Samsung Chromebook 2 XE500C12-K01US 11.6 Inch Laptop (Intel Celeron, 2 GB, 16 GB SSD, Silver)

A few months before I had bought this chromebook, I purchased a Toshiba Satellite Laptop to replace my older Dell laptop. The Toshiba is amazing, but very heavy, and after my wife bought a chromebook, I decided it seemed like a good idea to have as a carry-around laptop. I purchased it from Amazon Warehouse Deals, and have had it for four months now. I am loving it!The computer is small and light, and is probably comparable to any other Chromebook on the market. Honestly, there is nothing statistically that sets this apart from other chromebooks; it has 2GB of RAM, a low-end Intel Processor, almost no memory on board, and runs Chrome OS. But what one does get by choosing the Samsung over, say, the Asus or Acer, is the amazing quality of Samsung computers.There has been some controversy about their computers, but the fact is, this is a Chromebook, it is what it is as fair as pre-loaded programs (there is nothing other than the Chrome OS). But the keyboard is a very intuitive one. On my Toshiba, the keys are stiff and the trackpad is pitiful. These feel very natural, accurate, and all around is one of the best keyboard/trackpad combo I have ever used.As far as Cons go, there really isn't much to complain about. I suppose if I were to get really picky, the RAM is not great, but that is fine because of a point I will make later. Also, I said that the processor is low-end, but that isn't a bad thing on the Chromebook; actually, it acts in the favor. The Chromebook does not require an amazing processor because it doesn't have much to run, as Chrome OS and the Google apps are the only things that WILL run on this.There is one large tip I have: get the Chrome Desktop Remote extension from the Chrome Store (different from Google Play). If you have a true computer of any kind and are willing to download Chrome Browser for this, it is worth your time and effort. I am a relatively tech-savvy person, but one should not need to be to figure this out. It sets up a remote control that one can use from their Chromebook to control everything on their other computer (given that the other computer is turned on). This is why I bought the Chromebook and this is why I love it. I do use the Chromebook itself, but I mostly end up using the remote desktop, so I can access my Toshiba, run Windows 10, and use my 8GB RAM, i7 Processor computer without needing to carry the actual computer.Also, possibly for the more technologically inclined, there is a way that your can revert the Chrome OS back to its Linux running base OS and use it as a true, Linux computer, but you then have the struggle of the processor and the RAM. I have another Samsung Chromebook that I have done this on and where this are not too large of hindrances for my purposes, that is because I have the Toshiba (as well as a work Desktop (Dell)). That being said, if you have the backup computer, it is well worth it to go into the crosh and run it back to Linux. This can, of course, always be reverted by resetting the computer with a powerwash.

Bought this for my wife that was constantly having to do Windows Updates. This does get updates, they are just not as noticable as a Windows Update since they have a smaller OS and Chrome to update. She wanted to give it 4 and a half stars because she is not use to it yet. She does like it though and thanks me all the time. She is not a heavy user yet, but she mostly uses it to play Spider Solitare, check her gmail, edit an occasional Google Docs or Spreadsheet. Look up stuff for her brother. This fits the bill rather nice for that. I have been using one of the first Samsung Chromebooks for over a year now. The new one appears faster and if it is like mine, that will not change. I use mine for a little picture editing, No, I am not a professional, but there are programs in the Webstore that does a pretty good job these days. For those wanting to use MS Office, I have an Outlook Account and use One Drive if I have to open a MS Word file or Excel Spreadsheet that Google can't open. I do have to admit, if I am working on a Document, I prefer Google Docs to MS Office Online and that is probably just me. They are both changing for the better fast. No, you will probably not use this machine for CAD drawings. It is nice to open it, and be logged in within about 9 seconds from boot up. That battery seems to work well. Probably several good hours of use and it depends on what you are doing. It is not a gaming machine although you can play some nice games on it. It's sound quality is good enough to pass the time, I also have an 808 Canz speaker if I need it loud. Yes I would recommend this to friends and family. There appears to be no maintenance as it is all handled through the OS. You open it, login, and start computing. No defrag, virus scan on startup, still boots and is ready to type in 9 seconds. I hate having to work on my Windows computers at work anymore. I am not a patient man. This just works. And yes there is a learning curve on what you can and can't do. Read the onboard help to find out software substitutes.