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ASUS Chromebook Flip C436 review: Premium hardware, poor value
The price on this Chromebook is too damn high
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Chromebooks have gone through a rapid evolution over the past two years or so. High-end models like the Galaxy Chromebook, Acer Chromebook Spin 13, and Lenovo Yoga Chromebook C630 are bumping up against Windows ultrabooks in both hardware and price. At the same time, Chrome OS has expanded in functionality with features like Linux app support, better native printing, and improvements to tablet mode.Asus revealed the Chromebook Flip C436 earlier this year, and while it's a great laptop (if you like Chrome OS) with fantastic performance, the incredibly high price makes it a tough recommendation.
Asus offers a wide range of capable Chromebooks, and many of them are available for reduced prices this Black Friday. The deals start with the entry-level Chromebook C223, which is available for just $160 across multiple retailers, but you'll see the biggest savings when you get a Chromebook Flip C302 with an Intel Core m5 — it's going for only $450, which is $150 less than the usual price. The other deals hover around reductions of $50 to $100, with many Chromebooks seeing their lowest-ever prices.You can't go wrong with Asus' higher-end Chromebooks like the Flip C434 and C302 or the C425, which have received glowing reviews here at Android Police. If you don't particularly care for the touchscreen functionality of the Flip C434, I'd recommend the 8GB RAM version of the C425 at $320. Either way, all of the Chromebooks listed here will receive software support until at least June 2023, so you're on the safe side regarding security and longevity.
Chromebooks are continuing to become a very attractive product, but not everyone wants to drop $1000 or more on a Pixelbook. Asus is one of the better names in this space, especially with the Flip C302. If you're more interested in a smaller form factor, the C213SA-YS02-S has fallen to $319.85, which is a nice $79.15 off MSRP. This ruggedized little convertible has an 11.6" HD touchscreen on a 360° hinge, a spillproof keyboard, and an Intel 3350 CPU, which isn't the best chip, as well as Android app support, USB-C, 32GB of flash storage, 4GB of DDR4 RAM, and a stylus. I wouldn't expect superb performance out of it, but it should do just fine with a few browser tabs and apps open.It's actually cheaper to get the stylus model right now, with just the laptop going for $323.99. You can pick up one of these Chromebook Flips for yourself at the source link below.Source: Amazon
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The ASUS Chromebook Flip lineup includes some of the best Chromebooks on the market, like the C101PA and C302. Some models are on sale right now, including the C302 m5 variant ($619), the C101PA ($269), and the C213SA ($319).
Chromebooks are still some of the best value computers on the market, mostly thanks to Chrome OS' ability to run well even on underpowered hardware. The ASUS Chromebook Flip C100PA wasn't exactly high-end when it was released in 2015, but even in 2017 it's a decent budget computer. You can now buy one for $149.99 from Woot, a decent savings over the $190-$250 that other stores currently sell it for.
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- Chrome Unbox has found that even more models now fully support Android apps on the Chrome OS Stable Channel. This includes the Lenovo Chromebook N23, EduGear R4D, Acer Chromebook R13, and Lenovo Chromebook Flex 11.
It's taking a while, but Google is delivering on its promise to add the Play Store to all Chromebooks made in 2017 and beyond. Over a dozen models received Android app support this summer, but only in the Chrome OS Beta Channel. Three more models now have the Play Store in Chrome OS Stable, meaning owners don't have to switch to a less-stable version of Chrome OS to use Android apps.
Chromebooks are growing more and more popular in the classroom, due to their simplicity, cost, and easy management. ASUS already revealed a new Chromebook Flip at Computex 2017, replacing the original 2015 10" model. But now they have announced another laptop simply called 'Chromebook Flip' (great branding there, guys) aimed at schools.
The original ASUS Chromebook Flip (C100PA) was released in 2015, and was one of the first Chromebooks to receive the Play Store. It's $250 MSRP made it a popular device, and ASUS has finally revealed a sequel at Computex 2017.
Just as several new smartwatches make their debuts on the Google Store, two (and a Chromebook) say their goodbyes. The ASUS ZenWatch 2, Casio Smart Outdoor Watch (great name, right?), and the ASUS Chromebook Flip are now unavailable for purchase from Google's hardware shop; in fact, the links to their listings now automatically redirect to the Android Wear and Chromebook landing pages, respectively.
Android apps on Chrome OS are not a new thing. In 2014, Google announced that it was working with a few select partners to bring certain apps to Chrome OS. Only a small number became available, and it was never really a consumer-facing project. Earlier this year, Google said that the experiment was scrapped in favor of a different system. Android apps would now run in containers, which would open the whole Play Store to Chrome OS users. This new approach would come to only some Chromebook models which had to be running the dev and beta channel builds.
