ASUS Chromebook 14 CX1405 Budget Laptop Review UK 2024

The ASUS Chromebook 14 CX1405 arrives in a crowded budget laptop market with a simple promise: ChromeOS simplicity at a price that won’t break the bank. After spending two weeks with this 14-inch Chromebook as my daily driver, I’ve learned exactly where ASUS has made smart compromises and where this budget machine falls short. If you’re considering a sub-£250 laptop for basic productivity, this review will tell you everything you need to know.

According to ASUS official specifications, the CX1405 features a full-size keyboard with 1.4mm key travel and a 180-degree lay-flat hinge. The plastic chassis keeps costs down but feels reasonably solid for the price. You get two USB-C ports, one USB-A 3.2 port, a microSD card reader, and a 3.5mm headphone jack – a decent selection for basic connectivity needs.

Text rendering is sharp thanks to the 1920×1080 resolution, which translates to 157 PPI on this 14-inch panel. I had no issues reading for extended periods, though the anti-glare coating is minimal, so reflections can be distracting. Viewing angles are typical for a TN-adjacent panel – colours shift noticeably when viewed from the side, but straight-on viewing is fine. If you’re comparing this to something like the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3, that machine offers slightly better colour accuracy but costs considerably more.

In practical use, I found the CX1405 handled Google Docs, Gmail, and YouTube streaming without issues. However, attempting to run a video call whilst taking notes in Google Docs and having Spotify open resulted in noticeable lag. The eMMC storage delivers 145MB/s read speeds, which is significantly slower than the SSDs found in more expensive machines. App launches take an extra second or two compared to faster storage.

According to Notebookcheck’s Celeron N4500 benchmarks, this processor scores around 1240 points in Geekbench 5 single-core tests – that’s roughly 40% of what you’d get from a modern Core i3. For ChromeOS tasks, that’s acceptable, but don’t expect to do any serious photo editing or video work.

The fanless design means this laptop runs completely silent, which I genuinely appreciate. There’s no thermal throttling because the processor never generates enough heat to require it. The chassis stays cool even during extended use, with the bottom panel reaching a maximum of 32°C in my testing.

For video playback testing, I looped a 1080p YouTube video at 50% brightness and achieved 11 hours before the battery warning appeared. Web browsing with a mix of text-heavy sites and some image-laden pages delivered 9 hours. These figures match or exceed many laptops costing twice as much, including the HP 15.6-inch budget laptop we reviewed previously.

The included 45W USB-C charger tops up the 42Wh battery reasonably quickly, reaching 60% in about an hour. A full charge takes roughly 2 hours from empty. You can charge via either USB-C port, which is convenient, though the charger itself is a bit bulky for such a portable machine.

The lid does flex noticeably when pressed, which concerns me slightly for long-term durability. The 180-degree hinge is a nice touch, allowing the laptop to lay completely flat for sharing the screen. However, the hinge tension requires two hands to open, which is a minor annoyance when you’re holding a coffee.

The layout is standard ChromeOS fare, with dedicated function keys for screen brightness, volume, and other system controls replacing the traditional F-keys. There’s no backlighting, which is expected at this price point, but the white key legends are easy to read in most lighting conditions. The only complaint is that the keys feel slightly hollow when bottoming out, giving away the plastic construction.

The trackpad is less impressive but perfectly functional. At 95mm wide, it’s smaller than I’d like, and the plastic surface doesn’t glide quite as smoothly as glass trackpads on premium machines. However, ChromeOS’s excellent gesture support means two-finger scrolling, pinch-to-zoom, and three-finger swipes all work reliably. The click mechanism is slightly mushy but acceptable.

The dual microphone array performs better than expected, with reasonable clarity for voice calls. Background noise suppression is handled by ChromeOS rather than hardware, and it does a decent job of filtering out keyboard typing and ambient sounds.

For YouTube videos and podcasts, they’re serviceable, but any music listening requires headphones. The 3.5mm headphone jack provides clean audio output, and Bluetooth connectivity worked flawlessly with my Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones.

Google’s ecosystem integration is seamless if you’re already invested in Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Workspace apps. I found Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides ran smoothly, though complex spreadsheets with many formulas did occasionally cause brief delays. The Play Store access means you can install Android apps, though the 4GB RAM limitation means you’ll want to be selective about which apps you keep running.

For Microsoft 365 users, the experience is browser-based only. As ASUS notes in the product description, you’ll need to access Microsoft365.com through Chrome to create and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. This works adequately for basic documents, but lacks the full functionality of desktop Office applications. If you’re heavily invested in Microsoft’s ecosystem, a Windows laptop like the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 might suit you better.

The automatic updates and built-in virus protection mean this laptop requires virtually no maintenance. My elderly parents use a similar Chromebook, and I haven’t received a single tech support call in two years – that’s the real value of ChromeOS for non-technical users.

It’s also ideal as a secondary machine for households that already own a more powerful computer. If you need something for casual web browsing on the sofa, checking emails, or streaming video, the CX1405 handles these tasks without complaint. The silent operation means you won’t disturb others whilst using it in shared spaces.

However, this laptop isn’t suitable for power users, multitaskers who regularly work with 20+ browser tabs, or anyone needing to run demanding applications. The 4GB RAM is a genuine limitation that you’ll bump against regularly if you’re an intensive user. Creative professionals should look elsewhere – the display’s limited colour gamut and modest performance make photo or video editing impractical.

The HP Chromebook 14a features Intel’s newer N100 processor, which offers noticeably better performance than the N4500 in the ASUS. However, it typically retails for closer to £300, making it a less compelling value proposition unless you specifically need the extra processing power.

For those willing to consider Windows laptops, the HP Ryzen 3 laptop offers significantly more versatility with desktop application support, though battery life typically suffers compared to Chromebooks.