ASUS ExpertBook CX54 14" 2K Chromebook Plus Fog Silver Review

This Chromebook has the best port selection we've ever tested, but you pay for it with a weak CPU and tiny SSD. At $800, it's a niche pick for users who need every physical connection and don't care about speed. For everyone else, it's a hard sell.

The ASUS ExpertBook CX54 Chromebook Plus is a machine built for ports and portability, not raw power. Its CPU lands in a disappointing 20th percentile, meaning it's slower than most laptops we test, and the 256GB SSD is near the bottom of the pack for storage. But that's not the whole story. This Chromebook's standout feature is its incredible connectivity, scoring in the 100th percentile. It packs a full suite of ports including Thunderbolt, four USB-A, and HDMI 2.1, which is almost unheard of in a 1.4kg laptop.

Performance is a mixed bag, heavily dependent on what you're doing. The Intel Core Ultra 5 CPU is underwhelming, falling behind most modern laptops. You'll feel that in heavier web apps or when multitasking with dozens of tabs. The integrated Intel Graphics are about average, fine for video calls and streaming but not for anything more demanding. Where this machine shines is in its fundamentals: the 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM is a solid amount for Chrome OS, the 2K 120Hz touchscreen is well above average for brightness and smoothness, and that port selection is simply the best we've seen.

At $800, the value proposition is tricky. You're paying a premium for that fantastic port array, the nice screen, and the included AI subscription. But you're getting a CPU that's slower than many budget Windows laptops and storage that feels cramped even by Chromebook standards. If you live and breathe in the browser and need every port under the sun, there's an argument here. For everyone else, that money buys a lot more raw performance elsewhere.

Compared to its direct rivals, the CX54 makes trade-offs. The Apple MacBook Pro M5 runs circles around it in CPU power but costs over twice as much and has far fewer ports. The ASUS ProArt PX13 Copilot+ PC has a vastly more powerful Ryzen AI 9 and RTX 4050 GPU for creative work, but again, at a much higher price. Against other Chromebooks, the CX54's port selection is its killer feature, but you'll find models with similar screens and better performance for less money if you can live with dongles.

Skip this if you need speed or local storage. The CPU ranks in the bottom 20% of laptops we test, so tasks like video editing, complex spreadsheets, or compiling code will feel sluggish. The 256GB SSD is also a major limitation, sitting in the 17th percentile. If you work with large files offline or install many Linux apps, you'll hit that ceiling fast. Gamers should obviously look elsewhere.

We can only recommend the ExpertBook CX54 Chromebook Plus to a very specific user: someone who needs maximum port connectivity in a lightweight, durable chassis and lives entirely within the Chrome OS ecosystem. The included Gemini Advanced subscription is a nice bonus. For anyone who values processing power, storage space, or is budget-conscious, there are better options that don't sacrifice so much performance for the sake of convenience.