Although I tend to buy expensive Chromebooks, I realize that I don’t represent the majority of the market. That’s why I’m pointing out the big, budget Asus Chromebook CX1 (CX1700) this week. It’s a new, large Chromebook with 17.3-inch, full HD anti-glare display with 4 GB of memory. Normally priced $299, you can nab the Asus Chromebook CX1 for $249 and save $50.
Given that the MSRP is sub-$300, you won’t be surprised to know that Asus Chrombook CX1 is a budget device.
While you’re getting a 1920 x 1080 display, it’s not touch-capable. It does fold back 180-degrees if that’s a feature that appeals to you. I don’t see the point, but again, I’m not a good representation of the Chromebook market at large.
At this price, getting such a large display with fullHD resolution is rare. With 4 GB of memory this laptop can comfortable handle around 10 open browser tabs. And, according to Acer, you’ll get “up to 17 hours” of battery life with the Chromebook CX1. I suspect you’re really looking at 10 to 12 hours with the 67 WHr battery. Still, that’s a solid run time.
Where you get corners cut to meet the low price is where you’d expect.
The webcam is just a 720p resolution sensor, for example. The screen brightness is just average at 250 nits. The keyboard and dedicated number pad aren’t backlit. And powering the Asus Chromebook CX1 is a dual-core Intel Celeron N4500 Processor with 1.1 GHz clock speed, capable of boosting up to 2.8 GHz as needed.
Hey, you can’t have it all for $249 in a new device.
You don’t really have to sacrifice any input or output ports though.
There are a pair of USB Type-C ports, one on each side, and a Type A. This laptop also has a microphone/headphone combo jack and a microSD card slot to expand the local storage capacity. You’ll appreciate the latter given just 64 GB of eMMC storage inside the Chromebook. Thankfully, the Asus Chromebook CX1 comes with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 for connectivity. That’s a step up on the Bluetooth front from Acer’s 17-inch model that I looked at previously.
All in all, even with some corners cut, this is a good price for a capable low-cost Chromebook for those wanting a large display. Don’t expect to run intensive Android games on it though.
Keep your tasks to everyday browser activities and basic Android app use if you want to be happy with the purchase through the laptop’s life cycle. This model will get automatic ChromeOS security and software updates through June of 2030.
Updated at 11pm ET, June 19 to correct the amount of memory.
