Dell Chromebook 3189 Review

Specs

CPUIntel Celeron N3060
RAM4GB
RAM Upgradable to4GB
Hard Drive Size32GB
Hard Drive TypeeMMC
Display Size11.6
Highest Available Resolution1366 x 768
Native Resolution1366x768
Ports (excluding USB)USB 3.0
Ports (excluding USB)HDMI
USB Ports2
Card SlotsSD memory reader
Warranty/Supportone year limited
Size11.96 x 8.18 x 0.82 inches
Weight3.2 pounds
Company Websitewww.dell.com

Design

The Dell Chromebook 3189 has a plain, but respectable, gray plastic aesthetic. The cover has a Dell logo in the center and a Chrome logo in a top corner, while the other top corner has a three-color light that can be used (after downloading a Chrome Extension available for free in the Chrome Webstore) to communicate with the teacher without disrupting the other students. The corners of the computer are rounded and the entire outside edge is covered in a rubberized strip to help protect it from bumps and shocks.
 
The hinges are stiff enough to keep the lid in place as you bend it back into tablet, tent or stand modes, but loose enough for a young person to move, without straining. The deck carries the same gray aesthetic as the lid
Dell's laptop is a good size for fitting into elementary and middle schoolers' hands and bags. The Chromebook 3189 measures 12 x 8.2 x 0.9 inches, and weighs 3.2 pounds. The outer dimensions are about the same as the Asus Chromebook Flip C302CA, which measures 11.9 x 8.3 x 0.6 inches and weighs only 2.6 pounds, but the C302CA's screen is 1 inch larger than the 3189's (12 inches versus 11 inches for the 3189). The Acer Chromebook R 13measures 12.8 x 8.9 x 0.6 inches and weighs 3.2 pounds, and has a 13-inch screen; the Dell Chromebook 3180 measures 11.9 x 8.1 x 0.8 inches, weighs 2.8 pounds, and has the same size screen as the Chromebook 3189, at 11 inches.

Ports

On the left side, there are two USB 3 ports, a full-size HDMI port, an SD card reader and the AC power jack. On the right side, is a combination headphone/microphone jack, a charging status light, a power button, a volume button and a Noble Wedge security slot.

Durability

The Chromebook 3189 is designed to take more than a little abuse. According to Dell, its laptop passed a number of MIL-SPEC tests, including those for shocks, vibrations and extreme temperatures. During its lab testing, Dell dropped the machine 26 times onto plywood from a height of 30 inches and it kept working. The laptop also has a spill-resistant keyboard to help it survive liquids.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The Chromebook 3189's keyboard felt good to type on, although the slightly concave keys could make it more difficult for someone with adult-size hands or long fingernails. I typed 75 words per minute on 10fastfingers.com with a 1.5 percent error rate, virtually the same as my usual 77 words per minute with a 1 percent error rate. The keys have a reasonable 1.4mm of vertical travel and require 63 grams of actuation force, which are both slightly above the category average The buttonless touchpad had the right amount of sensitivity for both two-finger scrolling and three-finger swiping. Tapping on the touchpad (as opposed to pressing) makes a noise, as if the touchpad were loose.
Display
The 3189's 11.6-inch display has a relatively low resolution of 1366 x 768, but offers strong color reproduction. Watching the Toy Story 3 HD trailer on YouTube in 720p HD, the colors were bright and true - Ham was pink, Rex and the toy soldiers were the correct shades of green, and the wagon was a deep red.The touch screen was very responsive. When in tent or tablet mode, tapping on a text box brings up an on-screen keyboard, which was awkward to type on but got the job done for short inputs. However, it's not the sort of thing a student would want to use for any length of time.
The Chromebook 3189 was able to reproduce 81.2 percent of the sRBG color gamut, which was higher than the Chromebook R 13 (63.7 percent), the Chromebook Flip C302CA (76 percent) and the Chromebook 3180 (72.8 percent). But is was still well below the category average of 96 percent.
The 3189's Delta-E color accuracy score of 0.3 is excellent (0 is ideal). It scored better than the category average of 2.4, and beat the scores of the Chromebook R 13 (1.1) and the Chromebook Flip C3-1CA (1.6); the Chromebook 3180 also scored 0.3.
The screen brightness was fine for indoor use, measuring 223 nits, compared with 291.8 nits for the Chromebook Flip C302CA and 210 nits for the Chromebook 3180. But it was well below the category average of 301.8, so you wouldn't want to use it near a sunny window.
With all of the different ways you can configure the 3189 (tablet, tent, flat and normal laptop modes), the viewing angles are very important, and the 3189 delivers. The screen has wide viewing angles from the sides, top and bottom - great for having a bunch of students gathered around one computer for collaboration.

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