Asus Chromebit review: A good attempt but is a bit late

Manufactured by Asus, Cromebit is Google's attempt to have a PC-on-a-stick experience. When attached to any display through the HDMI port, it claims to turn the display into a personal computing device. But does it perform?

It works as intended to

Designed with Google, Asus Chromebit is aimed at converting any display or monitor with HDMI port into a computer. The Asus Chromebit is a rather long USB shaped dongle with HDMI connectivity. It has got a USB port for additional memory or connecting a wireless keyboard and mouse.

Without connecting the later you will find it difficult to work on. It doesn't take power from the HDMI port of the TV and you need to plug in the power adapter accompanied with the Chromebit. It is DC-in port and not microUSB port, so you will not be able to power it from another HDMI or USB port or even a power bank.

Considering the small size of the device, Asus has added a quad-core SoC from RockChip. The RK3288 SoC has got four ARM Cortex-A17 CPU cores clocked running at 1.8GHz, and a Mali-T764 GPU paired with 2GB of RAM and 16GB onboard storage.  For connectivity, it has got WiFi, Bluetooth and a USB port.

Setting up the Chromebit is easy. Just plug it to any display with HDMI port - be it a TV or a monitor - and it will automatically load the Chrome OS. Asus has also added an HDMI extender, just in case the HDMI port isn't easy to access.

You need to connect the device to the wireless network, add your Google account to this device and you are ready to use it. But to configure the above mentioned, you first need to plug in a wireless keyboard using the USB port on the Chromebit. Once this is done, the interface and UI is similar to the one on Chromebook. It gives you access to Google cloud services where you can browse the web, stream videos, work on Google docs and even download apps from the Chrome Web store.  

Every time you start the device, you need to enter your password to unlock the machine. In case, someone else wants to use it, they can create their user profile as a guest using their Gmail account and browse the web and use other services too.

My two cents

Undoubtedly, the concept of computer on a stick is worth applauding and specially when it comes for Rs 7,999. It makes a good PC for kids at home or for those who don't have PC. But then you also have an option to go for a Windows Stick computer over the Chome OS. iBall Splendo  Stick PC runs on Windows 10 and has got Intel's Atom quad-core processor with 2GB RAM and 32GB storage. For Rs 8,184 it comes bundled with a keyboard and mouse.

With Chromebit, you need to get a wireless keyboard and mouse separately. While using it at home is easy, carrying the keyboard and the mouse along with any of the USB computer stick can be inconvenient. And you also need to have a display to which it can connect.  

If you plan to keep it stationary, you can also consider smart TV boxes such as Amkette TV that comes with Android OS, a wireless controller and host of connectivity options. Lastly, you can also mirror your phone through MHL Cable.

Bag it or Junk it:  A good attempt but is a bit late

Price: Rs 7,999

Rating: 3/5

Plus: Turns any display into Chrome PC

Minus:  Additional keyboard and mouse required, limited USB ports onboard