Plus just arrived. Will get to play with it in detail later. But liking the screen a lot.
1 Month report:
Good:
- Display: Samsung can make some good displays and they brought it forth in this device.
- Speed: This is the strength of a chromebook, quick load times, little lag, and updates quick.
Bad:
- Speaker: This is not going to drown out even your smartphone. This can easily be overcome by a pair of headphones. But if you are looking to jam out to some music without the headphones then you may want to be in a quiet location. Also the speaker location could have been better engineered.
- Lighted Kb: This is not a big deal for me but I can understand why this could be a problem for others.
- 2 ports: 2 ports that are USB type C, how Apple of you..... Apple got killed for this a few years ago and Samsung is skating under the radar for pulling the same non-sense.
Eh
- S-Pen: Since I bought this I may have used the pen twice including the day I first bought it. Despite barely using it I am glad I have the option. To have a way to interact with the screen when I may have gloves on or my hands are covered from following a recipe is a reason to have it.
- Apps: There are actually some apps that are better to have as apps vs going to the site (Google Play Movie and TV app so you can set it to binge). But there are still apps that will not work even though they can be downloaded (ie Sling TV).
- Storage Space: Companies like Asus are giving you more storage space for the same price. Not a big deal now but may be an issue when more androids apps are available.
I am glad I did not go for the Pro version as the Plus performs well enough for what I use it for. I am not relying on this as a workhorse because I can't use OBS on it or other important programs. But at the same time this does what I need it to do well. It provides me a secondary device to consume media and surf the web without the slowdown of a full operating system. My mac pro is my workhorse but this is easily the device I am choosing to pick up to do everything else in between. Yeah there are some areas that both Google and android developers need to fix to make this the killer device that this could be, but I say that this is definitely a device I would recommend. Is this going to do what other chromebooks can't, no, but you are getting the awesome screen of a Samsung tablet, the abilities and strength of Chrome OS, a few working apps, and a S-Pen. This device sits well in between a PC (or Mac) and your smartphone. It provides the tools for consuming media as well as getting a little bit of work done.
Yeah there are some shortcomings, but some of them you can look past. The lack or ports can be overcome by an adapter, speaker quality with a pair of headphones, storage with a sd card, and the keyboard you can get use to with time.
Considering this is up there in price as far as chromebooks are concerned, I can understand feeling like adding accessories is unacceptable. So to that I really would suggest checking out some of the other options out there. Most (if not all) newer chromebooks are running android apps (or have the ability), the s-pen really is not a big make or break considering the lack of dedicated apps, and the love for the screen is a matter of perspective. So I can understand a person passing on this and choosing one of the other brands for the extra ports, more storage, or things lacking in the Samsung Chromebook.
I think it will truly come to what you are using your Chromebook for. If you are using it primarily as a media device, searching the web, and doing a little work (leaving the heavy lifting to another device) then you will find this device will fit you well. The issues will not outweigh the features.
But if you are needing this as another working device where stuff like the screen quality takes a back seat, then I highly recommend you look toward something like the Asus. Even with the Samsung Chromebook Pro model a person needing their chromebook for work will be looking for more space to work with as well as ports, and a better keyboard. They will find themselves possibly regretting the purchase of the Samsung Chromebook and enjoying the purchase of another option such as the Asus Flip 2.
Hopefully this helps someone in the market for a Chromebook. Personally I like my Chromebook Plus and do not regret the purchase.
