ASUS plans to launch a brand new Chrome OS tablet at next year’s CES event, taking place between January 8 and January 11, according to a newly tweeted leak from WinFuture’s Roland Quandt. Details on the device in question are scant but it is expected to arrive in a 10-inch format. Moreover, the source hints, it could very well be just “one of” the devices set to arrive from ASUS during the event. Mr. Quandt has also leaked that ASUS Chromebooks bearing the model numbers C204, C403, and C434TA are inbound as well. No specs have been provided with regard to any of those devices but it may be possible to guess, speculatively, at least one aspect of each. Traditionally, ASUS Chromebooks have featured names that begin with the ‘C’ designator marking them as a Chromebook and numbers that correlate to the display size. So, in this case, each of those Chromebooks looks like it will be a 14-inch rated device.
Background: What’s more, it isn’t apparent whether this will be a premium or mid-range Chrome OS device or one that’s not incapable but aimed toward the budget-friendly edge of the spectrum. Recent gadgets from the company, while not bad, have not been on quite the same level as the competition but that doesn’t necessitate a new flagship Chromebook or Chrome tablet from ASUS. For comparison, companies such as Acer, Lenovo, HP, and even Dell have been putting forward convertible clamshell devices with premium designs and the newest 8th-Gen Intel chipsets. Moreover, they’ve included all of the most highly-demanded extras ranging from backlit keyboards and garaged styluses to high-quality LPDDR4 RAM and storage at well above the average 32GB. Each of those has also been launched under top-tier branding to match, as is the case with Lenovo’s Yoga Chromebook C630 and Acer’s business-class Chromebook Spin 13.
The most recent ASUS Chromebooks, on the other hand, have shared specifications almost across the board that are not at all high-end. In fact, Marketed as the ASUS Chromebook C223, Chromebook C423, and Chromebook C523, each has featured Intel Celeron processors, low RAM, and slim bezels around FullHD panels in either a 12-inch, 13-inch, or 15-inch format. None of those has been a full convertible with a 360-degree hinge or included the high-end features shown off by the competition.
Impact: It is also true that none of the above-mentioned competing devices has been a full-blown tablet but that’s a portion of the market that’s currently only occupied by three devices – giving credit to HP for its detachable Chromebook x2. That makes it all the more difficult to ascertain what ASUS might be planning to bring to the tablet at the upcoming mobile electronics expo. On the one hand, Acer’s Chromebook Tab 10 currently corners the entirety of the budget end of the Chrome OS tablet segment. That leaves plenty of room for more competition on that front and a relatively untapped market. However, there are really only two competitors at the upper end as well, with Google’s own Pixel Slate joining HP’s Chromebook x2. ASUS may be looking to find a middle ground between those brackets and could be very successful there but there’s really more than enough room for growth at any point in the relatively new category of devices.
Don’t be surprised when ASUS launches what I think is its first Chrome OS tablet ~10inch screen. Could be one of the devices we get to see at #CES2019.
— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) November 12, 2018
Oh, and ASUS C403 Chromebook should also be a thing soon. https://t.co/0Oen1VXBFY
— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) November 12, 2018