Performance
Intel Core M-series CPUs may simply be the perfect part to power Chromebooks, as they use more performance than your average Celeron chip while being more efficient. Which’s just not just us stating that: the benchmark outcomes back us up here.
The C302, with its Core m3 processor, carries out almost twice as quickly as the Dell Chromebook 13 with a Celeron processor. That stated, this hybrid doesn’t rather have the gusto to stay up to date with the Intel Core i5-powered Acer Chromebook 14 for Work or the Core m5 chip inside HP Chromebook 13, though it’s just a quarter less power.
Numbers aside, the 2-in-1 Chromebook carries out very well even with two open Chrome windows with 12 open tabs each. In addition to our heavy browsing routines, we likewise had Google Music playing in the background and the Slack Android app open.
Ideal performance
Chromebooks are known for having long battery life, and the Asus Chromebook Flip is a terrific example. In reality, it’s the longest-lasting premium Chromebook we’ve used– it ran for a tremendous 10 hours and 46 minutes on our basic local movie playback test.
By comparison, the Acer Chromebook 14 ended its run an hour and 10 minutes earlier, and the HP Chromebook 13 just handled to last for just a minute over 8 hours.
With our normal work, the Asus Chromebook Flip ran just shy of striking the 8 hour, all-day battery life mark. However, any mix of running fewer tasks, switching off the keyboard backlight or reducing the display screen’s brightness would drastically increase battery life with this Chromebook.
Screen and speakers
Although the Asus Chromebook Flip C302 just rocks a 1,920 x 1,080 display screen, FHD is really all you need on a 12.5-inch screen. It’s not as sharp as the QHD HP Chromebook 13, but the lower pixel count affords two more hours of battery life– a trade off we would happily take.
Still, text and photos remain crisp and the C302 fixes strong colors, which is precisely what we wish to see in a buddy device to flip through e-comics and online video. Typical contrast levels — dark pixels frequently falling off to deep blacks– is the only weak point of the display however it’s still much better than the majority of Chromebooks, and we prefer this to seeing muddy grays.
Audio-wise, the Chromebook Flip’s speakers are loud, however do not have much subtlety to actually appreciate music. There’s also a small tip of tininess that restricts how high you can set the volume before it’s unbearable, so plug in a set of earphones if you’re wanting to rock out.
Liked
From leading to bottom, the Asus Chromebook C302 is our most preferred Chromebook yet. It satisfies high standards set by the HP Chromebook 13 and other premium Chrome OS maker with a stylish design and high-spec parts– yet it does all of this at a lower price.
Disliked
Our only genuine grievance about this hybrid Chrome OS maker is it’s average speakers, however it’s a problem we take with 80% of laptops. In other temporal problems, we wanted Android app integration would have been more seamless, however for now, it’s a continuous process. We’re sure Google will include Play store access to a stable Chrome OS develop for this specific Chromebook as it has with others in the past.
Final decision
If you’ve been on the fence about buying a premium Chromebook, this one has 100 factors (read: dollars, pounds … you get it) to make you jump for it. Although it isn’t a huge price distinction, the Asus Chromebook Flip C302 increases to its premium stature with a stunning screen and a better keyboard than you would discover on some Ultrabooks.
This is the first Chromebook that really feels as comfy to use as a tablet as it is a traditional laptop. While the Samsung Chromebook Pro almost makes this variation meaningless with its sharper screen and built-in stylus, we have yet to see how it carries out. In the meantime, the Asus Chromebook Flip C302 is king of the Chrome OS hill and it’s still worth your time, even in 2018.
