ASUS Chromebook C223 Review: Very Practical And Thoughtful Budget Chromebook

ASUS Chromebook C223

Chromebooks are now very well known, in a world that is dominated by windows and mac laptops, the Chromebook is a refreshing change where you get everything you need done without having to shell out half your wallet and deal with messy updates and heavy hardware. The Chromebook is also a good post-pandemic option if you want to get a practical workstation with ease of use. I have been using the ASUS Chromebook 223 for a while now and here is my review of this system.

The ASUS Chromebook 12 (C223) is  powered by an Intel Celeron N3350 processor under the hood. It’s a dual-core processor that came out back in 2016, and it has a base frequency of 1.10Ghz and a max single-core frequency of 2.40Ghz. It’s a 6W TDP CPU that comes with a 2MB L2 cache. This processor is coupled with 4GB LPDDR4 RAM and 32GB eMMC storage. The Celeron N3350 CPU comes with Intel HD Graphics 500 integrated GPU, which does well to handle the day-to-day requirements of this Chromebook.

ASUS Chromebook C223

The Chromebook runs on Chrome OS from Google and hence the above configuration that may not sound like a lot of power for a windows laptop is more than adequate for the lightweight nature of the OS and the relatively smaller workloads that come with it. As it runs Chrome OS,  you get incredibly quick startup times and a lightweight, hassle-free OS with inherently strong security and trouble-free background updates. The Chromebook has 32GB of onboard eMMC storage, but that’s only likely to become a problem if you tend to install a lot of Android apps. I personally found the Chromebook to be more than adequate as my daily driver for my regular work and I have absolutely no issues with the performance and the storage. There is an expansion slot for external storage if you need more.

ASUS Chromebook C223

The ASUS Chromebook C233 makes a decent first impression for an entry-level Chromebook and comes in a sporty red finish as well as the more traditional metallic grey. I got the metallic grey version for my review. It’s roughly the size of an A4 pad and very slim at just 1.73cm closed, while the weight is precisely 1kg. The all-plastic construction feels okay and I have no complaints at all, the actual build feels very solid by budget Chromebook standards.

Connectivity is options that you get are exactly what you’d expect for a standard 11.6in Chromebook, with two USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C ports, both supporting DisplayPort and HDMI video outputs with a dock or adaptor, along with power delivery for charging the device. There’s also a single USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A port and a microSD card slot.

ASUS Chromebook C223

The touchpad is fine. It’s over 10cm wide with a smooth plastic finish and is very responsive to swipes and taps. It’s not awkward or difficult to get the click at the front to actuate, nor does it get sticky like some budget Chromebook touchpads seem to do. The keyboard has plenty of travel , the action feels very light and nice once you get used to it. Sure it’s not a mechanical keyboard, but I wrote 7 blog posts in a day with it and I have absolutely no issues with it.

ASUS Chromebook C223

The display is crisp and does well to rise up to the day to day use demands. Given the price that the Chromebook is selling for, the 11 inch category display is much better than most of the other competitors in the same price range.

ASUS Chromebook C223

To give you more context, I gave the ASUS Chromebook C223 to my son to use for his online college classes for a week. The fact that you can now install Android apps on Chromebooks is a big plus, he got it set up with all the apps he needed in a few minutes and was up and running. The extremely short boot time and lightweight OS coupled with the battery that ran roughly 12 hours on average use in a single charge meant that he did not have to switch to a smaller screen for anything in the middle of class. He was very satisfied with it. If you are a parent with a limited budget and want to get a notebook for your ward quickly to get through the post-pandemic class scenario, ASUS Chromebook C223 is the one for you.

Verdict

The ASUS Chromebook C223 is priced at INR 17,999/- and at that price it is a perfect choice if you want a practical and thoughtfully designed notebook that can be up and running in a jiffy. It’s not a spec monster but it is for you if you need to get your work done without any bells and whistles. I am writing this review on the ASUS Chromebook C223

About Shakthi

I am a Tech Blogger, Disability Activist, Keynote Speaker, Startup Mentor and Digital Branding Consultant. Also a McKinsey Executive Panel Member. Also known as @v_shakthi on twitter. Been around Tech for two decades now.

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