I have been used to using a 13.3" MacBook Air every day for several years. When the MacBook took a fall and the display broke beyond repair, I went looking for a slightly cheaper and smaller option. The 10" and 11" convertible books seemed a bit too small to work on comfortably for hours at a time, so I was interested in the Samsung Chromebook XE521 for it's 12.2" HD screen and metal construction. So far I love the size, construction, fit and finish, etc. It feels like a much more expensive laptop. PROS: - Great size and feel when using. - Good construction, nice fit and finish. - Chrome OS is great. Very basic and speedy, yet does everything I really need. CONS: - My old MacBook Air spoiled me with consistently giving me 8-9 hours of use on a single charge. I haven't tested it extensively, but Samsung Chromebook XE521 has been giving me about 5 hours of medium use. It's not terrible, but is a pretty big drop off from what I am used to having. - I have also noticed apps and processes run a tiny bit slower than my old MacBook with the Core i5. Still completely adequate for basic apps and web-based work. - I found the reviews about the hinge breaking AFTER purchasing. The possibility of cracking the screen just by opening the lid worried me enough that I purchased a two year, $57 protection plan from Asurion. Now I have the peace of mind that even if my unit does break, I will have it covered. I will say the left hing feels especially stiff when opening and closing. To see if I could make it a little more smooth, I applied a few drops of very light gun oil to the hinge assembly. I didn't remove the case or anything, so I was just counting on the oil penetrating to the moving parts. I don't think it made too much of a difference, but maybe just enough to prevent the hinge from seizing up and breaking the screen? I plan to add a few tiny drops of oil every month or so (if I remember). Four stars. Would definitely be five stars if the battery life and processing speed was a bit more impressive and there were no catastrophic hinge issues potentially looming on the horizon. Read more

I purchased one 5 years ago and it still works great! I have had no issues at all. Purchased this one for my mother. She likes to flip the screen and use as a tablet often. Lightweight. Easy to set up and use! Read more

The Chromebook was delivered on time and it worked out of the box exactly as expected. We’ve used it now for over a week and there have been no issues. It’s a great alternative for a full powered PC in fact I don’t know if I’ll ever need another full power PC. Read more

first day of having it and problems already Read more

Bought for my son to use in high school classes. Works great and serves this purpose. Read more