Why You Can Trust CNET Asus overhauls its bestselling convertible Chromebook for CES 2019
If it ain't broke, fix it anyway.
- Coauthor of Uninvested (Random House, 2015)
Having unveiled a handful of head-turning laptops at CES on Sunday -- including the monstrous ROG Mothership and the ultra-thin ZenBook S13 -- Asus kicked things off early on Monday by introducing a new convertible Chromebook. The Flip C434, starting at $569, replaces the company's Chromebook C302 -- a breakout hit that's currently the top-ranked bestseller in Amazon's two-in-one category.
Asus claims that, despite its popularity, the Chromebook C302 was due for an update.
The new model takes a few aesthetic departures from its predecessor, shifting away from the C302's two-tone black and silver to a more uniform brushed aluminum design. Asus has also bumped up the screen size: Now you get a 14-inch FHD display that's surrounded by relatively thin bezels -- a pervasive feature of Asus laptops at CES this year. Accordingly, the Flip C434 is a bit heftier than the C302, weighing in at 3.2 pounds.
But the biggest changes are on the inside: the Flip C434 has twice as much RAM and storage as its predecessor and way more powerful processor options, including Intel 's Core i7-8500Y. Here's a rundown of all the specs:
- Google Chrome OS
- 14-inch FHD display with NanoEdge 5mm bezels
- Ergolift hinge
- Intel Core i7-8500Y
- Up to 8GB of LPDDR3 RAM
- Up to 128GB eMMC (plus microSD support for 2TB of additional storage)
- Two USB-C, one USB-A
- Dual-band 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0
- 15.7mm thick chassis
- Weighs 3.2 pounds (1.45kg)
Over the past few months, I've seen some highly capable, Google-powered two-in-one laptops in the $500 to $600 range -- including the Acer Spin Chromebook 13 and HP Chromebook x2. The Flip C434 may well join those two in showing just how far the Chromebook category has come.
Asus's Monday Chromebook announcement also included four other models designed expressly for the classroom:
- Chromebook Tablet CT100, which features a 9.7-inch QXGA touchscreen
- Chromebook C204, an 11.6-inch clamshell model, and the Chromebook Flip C214, its rugged convertible counterpart
- Chromebook C403, a 14-inch clamshell
The company did not announce pricing or availability for any of them.
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