Asus Chromebook Flip C436F

A souped-up Chromebook with a premium price tag.

While it might not be the most powerful Chromebook here, the Chromebook Flip C436FA from Asus is still probably more powerful than you’d expect. The unit we tested had an Intel Core i5-10210U CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB M.2 PCIe SSD, but the device generally sold locally has a smaller 128GB SSD. At $1,799 this device is hardly a bargain… in fact, seeing as you can get a similarly specced Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 or a 13-inch Apple MacBook Air for less, Chrome OS seems to come at a premium here.

We had mixed feelings around the overall design. The lightweight metal chassis feels a little cheap considering the price, and the included stylus had a poorly designed magnetic clasp, but the keyboard, trackpad, Harmon Kardon speakers and hinge design were all sophisticated and nice to use. The 14-inch FullHD IPS display was decent for a Chromebook offering compact 4.9mm edge bezels and an 85 percent screen to body ratio.

Performance was more than what you’ll likely need on Chrome OS, but the overhead does give you the freedom to not worry about how many tabs or desktops you have open. We were a little disappointed by the 42Wh battery life which lasts just two hours and 34 minutes under graphical load and six hours and six minutes for 1080p movie playback.

As good as the Chrome OS is, it’s not the same as running full Windows 10, and this PC is more than powerful enough to run a proper desktop OS. Considering the price and the limited experience the Chromebook Flip C436FA is a tough pill to swallow.

A powerful Chromebook that is overpriced and doesn’t bring anything novel.