Asus is no stranger to building some of the best Chromebooks, no matter the price or intended use case. Whether you are a student looking for a reliable Chromebook or a gamer who prefers Chrome OS, Asus has you covered. The Asus CX54 Chromebook Plus is the company’s latest Chromebook to hit the market and another great high-end alternative.
As a Chromebook Plus model, you know it will deliver a great experience, but Asus isn’t settling for the bare minimum with the CX54. This Chromebook offers excellent performance and a fantastic display that will please just about anyone. Overall, the Asus CX54 Chromebook Plus is a solid offering that checks a lot of boxes but is held back a bit by its battery.
Asus CX54 Chromebook Plus
The Asus CX54 Chromebook Plus laptop is a premium laptop that does just about everything you could ask a Chromebook to do. With a powerful Intel processor, ample RAM, and speedy storage, this laptop has no trouble handling the toughest tasks and, with its beautiful display, it’ll look great doing it.
- Bright, beautiful, fluid display
- Powerful performance
- Comfortable keyboard
- Plenty of ports
- Disappointing battery life
- Odd touchpad behavior
- Hinge isn’t ideal for lap use
Price, availability, and specs
The Asus CX54 Chromebook Plus was announced in December 2023 but didn’t become available for purchase at retailers until May 2024. There are a few versions of the CX54, but the base CX5403 version is the one being reviewed here.
The base model has an Intel Core Ultra 5 Processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB NVMe SSD that retails for $700. You can find the CX54 with an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage, but that balloons the price all the way up to $1,000. It’s available in a single color, Fog Silver, and can be found directly from Asus, or retailers such as Amazon and Best Buy.
What’s good about the Asus CX54 Chromebook Plus?
A beautiful screen and great performance
As a premium-priced Chromebook, there’s a lot to love about the CX54. The first thing you’ll notice is just how light, compact, and solid it feels. The CX54 has an aluminum chassis that’s sturdy and should last for the long haul. At only 12.35 x 8.77 x 0.67 inches and weighing 2.87 pounds, this Chromebook can easily be tossed in a bag and carried around. It’s a far cry from my daily driver, the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE, and its enormous size.
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Asus was able to keep this laptop on the smaller side thanks to its excellent 14-inch screen and thin bezels. As soon as you turn the Chromebook on, the quality of the display is immediately apparent. The display, with a 2560 x 1600 resolution, is incredibly sharp and crisp. It also carries an anti-glare coating and a brightness of 500 nits, making it very easy to see in bright conditions. Colors are also accurate as the display covers 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. It doesn’t have a touchscreen, which doesn’t bother me in the slightest, but it may be a deal-breaker for some.
As far as Chromebooks go, the Asus CX54 Chromebook Plus is a performance monster. Chrome OS is as fast as ever thanks to its 8-core, Intel Core Ultra 5 115U processor and 8GB of RAM. During my testing, the Chromebook had no performance issues or slowdowns. As I type this review, I have upwards of 20 tabs open, Spotify running in the background, and Google Docs open, and it isn’t even breaking a sweat. For most users, the Core Ultra 5 processor and 8GB of RAM will be more than sufficient to provide an excellent performance experience.
In an age where port selection is abysmal at best, Asus somehow provides just about everything needed on this Chromebook. You’ll get two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, a MicroSD card reader, and a 3.5mm combo audio jack. I particularly like the placement of a Thunderbolt port on either side of the laptop, making it easy to charge, regardless of which side the plug is on.
There’s also a fast and accurate fingerprint reader, making it a breeze to unlock the laptop. The speakers were also decent sounding; both loud and offered good clarity. They are down-firing, but thanks to the lift you get from the hinge mechanism, there’s some space between the laptop and the surface, allowing for rich sound from its Harman Kardon speakers.
As someone who spends a lot of time writing, I always appreciate a great keyboard, and the CX54 doesn’t disappoint. The chiclet-style keyboard was a joy to use and was very easy to see in dark environments with its backlit keys. With 1.4mm of key travel, the keys were responsive and had a great feel, not too stiff or squishy.
What’s bad about the Asus CX54 Chromebook Plus?
Short battery life and a sketchy touchpad
While the Asus CX54 Chromebook Plus does so much right, a few things are holding it back. The laptop’s fit and finish are great, but I am not a fan of its hinge design. When you open the lid, the display’s bottom edge comes in contact with whatever surface the laptop is on. When it’s on a hard surface, it lifts the back of the laptop, allowing it to slope downwards, which is quite nice.
The main issue is that if you use the Chromebook on your lap, the display’s edge can dig into your legs. It doesn’t hurt but can become uncomfortable, especially if you’re wearing shorts. I much prefer a traditional hinge design similar to the one on the new Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus. The laptop’s bottom right side can also get quite warm, adding to some lap discomfort.
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The touchpad also leaves a bit to be desired. It’s plenty large and does a good job of tracking gestures, but there is a tinny click whenever you activate it. The sound when pressing the touchpad makes this laptop feel much cheaper than it is.
There was an issue with the touchpad at times when using the CX54 on something other than a solid surface. The combination of the laptop not being on a solid surface and my palms resting on the left side of the touchpad would cause the touchpad to stop acting as a large button. It was almost as if the pressure would activate the touchpad on its own, frequently causing issues while typing. Repositioning the laptop or my hands would remedy the issue, but it could be a frustrating experience.
I was mainly disappointed with the battery life on this $700 Chromebook. Asus touts long battery life from its 63WHr battery, but I routinely only managed to get between six and seven hours of battery life depending on how hard I pushed it. When many laptops hit 10 to 15 hours on a single charge, I expect more from a premium Chromebook laptop.
Should you buy it?
Anytime you are looking to buy a premium device, you have to determine your use case. If you want a laptop with an excellent display, great performance, and a solid keyboard, the Asus CX54 Chromebook Plus is well worth the investment. But if you need a laptop that lasts an entire work or school day, the CX54 may not make a ton of sense. Using this Chromebook on my lap also caused some issues, but if you typically use your laptop on a hard surface, it won’t matter much.
As it stands, the $700 Asus CX54 Chromebook Plus does a lot right. It’s well-built and is easy to travel with thanks to its small size. It also offers plenty of ports, allowing you to connect various devices or external monitors with ease. Add that to the impressive performance and display, and Asus has a winner on its hands, as long as you can handle the short battery life.
Asus CX54 Chromebook Plus
The Asus CX54 Chromebook Plus may carry a premium price, but it’s got the bells and whistles to justify it. With powerful performance, a bright and beautiful display, a fantastic keyboard, and plenty of ports, this Chromebook is a solid option. It lacks some battery longevity, but if that’s not something you need, the CX54 is a great pick.
