The big pitch for Chromebooks and other devices running Google's Chrome OS was that these machines could do most of what you wanted from a computer at a very budget-friendly price.
Of late, we've seen an increasing number of low-cost computers that offer a relatively full-featured Windows experience for the same or less than many Chromebooks. These include the $199 HP Stream 11 laptop, the $179 Intel Compute Stick and others. To compete, new Chromebooks will have to offer better feature, lower prices or both.
ASUS Chromebook Flip C302CA-DHM4 12.5-inch Touchscreen Chromebook, Features a flexible 360 degree hinge and a 12.5 inch FHD touchscreen, Powerful Intel® Core™ m3 processor with 64GB storage and 4GB RAM.
Working closely with Google, Asus has created a Chrome OS hybrid that mixes high-end features with low-end components. The Asus Chromebook Flip C100 takes some real risks, some more successful than others, in order to provide a premium-feeling experience for only $249 (£249 in the UK; not currently available in Australia).
Right out of the box, the C100 impresses. It has a slim, light body made from solid-feeling aluminum, versus the plastic bodies of most other Chromebooks. The 10.1-inch display is a touchscreen, another feature rarely seen in either Chrome OS devices or in laptops in this price range (but to be fair, Chrome OS is not nearly as optimized for touch as Windows 8/Windows 10).
That touchscreen is necessary, because the C100 has a 360-degree hinge, which folds all the way back into a tablet mode, much like Lenovo's Yoga line does. This is one of the only Chrome OS hybrids we've seen (Lenovo makes one of the only others, the excellent Yoga 11e ), and in this case, the execution is only partially successful.
In hands-on use, the touchscreen was responsive in some cases, stuttery in others. The glass screen has a coating that drags on the finger more than other touchscreen laptop displays. When folded back into tablet mode, a custom Chrome OS onscreen keyboard pops up, but the small size of the screen means that this is a compact keyboard, which makes some basic punctuation and useful characters hard to use.
Rather than the more common Intel Celeron processors found in most Chromebooks, this system uses an ARM-based CPU from Rockchip, a Chinese chip maker, most likely as a cost-saving move. It ran our benchmark tests very slowly, but it was still fast enough for basic Web surfing when compared to other Chromebooks. One benefit from the low-power processor is very long battery life, and the Flip C100 beat out other Chrome and Windows systems in its price range.
As a Chrome OS device, the C100 is inherently limited -- it's essentially an online-only Web browser, with a laptop-like shell built around it. That means Web-based tools such as Gmail, Netflix, and social media and news websites will work, but traditional software apps such as Photoshop or iTunes will not, as you can't download and install Windows software.
If you can deal with the limitations of Chrome OS, however, the C100 hits more than it misses, adding features and materials rarely seen in this price range, plus great battery life. However, remember that you can also get a full Windows laptop, tablet, or mini-desktop (but usually not a hybrid) for even less, which gives you more options than ever to consider for low-cost computing.
Design and features
At 2 pounds and 0.6-inch thick, the 10.1-inch Flip C100 weighs about the same as Apple's high-end 12-inch MacBook . Both have aluminum shells, but you're unlikely to confuse them, which isn't surprising considering the thousand-dollar price difference between them. Still, the C100 looks and feels much more solid than the plastic HP Stream 11, another small laptop in the same price range.
The most important design feature, and the biggest potential point of failure, is the hinge that allows the top half to fold all the way back into a kiosk or tablet mode. In this case, it's a single long hinge that runs nearly the entire length of the system, and it feels stiff and stable when being flipped back and forth, although it'll give a bit under your fingers when tapping the screen in clamshell mode.
![Chromebook Chromebook](/uploads/1/2/5/6/125602629/130906329.jpg)
The keyboard key faces are very small, compared with those on a 13-inch or larger laptop (or the 12-inch MacBook), but they offer a deep, satisfying click and don't wobble too much under your fingers. It's not great for long-form typing, but for a budget 10-inch laptop, it's about as good as you're going to get.
Flipping into tablet mode and clicking on a text field brings up an on-screen keyboard. The default is a Chrome-friendly compact keyboard that's good for typing but hides so much of of the punctuation and special characters that actual document composition is difficult. Switching back to a traditional full keyboard makes the keys so small that typing accurately is a hassle. Another alternate onscreen input method replaces the keyboard with a pen input field, and scratching out search terms with a finger worked well, with excellent recognition of even my garbled handwriting.
Remember the now-discontinued 11-inch MacBook Air? The Asus Chromebook Flip C302CA is like a cheaper version of it that you can actually buy.
The 12.5-inch Asus laptop is a capable Chromebook with an all-aluminum 2-in-1 design and touchscreen. It looks and feels like a sleeker, more expensive product and, to be fair, for a Chromebook it kind of is.
Starting at $500 (converts to about £400, AU$655) the Asus laptop is no bargain-basement Chromebook; it's a high-end model with a posh design and decent components. While it might be pricey for a Chromebook, it's the perfect alternative to a low-end Windows 10 ($100 at Amazon) laptops for those who only need a machine for simple online-based tasks. The $549 Samsung Chromebook Pro ($569 at Amazon) is a better laptop, but if you want something smaller, the Asus Chromebook Flip is your best bet.
Editors' note: This review has been edited to clarify that the brightness of the backlit keyboard on the Asus Chromebook Flip C302CA can be adjusted.
Perfectly portable
The Asus Chromebook Flip C302CA (not to be confused with this older Asus Chromebook Flip) is a really good-looking laptop. Its metal body construction looks effortlessly cool and it also feels solid, despite being perfectly petite in size and weight.
- 2.43 pounds (1.1kg)
- 0.53x11.96x8.26 inches (13.5x304x210mm)
I love the Asus' compact build. It's the perfect size for taking to go and the stylish metallic design -- a very attractive alternative to a plastic laptop -- won't cramp your style. I use a 13-inch MacBook Air for work and I'd hate to carry anything heavier to and from work everyday. I'd prefer a design like this to the Air's; it's truly the ideal size for anyone who has to commute with a laptop often. Plus, you get the extra feature of a 360-degree convertible hinge, something you won't find on most laptops in this price range.
Dapper design
The Asus Chromebook Flip has two hinges that allow its lid to rotate back 360 degrees. This lets you use the laptop in a variety of configurations; you can flip the keyboard all the way back for a tablet-like experience, or prop it up like a tent to watch video.
The full-size backlit keyboard is roomy and comfortable to type on. The wide touchpad is also responsive and supports multitouch commands, but it's not as good as the touchpad gestures on my MacBook. To control the keyboard backlighting, you simply press the Alt key and the brightness control keys at the top of the keyboard that normally control the screen. Less expensive Chromebooks, like the Acer Chromebook R 13 and the Lenovo ThinkPad 13 Chromebook ($379 at Amazon), don't even have backlighting, so it's a nice addition.
![Chromebook Chromebook](/uploads/1/2/5/6/125602629/269926939.jpg)
Sexy screen
The Chromebook Flip C302CA's screen quality is above average, especially when compared with similarly priced Windows 10 laptops. It has a bright and clear full HD display that looks great when watching video or reading articles.
- 12.5-inch screen
- 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution
Its viewing angles are also extra wide, so no matter what angle you're at, you can still see what's on the screen. This comes in handy with the 360-degree hinge; no matter what configuration the laptop is in, the screen is clearly visible.