Dell Chromebook 3189 Review

Dell Chromebook 3189 Review

Are you looking to get your middle schooler their first laptop and want something that handle all that’s thrown at it? Well, you are in luck because the Dell Chromebook 3189 can be the perfect device for you. It’s easy to use and can bend in different modes, making it ideal for working and chilling. It even has a touchscreen, which is a plus at the price point it offers. They can carry it throughout the day and get done with their tasks very quickly. But before you make the decision to purchase, it’s best if you take a look at the detailed specifications we have listed below. 

Is Chromebook 3189 the one for you? It’s time to make the choice!

An In-Depth Review of the Dell Chromebook 3189

Design

The Chromebook 3189 has a simple design with a plastic gray aesthetic. The cover has the Dell logo and a Chrome logo in the top corner, indicating the OS. The other top corner has a three-light, which can be used to communicate without disturbing anyone in your surroundings. The laptop has rounded corners, and the outside is covered in a rubber strip to protect it from any shocks and bumps.

The Dell Chromebook has stiff hinges that keep the lid in place, especially when you bend it backward in the tablet, tent, or standing mode. The deck also has the same color palette as the lid of the Chromebook. The laptop is a good fit for middle schoolers, high school students, and even freshers in college who want something to carry in their bags. The Dell Chromebook 3189 weighs about 3.2 pounds and is 12 x 8.2 x 0.9 inches. 

Chromebook 11 3189 Display

Chromebook 11 3189 Display

The Dell Chromebook has an 11.6-inch display with a comparatively lower resolution of 1366 x 768, but the color reproduction is quite strong. We made this assumption after watching trailers of a few movies on YouTube in 720p HD; the colors were vibrant. The Dell Chromebook touchscreen was exceptionally responsive; when in tent mode or tablet mode, tapping on the on-screen keyboard was a bit challenging, but it’s perfect for short texts. However, if you have lengthy work or a long assignment, then we don’t recommend using the on-screen keyboard. 

The Dell Chromebook had an 81.2% color gamut, which was higher in comparison to the Chromebook R13 and the Chromebook 3180. The Delta-E has a color accuracy score of about 0.3, which is amazing; the ideal number is 0. The screen brightness was also spectacular, perfect for indoor usage, measuring up to 223 nits. Using near a sunny window might pose a challenge for users. The 3189 delivers when it comes to the viewing angles, with different modes such as a tablet, tent, flat, and regular laptop. The screen is quite comprehensive, perfect for presentations between your peers and for watching movies as well. 

Dell Chromebook 3189 Durability

The Dell Chromebook 3189 is designed to withstand a lot of wear and tear. As per Dell, the laptop has surpassed numerous MIL-SPEC tests such as temperatures, vibrations, and shocks. During the rigorous lab testing it underwent, Dell dropped the machine about 26 times onto the plywood from 30 inches, and it still kept operating. The laptop’s keyboard is spill-resistant in case you end up spilling any liquids. 

The Touchpad and Keyboard

The Touchpad and Keyboard

If you’re someone who has a lot of typing work or just a lot to do during the day or night, then the Chromebook 3189 has the sweetest deal for you. With a keyboard that allows you to type smoothly, you can work swiftly without missing a word. We took it upon ourselves to do the fast typing test and could quickly type 77 words per minute with a 0.8% error rate. However, the keys are a bit concave and could be challenging for a person who has long fingernails (but you might struggle on any keyboard if you have long nails).

The keys are pretty reasonable: 1.4mm of vertical travel and need about 63 grams of force, which is slightly above the average category. The touchpad is buttonless and has a decent amount of sensitivity, allowing users to scroll with two-fingers and even three-finger swiping. But tapping on the touchpad makes a little noise, which may feel like the touchpad is loose. 

Connectivity Ports

Chromebook 3189 has a decent selection of ports, which includes the headset jack on the right, an HDMI port, a microSD card reader, two 3.0 USB ports, and a power connector. Unfortunately, there are no USB-C ports, which are hard to find, especially on Chromebooks nowadays. Moreover, the laptop is equipped with a Bluetooth 4.2 wireless connection and 802.11ac Wi-Fi. 

Chromebook Audio

Chromebook Audio

In the battle of the audio, the Dell Chromebook 3189 delivered a good sound output without any distortion. For a small laptop, this was a shocker! In the tent mode of the computer, the sound was louder as the speakers were more exposed. So, if you’re watching something in tent mode, you can shift the volume down to 80%, which is sufficient when you’re in front of the screen. You can use it to attend group meetings or even lectures and make your kids watch a video because they will be able to hear it properly. 

Dell Chromebook Performance

The Dell 3189 has an Intel Celeron N3060 processor with 4GB of RAM, which is ideal for streaming different videos, web browsing, and working. On the other hand, if you’re someone who does a lot of multitasking, such as opening a Netflix show on one tab and multiple tabs of working, then the performance might slow down. Without any streaming, you can easily open four tabs without having to wait for the newer pages to load. Anything above eight tabs was relatively slow. 

When it comes to measuring the JavaScript performance, the Chromebook 3189 scored about 48.1 on the benchmark test. This was very close to the Chromebook 3180, which had a score of 49.9 but relatively lower than the Chromebook Flip C302CA, which scored about 127.32. The Chromebook 11 3189 had a lower range, with about 13 frames per second on the WebGL Aquarium, which measures the 3D graphics. 

Dell Chrome OS and Software

Dell Chrome OS and Software

The Dell 3189 runs on the OS offered by Google Chrome, with the Dell website offering different add-ons such as Management Console, security software, and the Go Guardian management. Most of the extensions have to be used online, but some of them are designed for offline usage, such as Gmail and even the photo editor. You can use Google Docs for assignments and work purposes. Google, on the other hand, adds support for Android apps to the future versions but not on the 3189. However, with the touch screen and convertible, Dell’s laptop should do a perfect job when running the Android software when you need to use it. 

Battery Life

The Dell 3189 lasted for about 9 hours and 10 minutes, which was slightly above the average 8:12 and ideal for students who want to work throughout the day without looking for a charging slot. But if you are an excessive user, you may need an outlet time and again if the battery dies down. 

Configurations

The Chromebook 3189 has a midrange $349 configuration, which has 4GB RAM, 32GB of eMMC memory, and an Intel Celeron N3060 processor. The base model is about $329, which is comparatively cheaper and saves you about $20, but the storage is 16GB, and you can pay $40 and get 64GB of memory. The laptop has a one-year warranty in case there are any troubles. 

The Pros and Cons of the Dell Chromebook 3189

The Pros and Cons of the Dell Chromebook 3189

Here is a list of pros and cons that will help you summarise what the Chromebook 3189 is about. 

Pros 

  • Good speakers and decent audio output 
  • Flexible configurations 
  • Impressive battery life 

Cons 

  • Not the best multitasking performance 

Bottom Line

We have provided you with an in-depth review of the Chromebook 3189, covering all the crucial bases. You can now make a decision and see if it falls under your criteria or not. But if you’re taking recommendations from us, we believe it’s an ideal laptop for students and beginners. It can take up your lesser workload initially, works perfectly, has a decent performance, and a good keyboard that won’t cause any hand sores. This laptop is perfect for clumsy students as it can handle a lot! 

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