I want to talk about the device in specific now.
03:10So, this is the Asus C302, and personally, I think this is the best Chromebook right now.
03:16It's expensive. It's $500.
03:18And I guess let's talk about the things that I do like about it first.
03:21So, it's got great build quality.
03:23Full aluminum build. Everything is solid.
03:25There's no plastic on the device.
03:27Everything from the hinge to the finish feels like a top-tier device.
03:30There is, like, you can see over here that it wasn't milled from a single block of aluminum.
03:34There's like two pieces that they put together.
03:36But the build quality on this thing is quite good.
03:38There's two USB-C ports, and there's no USB-A ports.
03:41Obviously, not a huge selection of ports, but it's a Chromebook,
03:44and you probably won't be connecting too many devices to this thing.
03:47You also have your microSD slot.
03:49And then on the other side, you have your volume rocker, power button, and audio jack.
03:53The screen is 2400x1340.
03:56It's reasonably bright and color accurate.
03:58I'd say it's about average for a higher-end laptop or a Chromebook.
04:02There are better screens out there, but I like this one a lot.
04:05Performance is pretty strong. Strong enough, I mean, for what we would do on a Chromebook.
04:09I can easily have ten Chrome tabs open with Spotify, Netflix, or Twitch running in the background,
04:14and it'll handle it with ease.
04:16The 64 gigs of storage feels a little light, especially if you're coming from a laptop,
04:20but you can easily add microSD cards if you want.
04:22I will say, though, if you're interested in purchasing this thing,
04:25I would highly recommend getting the upgraded one, like the one with the Core M processor.
04:30I've used the Pentium processor, and it feels noticeably slower.
04:34It's not that much cheaper, so I highly recommend getting the upgraded version
04:38with more storage and a faster processor.
04:41Okay, let's talk about the keyboard.
04:43This is why I've crowned this Asus as the best Chromebook.
04:46It's backlit, 1.4mm travel, perfect layout.
04:50There's really nothing I would change about this keyboard.
04:52Maybe, like, the springs could be a little bit stiffer, but really, it's a great keyboard.
04:57It feels a lot like the MacBook Air.
04:59And for what I use a Chromebook for, and what I think a lot of people will be using Chromebooks for,
05:03the typing experience has to be awesome, and this really nails it.
05:06Very few Chromebooks do, and so there's another competitor to this
05:09that I would consider to be, like, the second best Chromebook out there,
05:13which is the Samsung Chromebook Plus,
05:15but the keyboard on that is significantly worse than this.
05:17That's why I prefer this.
05:19The other thing that I really like about this, like, device as to why I think it's the best,
05:23it's the flip.
05:24So, a lot of devices, when you flip it into tablet mode, it's just not a comfortable device.
05:30This thing is relatively light, 2.6 pounds, but it's also the ergonomics.
05:34Like, when you hold this thing, it feels like an actual tablet.
05:37And I think, if you're gonna have a two-in-one device,
05:40if your tablet mode, your tent mode, and your laptop mode are all really comfortable to use,
05:44you've done a good job.
05:46The trackpad is less awesome.
05:48Surface feels good, but it lacks perfect precision.
05:51You'll get the occasional jitter.
05:53It is a decent trackpad, though.
05:55The battery life is great.
05:56It's a 39-watt-hour battery.
05:58You can comfortably hit eight or more hours on this thing.
06:00So, I've been able to hit eight hours with the screen at 250 nits, keyboard backlighting on.
06:04I mean, it's a Chromebook.
06:05It's not pulling too much juice, so it's gonna last.
06:07It also uses USB-C charging.
06:09So, if you have other USB-C devices, that's a nice bonus.
06:12The speakers are also decent.
06:14They're positioned nicely.
06:15You get a good stereo effect.
06:16And they're clear enough.
06:17There's no fan noise on this thing, so audio comes out pretty clean.
06:21But it's a small speaker on a Chromebook, so it's not gonna be amazing.
06:25There's a few things I don't love about this Chromebook.
06:27I wish the screen was brighter.
06:28300 nits is fine for indoor use, but if you bring it outdoors, it's not ideal.
06:32The other thing are the bezels.
06:34So, these bezels are, I mean, they're not huge or anything.
06:37But when you have it in tablet mode, especially because you have that Asus logo on the side,
06:41it doesn't look like a particularly elegant screen.
06:44I wish these bezels were smaller.
06:45But that's about it.
06:46There's really not much I dislike about this Chromebook.
06:48Now, it's not cheap.
06:49It's $500, which is actually quite expensive for a Chromebook.
06:53But in 2017, you're not gonna get this kind of build quality unless you're paying this kind of money.
06:57So, is it worth it?
06:58I think it is.
06:59Especially if you consider the Android apps that are coming in.
07:01If you can make this fit into your workflow, I think this is a really good device.
07:05Hope you guys enjoyed this video.
07:06Thumbs if you liked it.
07:07Subs if you loved it.
07:08See you guys next time.