ASUS Chromebook Plus 14" CX1405CTA-IS386PT 2026, Core i3-N355, 8GB, 256GB eMMC, Grey

The ASUS Chromebook Plus CX14 packs an 8-core Intel Core 3 N355 and 8GB of RAM into a USD 300 package, which is outstanding value. The 1080p touchscreen and Chromebook Plus features sweeten the deal. Storage is slow eMMC and graphics are weak, so it's not for gamers or heavy local work. For students and browser-first users, this is one of the best budget laptops around.

The Intel Core 3 N355 is the star here. Eight cores in a Chromebook at this price is unusual, and it shows in day-to-day use. Chrome tabs stay responsive, Android apps launch without much fuss, and even light Linux app work feels fine. Our CPU percentile ranking puts it at 37th, which sounds mediocre, but remember the comparison pool includes laptops with Core i9s and Apple M-series chips. For a USD 300 machine, an 8-core processor that keeps up with machines costing twice as much is a real win. The 8GB of LPDDR5 helps too, fast memory makes ChromeOS feel snappier than the spec sheet suggests.

The weak spots are storage and graphics. The 256GB eMMC drive sits at the 10th percentile in our database, and eMMC is slower than the NVMe SSDs you'll find in pricier laptops. Boot times are still quick thanks to ChromeOS being lightweight, but large file transfers and heavy local storage use will feel sluggish. The Intel UHD Graphics at the 28th percentile means this is not a gaming machine, our gaming score of 4.7 out of 100 is one of the lowest we've seen. Casual Android games and 1080p video playback are fine. Anything more demanding will chug. The 1080p IPS touchscreen at the 40th percentile is about average for this class, bright enough for indoor use, not great outdoors.

The competitors in our database for this product are mostly premium machines, which tells you something about how unusual this price point is. The Apple MacBook Pro M1 Pro costs several times more and absolutely destroys this Chromebook in performance, but that's not a fair fight. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon and HP OmniBook X Flip are similarly in a different league. If you need Windows, serious graphics, or heavy local software, those are the machines to look at. But they cost three to five times as much.

Within the Chromebook world, the CX14's real competition is other budget Chromebooks from Acer, Lenovo, and HP. Most of those at this price have weaker processors, often 4-core Celerons or older MediaTek chips, and many still ship with 4GB of RAM. The ASUS stands out for its 8-core N355 and 8GB of RAM. The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge is an interesting alternative if you want a Windows laptop with ARM battery life, but it's priced far higher. For pure value in the Chromebook space, the CX14 is hard to beat right now.

At USD 300, this Chromebook is in the 90th percentile for affordability in our database. That's the headline. You're getting an 8-core processor, 8GB of RAM, a 1080p touchscreen, and 256GB of storage for less than half the price of most Windows laptops with similar specs. The Chromebook Plus certification adds real software value too, things like Magic Eraser in Google Photos and offline file access that used to require a paid Google One subscription.

The trade-off is storage speed and graphics. eMMC is the budget choice, and you'll feel it when moving large files or installing lots of Android apps. But for the target audience, students and browser-first users, that's rarely a daily issue. Compared to other Chromebooks in this price range, you're getting more cores and a better screen than most. Compared to Windows laptops at USD 300, you're getting a much smoother experience, ChromeOS simply runs better on modest hardware than Windows 11 does.

The ASUS Chromebook Plus CX14 is one of those machines that makes you stop and ask what a laptop actually needs to cost in 2025. For around USD 300, you get a 14-inch 1080p touchscreen, an 8-core Intel Core 3 N355, 8GB of LPDDR5, and 256GB of storage. That's a genuinely usable daily driver for the price of a fancy dinner for four. And it runs ChromeOS, which means it boots fast, updates quietly, and doesn't ask much from you.

Who's this for? Students, mostly. Our scoring puts student use at 28.5 out of 100, which sounds low until you remember our database includes everything from budget Chromebooks to USD 3,000 workstations. For a sub-USD 300 laptop, that's a solid showing. It's also a decent pick for anyone who lives in a browser, writes papers, streams video, and occasionally touches the screen to scroll or tap a link. The compact score of 22.3 reflects that 14-inch footprint, which hits a nice middle ground between cramped 11-inch machines and bulky 15.6-inch ones.

What makes this interesting is the Chromebook Plus branding. Google's Plus tier means this machine meets certain minimums, 1080p screen, 8GB RAM, decent processor, and it unlocks extra software features like AI-powered photo editing and offline file sync. You're not just getting a cheap Chromebook. You're getting one that Google has blessed as capable of more than basic web browsing. Whether that matters in daily use is another question, and we'll get into it.

Skip this if you need to run Windows or Mac software. ChromeOS is great for web apps, Android apps, and light Linux use, but it won't run full desktop versions of Microsoft Office, Adobe apps, or specialized business software. If your work or school requires specific Windows programs, look at a budget Windows laptop instead, though expect to pay more for similar specs.

Also skip it if you do any kind of gaming beyond casual Android titles. The Intel UHD Graphics and eMMC storage make this a poor choice for anything graphically demanding. Our gaming score of 4.7 out of 100 is near the bottom of our database. If you want to game on a budget, a used gaming laptop or a Steam Deck will serve you far better. And if you work with large local files, video editing, photo libraries, big datasets, the slow eMMC storage will drive you crazy. Look for something with an NVMe SSD instead.

For students and anyone who lives in a browser, this is an easy recommendation. The 8-core processor and 8GB of RAM mean you can keep a dozen tabs open, run a video call, and still have a smooth experience. The touchscreen is a nice bonus for note-taking or casual use. And at USD 300, it's cheap enough that you won't cry if it gets knocked off a dorm desk. The Chromebook Plus features are genuinely useful if you use Google Photos or need offline access to files.

For anyone who needs to run Windows software, edit video, play games, or work with large local files, this is not your machine. The eMMC storage will frustrate you, the integrated graphics will hold you back, and ChromeOS simply can't run the software you need. In that case, save up for a mid-range Windows laptop or a used MacBook Air. But if your computing life happens in Chrome, this ASUS is one of the best budget laptops we've seen.