Samsung Chromebook Plus vs. Asus C302 comparison and Q&A

[Tom Westrick]

Hey everyone,

I've been using the Asus Chromebook C302 for the past month and picked up the Samsung Chromebook Plus today. I wanted to open this thread for any questions from someone who may be on the fence. First off I'll say:

- The display on the Samsung is GORGEOUS. I just turned it on to set it up and I can't look away.
- The 3:2 aspect ratio of the Samsung feels nicer to hold as a tablet, at least initially. I'll see which is more comfortable over the next few days.
- No comments on battery life of the Samsung yet since I'm just setting it up. I get about 6 hours on the Asus and I hope I can get more from the ARM chip in the Samsung.

Please feel free to ask anything about either of these devices, and enjoy the pics.

 

[Qbancelli]

Which one you like better?

 

[Tom Westrick]

Too early to tell, really. The Samsung is much nicer to hold as a tablet. My one concern is that the ARM processor won't be powerful enough to push all the tabs I keep open on my second monitor. If it does and the battery is improved over the Asus, I'll keep the Samsung.

 

[jmwilliams83]

I got the Samsung Chromebook Plus because I wanted the pen input function. I really intend to use it primarily as a tablet but never expect to have more than a couple Android apps and maybe a broswer window open at the same time. I am a freak about closing stuff and not having too many things open at the same time. Even though its too early to tell do you notice a performance difference between the two? Honestly I wish the Asus had pen input. I know that Samsung Chromebook Pro is coming out in a month or two but I didn't want to wait.

 

[Tom Westrick]

I've had the Samsung going for about twenty minutes, and it seems like it's holding up to my heavier usage. I'm working on my Bachelor's Degree online, so I keep the reference material pulled up on one monitor while I do my actual typing on the main laptop screen. When I tried the Acer R13, this usage made it choke. I wasn't sure if it was because it ran an ARM processor, which is why I went for the Intel m3 in the Asus. That was able to keep up just fine, and had a backlit keyboard to boot.

I've only been using the Samsung for about 20 minutes, but I think it can keep up for me. I have plenty of tabs open, two video downloads and a video streaming from YouTube, and there's no lag. I'm going to wait a little bit longer before drawing final conclusions, but I think the Samsung is it.

 

[bspill]

I'm also comparing the two. The keyboard on the Asus is definitely easier to use than on the Samsung, however, the screen ratio on the Samsung is much easier to use with android apps. Also, the apps appear to work a little better on the Samsung. They're both great, but, for some reason, I just feel more comfortable with the Samsung. I'm going to give it a few more days before I make a final decision as to which i'll keep. So far, the speed of the Samsung does not appear to be a problem.

 

[Tom Westrick]

Yeah, the keyboard on the Samsung is going to take some getting used to since everything is so compact. When I'm at home I use a wireless mechanical keyboard, so that's not a huge issue.

Also, Microsoft's Office apps are incompatible with the Samsung for some reason. They worked previously on my Acer R13 and Asus C302, so I'm curious what the issue is.

 

[LightningGA]

Update?

 

[Tom Westrick]

Update?

Sold the Asus on eBay a few days ago and keeping the Samsung.

 

[ad78]

for $369 the plus should not taken for granted. the screen itself is god damn history lol
i dont care about the lack of backlit keys

 

[IronHide_NSDQ]

Now that's it's been a few months, would you mind giving us a quick update? Do you regret selling the Asus? Are you completely happy with the CB+? Is the performance still just good enough, or better/worse? Can Android use the SD storage yet?