Samsung Chromebook 3, 11.6", 4GB Ram, 64GB eMMC (XE500C13-K06US)

Samsung Chromebook 3, 11.6", 4GB Ram, 64GB eMMC (XE500C13-K06US)

Samsung Chromebook 3, 11.6", 4GB Ram, 64GB eMMC (XE500C13-K06US)

The Samsung Chromebook 3 XE500C13-K06US sports a solid build, improved battery life and good performance for an 11.6-inch laptop, making it a solid entry into the now-crowded sub- Chromebook market.
PROS
Bright, accurate screen
Superb battery life
Strong performance
Fun webcam
CONS
Mediocre speakers
Display is dim

Samsung’s Chromebooks have always been notorious pieces of hardware that have somewhat been held back by an uninspired operating system and price that are sometimes too expensive. Given the hindrances of Google’s Chrome OS, the Chromebook is better off as a secondary computer. But, having a secondary computer is a luxury most of us will find difficult spending $600+ on. The Samsung Chromebook 3 XE500C13-K06US fits that role, offering better performance than a cheap noteboook.

The new Samsung Chromebook 3 starts at the typical entry-level Chrombook price. This Cortex-based machine features long battery life and a crisp, lightweight design. Did Samsung finally deliver a perfect Chromebook?

Design

Like the previous Chromebooks made by Samsung, the XE500C13-K06US is a nice piece of hardware. Light. Slim. With ultrabook aesthetic. Though it’s not made of premium materials, it still feels sturdy all over. If not for the chrome label on the lid, you’d easily mistake this Chromebook for one of Samsung’s Windows laptops. In fact, if you’re not careful, you might mistake it for an expensive ultrabook.

Design-wise, the 11.6-inch Chromebook 3 is identical to the Samsung Chromebook 3 (XE500C13-K04US) that Samsung released last summer. This time around, the company brought forward what worked with the previous design and fiddled a bit with storage size.

The Samsung Chromebook 3 is a great little laptop for both school and entertainment, especially for younger kids and frequent travelers. This 11.6-inch notebook not only boasts a fantastic screen and nearly 10 hours of battery life but also comes with 4GB of RAM, so you can expect solid performance. And because its 32GB of storage isn't taken up by Windows 10, you'll find plenty of onboard storage for your personal files. For the price, the Samsung Chromebook 3 is the best Chromebook for those on a budget.

Design

For a sub- device, the Chromebook 3's build quality is surprisingly good, even though it's made of plastic. The textured "metallic black" looks classy enough for any setting. The chassis has a silky-smooth palm rest, as well as a gently rounded lip to keep your wrists comfortable. The subtle texture around the display helps minimize reflections from the glossy bezel.

The hinge is strong and flexible, with the ability to tilt the screen to 180 degrees. There is no flexing around its keyboard, which is a problem that plagues most other laptops in this price range. The Samsung notebook is small enough to tuck under your arm, and hardy enough to slip into your luggage for international travel.

The Chromebook 3 has the ports you need. On the left side, there is a battery indicator, a slim jack for the AC adapter, a USB 2.0 port, a full-size HDMI port and a microSD card slot. On the opposite side, you'll find a USB 3.0 port, as well as a combination audio and microphone jack.

Measuring 11.4 x 8 x 0.7 inches and weighing 2.5 pounds, the Samsung Chromebook 3 is practically the HP Stream 11's twin (11.8 x 8.1 x 0.7 inches, 2.5 pounds) but with a different operating system. The two 14-inch laptops in the group -- the Lenovo Ideapad 100S-14 (13.3 x 9.3 x 0.7 inches, 3.15 pounds) and the Dell Inspiron 14 3000 (13.6 x 9.6 x 0.8 inches, 3.5 pounds) -- are much bigger and heavier than their 11-inch rivals.

Durability and drop test

The Chromebook 3 did an excellent job in our Chromebook drop test, which involved dropping 11 of the most popular Chromebooks from 2.5 feet and 4.5 feet onto concrete and carpet. Samsung's laptop, although not technically ruggedized, didn't show any signs of wear after our first few drops. Only on the side drop from 4.5 feet did the Chromebook 3's bezel separate from the screen, but we were able to snap everything back into place and return the Chromebook 3 to near-new condition.

Display

The real star of the Samsung Chromebook 3 is its exceptional screen. The Chromebook 3's 1366 x 768 LED display is brighter than its competitors', at 259 nits. That is more luminous than the 188 nits from both the Lenovo Ideapad 100S-14 and the HP Stream 11, as well as the 135-nit display on the Dell Inspiron 14 3000. Viewing angles are decent on the Chromebook 3, as you can clearly see all the colors on the screen from about 45 degrees on each side.

Ports

On the Samsung Chromebook 3 XE500C13-K06US, you’ll find most of the ports you need. The left side has a battery indicator, a battery indicator, a slim jack for the AC adapter, a USB 2.0 port, a full-size HDMI and a MicroSD card slot. On the right side, there’s a USB 3.0 port, as well as a combination audio and microphone jack.

You don’t get a USB-C port here, that’s perfectly OK, since you probably won’t use the port much anyway. The MicroSD slot allows you to supplement the system’s 64GB on-board storage with more space, but we’d prefer a full-size SD slot here, just like other Chromebooks. This is the same port options available on the budget Samsung XE500C13-K03US.

Display

The 11.6-inch display’s resolution maxes at 1366 x 768 – lower than that of the ASUS C302CA-DHM4, though that Chromebook also has a bigger screen. A matte display would be better for wide viewing angles and better visibility in the sun, this one is not as bright as we’d like. Colors are vibrant but its dim and black levels are not very deep.

That being said, the Chromebook offers a decent video-watching experience in both bright light and dim surroundings thanks to the wide viewing angles. Audio isn’t that strong, though. The bottom firing speakers produce fairly muffled sound, unless the laptop is sitting on a flat surface.
Keyboard

The Samsung XE500C13-K06US uses a spill-resistant keyboard, which is comfortable to use with slightly curved profile to fit your fingerprints’ profile. With 1.2 millimeters key travel, you’ll be able to accurately type without much hiccups. About the only gripe with the keyboard is the layout. I wish it would use more distance between the power button and the rest of the keyboard.

The touchpad measures 3.9 by 2.2 inches, which is a good size for an 11-inch device. It has a cool, smooth feel, and responds to light tapping than you’d experience on most devices.

Performance

One of the reasons the Samsung Chromebook 3 XE500C13-K06US is that it runs on a 1.6 GHz Intel Celeron, Intel HD Graphics 400, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of eMMC flash storage. The on-board memory is mostly used for browser cache but also for documents, music and other files that may need to be stored offline. Since Chrome OS is basically just a browser, it doesn’t require heavy resources.

This Chromebook suffices for daily productivity, especially college tasks that are not resource intensive. It doesn’t feel sluggish when performing basic tasks. This include writing emails while streaming your favorite music, surfing on Facebook, or doing some We browsing in another tab. Also, it handles a few browser-based games fairly well.

Battery Life

There are 39 watt-hours of battery capacity tucked away inside the Samsung Chromebook 3 XE500C13-K06US chassis. On paper, that’s not a lot of juice, but Chrome OS devices usually get great battery life, and the Celeron processor isn’t all that demanding. So, don’t be surprised when this Chromebook proves itself to be an all-day performer away from a plug.

Overall, you’re definitely getting through your obligatory eight-hour workday on a single charge. With 10 hours 44 minutes of battery life on a single charge, this remains to be an excellent all-day productivity machine.

The Samsung Chromebook 3 XE500C13-K06US sports a solid build, improved battery life and good performance for an 11.6-inch laptop, making it a solid entry into the now-crowded sub-Chromebook market.

Is there a better alternative?

You can spend around $150 more and score the ASUS C302CA-DHM4 Chromebook Flip, with a 12.5-inch touchscreen. It sports an all-metal body, 4GB of RAM, 64GB flash storage and modern connectivity including USB Type-C. With an Intel Core m3 processor, it stands out as a significantly faster machine with a more productivity form factor, and that makes it a more viable choice.

Should you buy it?

Yes. There are many compelling reasons to choose the Samsung Chromebook 3 XE500C13-K06US over its closet rivals. It offers a sleek design, excellent battery life and rings a very affordable price, that’s cheaper than what you’d spend on a smartphone nowadays.

The colors on the Chromebook 3 are so realistic that they put other budget laptops to shame. Whereas most other panels in this class make everything skew blue and cool, the Samsung laptop delivered warmer tones that look more authentic and detailed.

In the Dunkirk trailer, only the Chromebook 3's panel showed the subtle hint of yellow sand and brackish green water in its opening sequence. I also appreciated the finer details of Vulture's metallic armor in the Spider-Man: Homecoming trailer, which was an improvement over the Stream 11's display.

The Chromebook 3's accurate hues are partly due to its near-perfect 0.2 Delta-E rating (closer to 0 is best). Its competitors' ratings, by comparison, miss the mark completely and all fall within the same range: 3.7 for the Stream 11, 3.5 for the Inspiron 14 3000 and 3.9 for the Ideapad 100S-14.

Samsung Chromebook 3, 11.6", 4GB Ram, 64GB eMMC (XE500C13-K06US)

The Chromebook 3's 1366 x 768 LED display is brighter than its competitors' screens, at 259 nits.

On the flip side, the Samsung laptop has the most limited color range of the bunch, reproducing only 63.1 percent of the sRGB gamut. The 11-inch HP display reproduced 77.5 percent of the gamut, the 14-inch Dell panel delivered 81.4 percent and the Lenovo's screen had the widest color range, at 83.5 percent.

Audio

The bottom-firing speakers on the Samsung Chromebook 3 are decent for the price. At least they are loud enough to fill a small room with sound, but they don't have the versatility and finesse of the Stream 11's DTS Studio Sound-enhanced speakers.

However, HP's system edged out the Samsung laptop on the jazzy "Summer Montage" from the La La Land soundtrack. The Chromebook 3's speakers distorted the trumpets whenever they reached the high notes, and the cymbals sounded more muddy than on the Stream 11.

Keyboard and Touchpad

Typing on the Samsung Chromebook 3's spill-resistant keyboard feels comfortable, as its keys are ever-so-slightly curved to fit your fingertips and keep your fingers oriented. The keys are well sized and take full advantage of the width of the device, which is good news for people with bigger fingers.

Because the Backspace key is just below the power key, you're just an accidental keystroke away from accidentally shutting down the machine.

Both the Chromebook 3 and the Stream 11 have 1.2 millimeters of key travel (between 1.5 and 2 mm is ideal), but it takes 63 grams of force to actuate a key on the Chromebook 3, versus 69 grams on the Stream 11 (60 grams is the minimum we prefer). When I took the 10FastFingers.com typing test, I scored 76 words per minute with a 9 percent error rate. That is just a touch slower and less accurate than my normal 80 wpm and 7 percent error rate on my Microsoft Surface Pro 4's Type Cover.

My biggest gripe with the Chromebook 3's keyboard is its layout. I wish there were more distance between the power button and the rest of the keyboard. Because the Backspace key is just below the power key, you're just an accidental keystroke from accidentally shutting down the machine. I also wish the power key had an indicator light to let me know how long to press the button to turn on the device.

At 3.9 x 2.2 inches, the Chromebook 3's touchpad is generous for an 11-inch device. The material of the touchpad feels cool and smooth, like its palm rest. It's also highly sensitive, so we suggest lightly tapping the surface to navigate the device.

Performance

With a 1.6-GHz Intel Celeron N3060 processor, Intel HD Graphics 400, 4GB of RAM and 32GB of eMMc flash storage, the Chromebook 3 has the performance you need for handling web surfing and word processing. I had 10 web browser tabs open while I did everything from edit a couple of Google Docs to stream a concert from YouTube, and nothing fazed the device. I even watched a couple of 1080p movie trailers while all those other tabs were running in the background, and the Chromebook 3 still showed no serious lag, other than a second to reload a web page.

The Chromebook 3 earned a score of 49.7 in the JetStream JavaScript benchmark, which beats rivals such as the Stream 11 (1.6-GHz Intel Celeron N3060, 39.8) and the Inspiron 14 3000 (1.6-GHz Intel Celeron N3060, 35.9). However, the Chromebook 3 is still no match for the faster Ideapad 100S-14 (1.6-GHz Intel Celeron N3060, 58.1).

In the WebGL Aquarium graphics test, the Samsung laptop thoroughly trounced its competitors by rendering 2,000 fish in the tank at 23 frames per second. All of its similarly outfitted opponents did much worse: The Lenovo Ideapad 100S-14 wavered between 6 and 7 fps, while the Stream 11 notched 12 fps. The Inspiron 14 3000 came the closest, at 17 fps.

With its integrated Intel HD Graphics 400, the Chromebook 3 can handle some casual web-based and app games, such as Cut the Rope, but the 3D first-person shooter Web Quake slowed to a crawl in the middle of gameplay.

Battery Life

The Samsung Chromebook 3 can easily last a full workday on a charge. It clocked 9 hours and 44 minutes on the Laptop Mag Battery Test (continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi). The Dell Inspiron 14 3000 was a close second with 9:01, and the HP Stream 11 posted a respectable 8:23. The Lenovo Ideapad 100S-14 flamed out with a time of 5:55.

Storage

Because the Samsung Chromebook 3 uses Chrome OS, there is ample free space on its 32GB eMMc flash memory for your files. Unlike Windows 10-based systems with the same storage capacity, the Chromebook 3 offers over 20GB of free space right out of the box, versus the measly 9.68GB available on the Lenovo Ideapad 100S-14.

While this free space means you'll have ample room for the latest OS updates and Chrome apps, you should still invest in a microSD card or use a cloud storage service such as Google Drive to store your photo or music collection.

Webcam

Of all four sub-$200 laptops I tested, the Samsung Chromebook 3 is the only one with an HD webcam that offers live filters such as Vintage and Big Eyes to enhance video chats, and Multi-Shot mode for the camera. My test selfie with the 720p camera looked slightly noisy, but I could clearly see details like the blue flowers on my shirt and the folds in my black couch. The blue piping around my collar also looked accurate.

Heat

The underside of the Samsung Chromebook 3 gets a bit warm. After we streamed a HD video for 15 minutes, its underside reached a troubling 105 degrees Fahrenheit, which is a much higher temperature than our 95-degree comfort threshold. However, it never felt hot in my lap thanks to the insulating plastic chassis. The touchpad and keyboard were much cooler, at 81 and 91 degrees, respectively.

Configurations

There are three variations of the updated Samsung Chromebook 3. Our review unit comes with a 1.6-GHz Intel Celeron N3060 processor, Intel HD Graphics 400, 4GB of RAM and 32GB eMMc flash storage, and it's available at BestBuy.com and Samsung.com.

The two other configurations use the same Celeron processor and Intel graphics, but differ on RAM and storage capacity. There is a 16GB version of the Chromebook 3 for $170, and a $160 version with only 2GB RAM and 16GB of storage.

If you're interested in a higher end alternative of the Samsung Chromebook 3, consider getting the Samsung Chromebook Plus LTE. For , you'll get a stylish 2-in-1 laptop with an Intel Celeron 3965Y processor, 4GB of RAM, 32GB eMMC, a 12.2-inch, 1920 x 1200 panel and 4G LTE. It also includes a built-in stylus capable of capturing 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity with tilt recognition. On top of that, it features a 13MP world-facing camera with autofocus built into the keyboard.

Software and Warranty

Besides the standard Google apps, like Google Docs and YouTube, the Samsung Chromebook 3 doesn't have any preloaded software. You can download other apps, such as games and browser extensions, through the Chrome Web Store. According to Google, you'll be able to download some Android apps to the Samsung Chromebook 3 in the near future, but the Google Play store is currently in beta for this particular model.

If you purchase this Samsung laptop, you would be entitled to an additional 100GB of free cloud storage on Google Drive for two years. But you'll have to claim this offer from Google's Chromebook Offers web page, as it's not preloaded onto the device.

Samsung provides a one-year warranty on parts and labor. If you want more extended protection, you have to purchase additional service through retailers such as Best Buy.

Bottom Line

Everyone likes getting more for less. With the Samsung Chromebook 3, you get the brightest 11.6-inch display in this class, speedy performance with 4GB of RAM, just about 10 hours of battery life and a fun webcam -- all for less money than the Windows-powered HP Stream 11 costs. There are a few downsides, though including weak speakers and awkward key placement. You also have to be willing to live with the limitations of Chrome OS.

If your life and work are heavily tied to the Windows and Microsoft Office environment, then the $200 HP Stream 11 or $195 Lenovo Ideapad 100S-14 might make more sense. If you value a big and bright screen but you don't care too much about battery life, then the Lenovo Ideapad 100S-14 is a good choice. And if you want the best listening experience and at least 8 hours of battery life, then go with the HP Stream 11.

But if you're willing to give Chrome OS a try, this compact Samsung laptop is a solid choice for students and anyone who primarily uses their laptop to surf the web.

Brand	Samsung
CPU	1.6-GHz Intel Celeron N3060
Company Website	Samsung.com
Display Size	11.6
Graphics Card	Intel HD Graphics 400
Hard Drive Size	32GB
Hard Drive Type	eMMC
Highest Available Resolution	1366 x 768
Native Resolution	1366x768
Operating System	Google Chrome
RAM	4GB
Size	11.4 x 8 x 0.7 inches
Touchpad Size	3.9 x 2.2 inches
USB Ports	2
Weight	2.5 pounds
Wi-Fi	802.11a/b/g/n