I’ve been using this Chromebook for about a week prior to writing this review. So far, I’m impressed with the amount of value Samsung brought to this device. The N3060 processor is perfectly suitable for my daily tasks. This Chromebook is able to stream 1080p/60fps videos, load ad/image-heavy websites relatively fast, multitask without slowdown, and run Android apps/games well. For example, 3d games such as Max Payne, GTA San Andreas, and Star Wars KOTR from the Google Play Store are perfectly playable at their default settings (If you’re wondering about the controller, the DualShock 3 is compatible with this model).
As for the general build quality, I have no complaints. The spill-resistant keyboard is comfortable to type on, the mousepad is responsive, and the design of this laptop both looks and feels more premium than the price suggests.
The only downside I have for this laptop is the screen. Compared with my old Chromebook, the Acer Chromebook 11 (2016), it’s no contest. The IPS screen on the Acer Chromebook has much better viewing angles and the colors are more saturated. That being said, I wouldn’t say that the screen on the CB3 is bad. The colors are decent when you find an optimal viewing angle and the anti-reflective screen is well suited for brightly-lit environments. You can tilt the screen about 30 degrees outside of the optimal viewing angle before the colors get washed out. Also, I've had no issues running this Chromebook through my 1080p monitor.
In the future, the Samsung Chromebook 3 will have Linux support with Crostini. Currently, you can switch this Chromebook to the Canary channel to test this feature out. Unfortunately, I was unable to get Linux to work because of mounting issues. Hopefully Google will get this feature ironed out in the future, since having 64gb of storage is optimal for installing a plethora of Linux apps.
To conclude this review, I’d recommend this Chromebook to anyone that wants to install both Linux apps (either with crouton or crostini) and Android Apps on their Chromebook. Having 50gb of usable internal storage makes this Chromebook an excellent device to use both online and offline.
Pros
1. Decent processor with 4gb of RAM
2. Anti-glare screen
3. Comfortable keyboard and responsive trackpad
4. Less than $300
5. 8-10 hours of battery life
6. Google Play is supported and Crostini (Linux apps inside Chrome OS) is coming in the near future.
Cons
1. Colors get washed out when the screen is tilted out of optimal range.
2. Quiet speakers
*Update - 1.5 months later*
The Samsung Chromebook 3 officially supports Crostini Linux in the beta channel. Even though I initially had a few issues getting the terminal to install on this Chromebook, Linux apps work quite well. For example, the Libre Office suite (a Linux substitute for Microsoft Office) works very well and I haven't experienced any crashes with it. The same thing can be said for Filezilla, Gimp photo editor, and GnuCash.
However, if you're using Linux apps that rely on sound and video/graphics (Spotify desktop, VLC Media Player, watching videos through Firefox, games with Steam), the performance is quite laggy and all of these apps have audio problems (scratchy audio or none at all). Therefore, it still has a long ways to go when it comes to replacing a dedicated Linux distro.
If you're interested with a smoother Linux experience with this Chromebook, I'd recommend installing Gallium OS and dual boot it with chrx. I was able to get Counter Strike GO playable through steam (at very-low graphics) and the rest of the apps I've had problems with in Crostini worked in Gallium.
| Standing screen display size | 11.6 Inches |
|---|---|
| Screen Resolution | 1366 x 768 |
| Max Screen Resolution | 1366 x 768 Pixels |
| Processor | 1.6 GHz 1_2GHz_Cortex_A8 |
| RAM | 4 GB DDR3 |
| Memory Speed | 2400 MHz |
| Hard Drive | 64 GB SSD |
| Graphics Coprocessor | Intel HD Graphics 400 |
| Chipset Brand | Samsung |
| Card Description | Integrated |
| Graphics Card Ram Size | 4 GB |
| Wireless Type | Bluetooth |
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 1 |
| Number of USB 3.0 Ports | 1 |
| Average Battery Life (in hours) | 11 Hours |
