ASUS is cutting it close with the launch of its new Chromebook Flip C434, scheduled to arrive before the end of March and now available to buy in at least one configuration on the company’s own storefront. Now the model that’s been spotted isn’t the higher-end variations touted at this year’s CES 2019 event in Las Vegas. Instead, Acer is starting at the ‘budget’ end of the spectrum with product number, 90NX0231-M00250.
While this may be the weakest version of ASUS’s massively popular continuance for the premium 2-in-1 “Flip” lineup, it’s no slouch either with its starting price of $569.99. Prior to this announcement, the device has shown up on more enterprise-related sites with double the RAM for just a few dollars more but that variant isn’t guaranteed to land on the consumer side of the market — making this the first official launch.
What you get and what everybody gets
For the above-listed price, buyers of this particular variant of the ASUS Chromebook Flip C434 get a healthy but not overly impressive 4GB of non-interchangeable LPDDR3 memory and 64GB eMMC storage. That’s 1867MHz memory as opposed to the newer, quicker DDR4 variants of RAM found in many of ASUS’s competitors in the price range. Specs improve from there with ASUS offering up to 8GB of the same memory and as much as 128GB of storage at extra cost.
Where ASUS has not skimped, however, is in terms of the processor found inside these gadgets. At the lowest end of the spectrum, buyers are privy to the newest eight-generation Intel Core m3-8100Y. The clock for that hardware is set at a functional 1.1GHz but can boost up to 3.4GHz as needed for more intensive tasks. From that base model, potential purchasers will eventually be able to scale up alongside improvements to RAM and storage with either an Intel Core i5-8200Y or Intel Core i7-8500Y chip.
Regardless of which configuration is eventually purchased, all buyers of the new ASUS Chromebook Flip C434 will gain a slim-profiled, all-metal 3lb laptop convertible with a 14-inch FullHD panel and among the thinnest bezels available today.
Diamond-cut edges and an “Ergolift” full-size and backlit keyboard with 1.4mm of key travel – allowing for better placement and comfort – are included as part of the design too. Rounding all of that out are two USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C ports for charging, external display output, and data transfers as well as a single standard USB 3.1 Gen 1 port for more ‘old fashioned’ connections. A microSD slot, headphone jack, and Bluetooth 4.0 complete the build.
A comparison and a start
In terms of specs and on-paper claims, the newest ASUS Chromebook Flip C434 seems to be almost directly analogous to HP’s Chromebook x2 detachable. Each gadget features a similar processor, RAM, and storage capacity — although ASUS has the upper hand because of a generation gap on at least one of those components. The other of those two features a slightly higher-specced display panel.
That means the Chromebook Flip C434 should be a real performer and capable of accomplishing just about any task the average user throws its way. Whether or not that bears over to real-world use remains to be seen but this still appears to be a great way for ASUS to kick off the year — and on time too.
ASUS Chromebook Flip C434 -- ASUS Store
