I've been using mine daily since August of 2019, and it's not let me down yet. My Chromebook fires up every time and charges nicely. I put a 1tb micro SD memory card in to give more room for my files. That's been wonderful for me. I stream TV and movies as well as watch youtube and play only card and Mahjongg type games. I use my chromebook with a texting %26 phone calling app, but my particular chromebook can also support a SIM card and phone plan (which Ive dropped and use wifi only). I'm using apps and email as well as gmail and use powerpoint and Word and more. Obviously, since Ive been enjoying my Chromebook for nearly four years and it hasn't me down yet, I can state very well that I love the way it folds and enjoy the S-pen and use that often as well as a bluetooth mouse. I keep my chromebook charged and shut it down daily; never ignore updates and always use a silicone keyboard protector made just for this model as well as a sleeve to carry my chromebook in. (Amazon). I'm currenyly using fiber optic cable service and have a USB hub for ethernet, which makes it all much nicer. Other than the Chromebook age, it's pretty darned nice! Think what you will and dislike if you must, but this is not bad at all.

I have been used to using a 13.3" MacBook Air every day for several years. When the MacBook took a fall and the display broke beyond repair, I went looking for a slightly cheaper and smaller option. The 10" and 11" convertible books seemed a bit too small to work on comfortably for hours at a time, so I was interested in the Samsung Chromebook XE521 for it's 12.2" HD screen and metal construction. So far I love the size, construction, fit and finish, etc. It feels like a much more expensive laptop. PROS: - Great size and feel when using. - Good construction, nice fit and finish. - Chrome OS is great. Very basic and speedy, yet does everything I really need. CONS: - My old MacBook Air spoiled me with consistently giving me 8-9 hours of use on a single charge. I haven't tested it extensively, but Samsung Chromebook XE521 has been giving me about 5 hours of medium use. It's not terrible, but is a pretty big drop off from what I am used to having. - I have also noticed apps and processes run a tiny bit slower than my old MacBook with the Core i5. Still completely adequate for basic apps and web-based work. - I found the reviews about the hinge breaking AFTER purchasing. The possibility of cracking the screen just by opening the lid worried me enough that I purchased a two year, $57 protection plan from Asurion. Now I have the peace of mind that even if my unit does break, I will have it covered. I will say the left hing feels especially stiff when opening and closing. To see if I could make it a little more smooth, I applied a few drops of very light gun oil to the hinge assembly. I didn't remove the case or anything, so I was just counting on the oil penetrating to the moving parts. I don't think it made too much of a difference, but maybe just enough to prevent the hinge from seizing up and breaking the screen? I plan to add a few tiny drops of oil every month or so (if I remember). Four stars. Would definitely be five stars if the battery life and processing speed was a bit more impressive and there were no catastrophic hinge issues potentially looming on the horizon.

I am surprised Samsung is still trying to sell this flawed machine years after its launch, particularly at the price point they're asking and with the issues it has had with randomly breaking hinges. Like many other reviewers, I was surprised when my book's left hinge randomly failed under normal-use conditions. Fortunately, the broken hinge did not crack the screen and--since it was long our of warranty--I was able to fix it myself through the use of two-part plastic epoxy poured into the cavity of the top shell behind the lower screen bezel (cracked, but repositionable). To keep the hinges (which have a gearing system inside) from breaking one or the other half-shell again, I made the mistake of lightly lubricating and loosening the integrated fasteners on both hinges, and unfortunately now the hinges are too loose and the scree has to basically be kept in a nearly upright position or it falls over. But because the left hinge is now permanently attached via plastic epoxy, I can't undo what I did. Performance-wise, the unit is not bad but it has slowed with age and randomly "locks up" a lot more than it used to. I like the touch screen feature, but will not miss this one when I find a suitable replacement.

The seller had some of these new and sealed for less than half the retail price. Mine arrived relatively quickly and as promised. New, unopened in the box. After updating the OS to current builds it works fine. It isn't specked out like some of the more expensive ones, but it gets the job done. I highly recommend one of these at this price point ($225). Retail is well north of $500. It has a built in, garaged stylus and a 13mp front facing camera for Duo meetings as well as a lower res camera in the usual spot above the display in the center. Speakers are bottom mounted and not bad at all. They get decently loud and actually have a bit of bass. This unit has an Intel Pentium and the gen 1 version has a Rock Chip processor that's slower. This isn't a speed demon with 4 GB of RAM but, again, it's decent. Keyboard is surprisingly good and the built in stylus has a bunch of software optimizations built into the laptop for note taking, drawing and other functionality as well. Overall, unbeatable at $225.