Review: Asus Chromebook CX14

You could certainly make the argument that cheap Chromebooks keep the world running. That's at least true in schools. But for all their importance, not as many new affordable Chromebooks come out each year as you might think.

Asus is changing that in 2025 with the Chromebook CX14, a surprisingly pleasant 14-inch laptop that costs just $429 in its higher-end configuration. As far as cheap Chromebooks go, this is among the best.

Blending In

Photograph: Luke Larsen

The CX14 might not look like a stand-out, but in this case, that’s a compliment. The cheap Chromebooks of yesteryear were eyesores, often sporting oversized bezels and a thick-as-a-brick chassis. The CX14 is generic, but by contrast, it’s not ugly, unsightly, or outdated. My review unit came in the most boring color option, “Misty Grey.” Unfortunately, the more interesting colors, which seem to have a textured plastic material on the lid, are not available for purchase anywhere that I can find as of publication.

The CX14 is 0.78 inches thick and just over 3 pounds, making it a fairly middle-of-the-road laptop in terms of portability. It's around the same thickness as a 14-inch MacBook Pro, for reference. It’s certainly light enough to toss in your bag without a second thought, though, making it a decent option for students. You'll need two hands to open it, as the hinge is wound tight.

Unlike most 14-inch laptops, the CX14 has an old-school 16:9 aspect ratio display, with a 1,920 x 1,080-pixel resolution. I prefer the slightly taller 16:10 aspect ratio in modern laptops, providing additional screen space in the same footprint. The IPS screen itself isn’t much of a step up over standard budget laptops, which I’m not too surprised by. It maxes out at 257 nits of brightness, and the colors are squeamish. It has the same green tint as many cheap laptop displays, paired with a matte screen. (It's not a touchscreen.)

Photograph: Luke Larsen

Like the mediocre quality of the display, the touchpad is also rather middling. I’ve used worse, but its plastic surface isn’t as smooth and responsive as glass ones. The click mechanism is loud and requires too much effort to press. It's also loose, so you can depress the touchpad without registering a click. All of this is common in cheap laptops, and over time, it’s something I think I could get used to. But when you jump back to something more premium, you’ll notice a huge difference. The keyboard isn’t quite as troublesome, but the keys do feel squishier than I like. I don't mind the grippy texture on the keycaps.

There’s a solid selection of ports, including HDMI 1.4, USB-A 3.2, USB-C 3.2, a USB-C port for charging, and a headphone jack. It’s well rounded, but there’s a problem: They’re all on one side. You’ll only find a Kensington lock slot on the right side of the device. Unfortunately, that means you’ll only be able to charge the laptop from the left side.

Just Enough Power

Photograph: Luke Larsen

There are two versions of the Asus Chromebook CX14 available right now. My review unit was the more expensive configuration, which comes with more of everything—a faster CPU, twice as much RAM (8 GB), and twice as much storage (128 GB). The processor is the Core 3 Series 1, otherwise known as the Intel Core 3 N355. It’s an interesting chip, using only eight efficiency cores and no performance cores, compared to the conventional dual-core setup of the Celeron chips.

Performance isn’t anything to write home about, though it was 38 percent faster in the Speedometer 3.1 benchmark than the Celeron-based Asus Chromebook CX15 I tested last month. That means web applications feel a bit snappier and more responsive, especially when you have a lot going on at the same time. It’s hard to argue with the price of that cheaper configuration (especially when it’s on sale), but if you intend to use the CX14 for active work or studying, you’ll appreciate the boost to performance and extra storage.

Asus claims the CX14 lasts for eight hours on a charge. In my tests, it lasts for about that long. Mind you, this is on local video playback with the screen at 100 lux—not exactly a heavy load. My normal work day use dropped that down by quite a bit, and I certainly needed a recharge during the day. So no, that’s nowhere near as long-lasting as the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14, nor is it comparable to more premium laptops like the MacBook Air or Surface Laptop. But for a laptop of this price, it’s decent.

Photograph: Luke Larsen

There are a few cheap 14-inch Chromebooks with similar specs worth mentioning. The Acer Chromebook Plus 514 from last year has the same 8 GB of RAM, 128 GB of storage, and 1080p display. It even comes with a touchscreen, and despite being a “Chromebook Plus” device, you can buy it for just $326 right now. There’s also the HP Chromebook 14, which is even cheaper than the Acer, despite coming with the same specs (minus the touchscreen). It doesn't use the new Intel chip that the CX14 has, but performance is not too far off the mark.

While the CX14 didn't blow me away, at $429, it's one of the better budget Chromebook options out there right now.