Looking back over the past few years, ASUS has a striking presence in the Chromebook world. From eye-catching devices like the original ASUS Chromebook Flip C100 to the fan-favorite Flip C302, the company has continued to produce Chromebooks that users will love. The follow-up to the C302 – the Flip C434 – was particularly interesting because it took almost two years to unveil things and really pushed forward with a larger screen, small edges and a thin / solid frame that was part of the overall maturation of the Chromebook platform. Notable devices that came out around that time were the Dell Inspiron 14 Chromebook, the Lenovo Yoga C630 and the HP x360 14.
When 2020 arrived and we rolled out to CES to Las Vegas, we were excited to see what the upgrade from ASUS to the well-received Flip C434 would be, and although it was nice on the showroom floor, our booking time with this Chromebook was still long not exemplary. Actually, I was almost depressed about how worse I was with the Flip C436 after using it briefly. With a high starting price, a mediocre screen, a hard-to-see keyboard and a thin feel, this Chromebook was staged by what Samsung brought to the same show in the original Galaxy Chromebook the same year.
Turn the tide
But this year, everything seems to have changed. Although there were a few brackets in the PR cycle that we believe there would be no new ASUS Chromebooks at CES 2021, ASUS was actually making an announcement of not just a new Chromebook, but a small new one. family of it. We have outlined the specifications, photos and details of the new ASUS Chromebook CX9, Flip C536 and Flip CM5 in a previous post, but there is just more to the story than specifications and photos.
Simply put, it feels like ASUS is back. Back to making sharp, stylish devices, back to the right steps on the spec page, and back to building Chromebooks that I think a lot of people are going to love. Between the three, there should be options to fit various budgets, screens that look beautiful with their smaller edges, and building materials that are not only attractive but also feel good. The fact that they pay attention to the keyboard cover on both the Flip C536 and Flip CM5, tells me that they pay attention to the feel of these Chromebooks. The fact that they included the substantial ergonomic lift in the Chromebook CX9 that you see in only high-end ASUS laptops tells me that they take Chrome OS and Chromebooks so much more seriously.
While the Flip CM5 and Flip C536 are likely to be available as medium-sized Chromebooks (with higher options), the Chromebook CX9 is an absolute beast for power users and creative professionals. Besides not going for a tablet direction, it seems to nail everything from looks to features to portability. It’s just 2.2 pounds and it’s the lightest 14-inch Chromebook ever made, and everything you need for massive productivity. 11th-generation Intel processors with plenty of memory and memory (up to 2 TB in some models) will marry the 400-nit screen, taillight keyboard and Thunderbold 4 for the best flexibility and power. It will probably be expensive, but it will also be an animal.
However, instead of just putting that device on the market, ASUS offered a well-rounded offer this year. With AMD processors on board, the Flip CM5 will probably be the cheapest of the group, and I can see models of this Chromebook selling for less than $ 500 as the starting price. Of course, the higher configurations will increase with more memory and memory, and I can see that the CX9 was one of the most expensive Chromebooks ever in the top finish, but that is the beauty of it. With all these devices and all their different options, there is surely a device and setting to meet the needs of most users.
Honestly, I’m shocked at everything ASUS is doing in the Chromebook space this year, and I’m excited to see and get hold of these devices. We have to wait a bit for the CX9 as it is planned for a Q2 version but we will see the Flip C536 for too long with its Q1 release schedule. As a beginner to the Tiger Lake Chromebook era, I do not think I could have asked for much more from one company. Now, about that Acer device that teased Intel in their main speech …
