Asus Chromebook Flip review

The primo Chromebook is a concept that has existed for almost as long as Google’s notebook brand itself, and it’s an idea that has rarely found the legs to succeed. We could take all day to reflect on what went wrong in the past, but in the present, the Asus Chromebook Flip is the answer you’ve been waiting for to appease your high-end Chromebook-ing needs. 

Having specs almost identical to its competitors, albeit for a much more affordable $499 or £599 (about AU$650) price tag, the Asus Chromebook Flip prevails without a whole lot of compromise. What makes this that much more impressive is that this laptop boasts a 360-degree hinge that lets it “flip” inside out, hence its name. At 12.5 inches and 2.6 pounds, the Asus Chromebook Flip isn’t just ‘good for a Chromebook,’ it may very well be the best laptop you can buy this year. Though that’s for you to decide.

Pricing and availability

Initially, we wouldn’t blame you for doing a double-take when you see the price of the Asus Chromebook Flip. At $499 or £599 (about AU$650), it’s pricey compared to a lot of its lower end competition. After all, half a grand could net you a decent Windows laptop. Ultimately, value comes down to taste, however, plus you could cut corners on storage and processing power for $449 or £499 and get a slightly tuned-down version of the Asus Chromebook Flip.

• Buy Asus Chromebook Flip C302 (Intel Core M5 4GB RAM) at Amazon Marketplace for $649

An equally powerful HP Chromebook 13will set you back $599 or £730 (about AU$800) with half as much onboard storage, but a sharper QHD display. Meanwhile, the enterprise-oriented Acer Chromebook 14 for Work runs for $599 (about £480, AU$800) with an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and 32GB of flash storage.

The C302’s biggest rival is the Samsung Chromebook Plus, which undercuts it at $449 (about £360, AU$590) with an ARM processor, sharper 2,400 x 1,600 screen and a built-in stylus. What’s more, Samsung’s latest Chrome OS machine is also available in a Pro SKU that plops on the same Intel Core m3 chip for $549 (about £440, AU$720).

Of course, there are more affordable Chromebook options. The $399 or £399 (about AU$665), Acer Chromebook R13 also comes in a convertible form factor with a Full HD screen, though, its 2.1GHz quad-core processor doesn’t hail from Intel, but rather MediaTek.

SPEC SHEET

CPU: 0.99Ghz Intel Core m3-6Y30 (dual core, 4MB cache, up to 2.2GHz)
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 515
RAM: 4GB LPDDR3
Screen: 12.5-inch FHD (1,920 x 1,080) LED backlit anti-glare
Storage: 64GB eMMC + TPM
Ports: 2 x USB 3.1 Type-C (Gen 1), microSD card reader, headset jack
Connectivity: Intel 2x2 802.11ac; Bluetooth 4.2
Camera: 720p webcam
Weight: 2.6 pounds (1.18kg)
Size: 13 x 9.1 x 0.9 inches (33 x 23.1 x 2.29cm; W x D x H)

Design

Like the original Asus Chromebook C100 before it, the C302 is built from an all-aluminium chassis, though, this time it has an anodized finish rather than a brushed texture. Overall, it has a clean, no nonsense aesthetic and it folds up to a nearly symmetrical slab of metal.

Thankfully, the original Chromebook C100’s long, bar-shaped hinge has been dropped for the ZenBook Flip UX360’s multi-gear, metal mechanism. The smaller, two-piece mechanism makes this machine feel like less of a toy while helping it to blend in as a regular notebook.

Overall, the Asus Chromebook C302 looks and feels like any other unibody laptop inspired by the MacBook Pro in the past 10 years. However, its rounded corners, straight edges and 0.9-inch (2.29cm) thin frame all add up to a slick design rivaling HP and Google’s most premium models at a much lower price.

Weighing in at 2.6 pounds (1.19kg), the C302 is one of the lightest Chromebooks, beating out the 2.86-pound (1.3kg) HP Chromebook 13. It’s also one of the first convertible Chrome OS machines you’ll actually want to use in tablet mode, unlike the 3.3-pound (1.5kg) Acer Chromebook R13.

Aside from being lighter, the C302 seems to have been specifically designed for tablet use. Asus has come up with a clever magnetic clasp that pulls the screen lid tight against the underside of the notebook. It’s an ingenious addition that helps the 2-in-1 Chromebook feel like one solid device rather than a foldable electronic, and we’re surprised this solution hasn’t come sooner.

When you’re not using the C302 as a tablet, it falls back on a solid keyboard that makes it as familiar and comfortable as any traditional laptop. The keys offer a satisfying 1.4mm of crisp key travel that we’ve missed in a world of ever-slimmer notebooks.

As for the trackpad, we can really only say it exists. It offers accurate tracking, but without any multitouch features but two-finger scrolling, there’s nothing noteworthy about it.