Build and Exterior

Probably one of the first things you’ll notice about this Chromebook is that it is somewhat thick. It definitely does not fall into the ultra-book category, but the aluminum exterior makes this unit feel very sturdy and durable.

The Chromebook does seem oddly heavy, so I can’t see myself using it in tablet mode (keyboard folded behind the screen) for long periods of time.

On the outside of the unit are 2 USB Type-C port on either side of the laptop, a USB 3.0 port and headset jack on the left side and a Micro SD card slot on the right side. On the bottom is a built-in holder for the included stylus. The keyboard is also backlit, which makes late night typing much easier.

Display

The 14-inch display is ample without making the Chromebook overly large. Colors are sharp and the IPS display looks great from different angles. However, the screen is shiny and will definitely show glare from any light behind you, which is something to keep in mind if you plan to use this Chromebook outdoors.

The display is a touchscreen, so you can use it for interacting with apps, or using the included stylus for drawing. The display also rotates all the way back, so you can hold the Chromebook in tablet mode or prop it up in “tent” mode for movie watching.

Video playback, such as Netflix, looks great and playback is smooth, making this machine perfect for loading up offline Netflix shows for a long plane ride.

Performance

The i3 processor definitely makes a difference in the general “snappiness” of the machine. Opening tabs and web pages is fast and responsive. The unit also includes 4GB of RAM which some might consider too low for a Windows 10-based machine, but seems to be just fine with Chrome OS. I had 10 websites open on different tabs with a YouTube video playing in the background and the machine was still performing great.

Thanks to the Google Play store, you can also install many Android games on the Chromebook. I tested out Asphalt 8 and the graphics looked incredible with very minimal stutter.

Using Geekbench 4 Android app running on this Chromebook, it scored a 4490 single-core score and 9208 multi-core score. For comparison, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 has a single-core score of 1960 and a multi-core score of 6472.

Battery Life

Dell states that this unit can run 10 hours on a single charge, and after 5 hours of web browsing, I still had about 60% of the battery remaining, so the 10 hour claim seems to be accurate.

I’ve found that I’m able to recharge the Dell Chromebook with many “Power Delivery” chargers, such as the 5-port Power Delivery Charger from Anker. Connected to this charger, the Chromebook charged at a rate of 15V 2A (about 30 watts).