Asus Chromebook Flip C434

Pros: – Big, bright 14″ display in a 13″ device’s body, thanks to very slim bezels – Solid performance, it’s not easy to bog it down – Comfortable keyboard – Linux support is fantastic – USB 3.0 port as well as two USB-C ports Cons: – Silver keyboard is hard to read when backlit in normal lighting (I turn it off unless I’m in the dark) – Heavy for its size – Touchpad could be a bit bigger Overall Review: Bought this a couple of weeks ago because the 12.5″ display on my Asus C302CA wasn’t a joy to work with all day now that I’m working from home. Frankly, it has a lot in common with the C302CA in terms of its 2-in-1 functionality and similar hinge design. But the CPU is two generations ahead of the old version, the display is much larger, the device is barely bigger than the old one, and it just feels fresher overall. If you’ve used a Chromebook, this one is likely to feel leaps and bounds ahead of what you’re used to, unless you’ve used the C302CA, a Pixel device, or one of the Samsungs that are difficult to get in Canada anyway. It’s handled everything I’ve thrown at it with ease, I haven’t had any trouble getting through a workday doing basic office tasks (Google suites, Office 365, video conferencing), and in the evening it streams movies and TV very nicely in tablet mode. One real surprise was how well Linux apps work. I’ve been keeping a Windows laptop handy to run Renoise (a digital audio workstation for music production), and just to see, I installed the Linux version on the C434. No drivers, no special tweaks (other than bumping Renoise’s audio buffer up a little), and it runs well alongside my ChromeOS Windows (no need to dual-boot!). Asus has some updated and upgraded models for 2020, but the price point has jumped considerably compared to this model, and some of them have ‘features’ I’d rather not have in a Chromebook (like cooling fans, no thanks). The C434 is still very much a safe buy if you’re looking to upgrade, or to see what Chromebook life is like on a device that isn’t mostly plastic and has a CPU that wasn’t intended for tablets.

Pros: – comfortable keyboard – nice screen – long battery life (6+ hours with video playing the whole time) Cons: – keyboard light is bright, but hard to see on keys except straight down. – only 5 years left on support by Google (check the chromebook support lifetime when buying one to get best value). My previous chromebook is still going strong after 7+ years and I just upgraded to get newer software. Overall Review: – not sure how often I’ll use the tablet mode, but it works well

This is my 3rd Chromebook and in my opinion, one of the best on the market right now. Just a month before I bought the ASUS, I had returned an HP 14-DA0011DX convertible due to a defect in the screen, opting not to exchange it due to size, weight, and concern over the hinge design. This ASUS Flip C434 also has a 14″ screen, but due to the very small bezels, its external dimensions are closer to a 13″ laptop. It’s also a half-pound lighter than the HP, and although I’m trading the Core i3 for an m3, I’m also giving up a very noisy fan. I would have preferred to have 8GB of RAM, but based on my use profile, I haven’t noticed any problem with just 4GB. Performance has been excellent. The C434 is simply a beautifully designed and built Chromebook. The keyboard is a joy to type on, and although not glass, the trackpad is precise and sensitive. The screen is amazing — not sure what else I can say about it. Some reviewers have commented that the hinges are too tight, but I actually prefer them over the HP’s, which just didn’t inspire confidence. As far as the battery is concerned, I have gone through 2 charge cycles, and battery life is consistently in the 10+ hour range. At $500 on sale, I feel like I got a great deal on one of 2019’s best Chromebooks.