Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

**Summary: A touch slower than the first gen model, but an acceptable tradeoff for the fantastic high res IPS screen and smaller and lighter build. 2 tips to make it even better: switch to beta channel to fix tiny UI elements e.g. tab fonts, and replace the power cord with a right angle adapter available on Amazon** I own the original 13" Toshiba Chromebook (which I'll refer to as "first gen") released earlier in 2014 and liked it enough to dump my very nice Asus UX21A Windows ultrabook and use it as my only computer. I tested the more recent 13" Asus CB30 and Samsung Chromebook 2 and found them lacking in comparison. This updated model...wow, a lot of computer for the price. Toshiba has made several improvements over the 4-star first gen: 1. Screen is fantastic - bright, great viewing angles, and high resolution - and if you switch to the beta channel, you'll get a fix for the tiny UI elements (e.g. tab & app bar text & icons) that plagued the Samsung Chromebook 2 at launch (and this fix will surely filter to stable channel). This is the screen those of us not willing to spring for the Pixel have been wating for! 2. Noticeably smaller, lighter, and fanless body, which retains the first gen's nubby outer / faux-aluminum inner texture. This casing has great grip and resistance to fingerprints & smudging far better than Asus and Samsung (I have not tried the Acer Chromebooks). 3. Springier keyboard similar to Asus CB 30 and Samsung Chromebook 2. In use, I think the shorter travel, "mushier" keyboard of the first gen might actually be faster for touch typists like me. In any event, Toshiba clearly responded to customer feedback here. 4. Speakers under the keyboard instead of the bottom on the first gen. They remain plenty loud, though I have to say I don't find them better sounding (they sound fine, better than most I've heard but like the rest, not much bass. Perfectly acceptable for casual listening.) 5. Smaller power brick (not that the old one was big), thinner cord, and angled pin (the part that plugs into the laptop). The one drawback, which I find perceptable but acceptable, is that the Intel Bay Trail processor is slightly but noticeably slower than the earlier Intel Haswell. In terms of objective benchmarks, I'm getting Octane benchmark scores of above 7K for the Chromebook 2 on beta channel, down from 10K+ for the first gen model, which I'm running on stable channel. My subjective experience is that gen 2 is slightly slower at loading heavy pages like Google Maps and less capable at intensive multi-tasking e.g. streaming a 1080p YouTube video or music while loading other pages; I do notice temporary (a second or two) but definite stuttering in such cases. I think it's an acceptable tradeoff for the advantages & price. When not multitasking, 1080p videos stream geat. Just a couple other notes: 1. I can't yet accurately comment on battery life. I was consistently getting 9+ hours on the first gen model. Right now I'm only showing 6+ for this model, but I haven't even made it through a single drain cycle yet, so possibly the battery life prediction is still calibrating. While I'd be disappointed with 6 hours, I'd still view it as acceptable given the improvements. Will update this review when I have more time in use. A commenter and web research suggests that the UI scaling fix provided by the beta channel may be the source of lower battery life. 2. Toshiba still has a two piece power cord, which means you get a long, bulky generic cord from brick to wall plug. But because of the generic design, you can replace it with a shorter cord, or even an adapter that goes straight from plug to adapter brick. I am using the SF Cable 2 Prong Right Angle Plug Adapter, available here on Amazon for under $10 and it works well; there is also a straight version. Toshiba has done a tremendous job here. I hope they get the many sales they deserve for this model!