Asus announces new Chromebox 4 with 10th gen Intel processors

Asus has announced its new Chromebox 4, a mini PC that runs Chrome OS.

Visually, the Chromebox 4 looks quite similar to its predecessor (the Chromebox 3). Both are black with the Asus logo in the middle and the Chrome logo in the upper left corner. It’s also the same size – 5.85 x 5.85 x 1.58 inches – but Asus has made a big change under the hood. Where the Chromebox 3 was powered by 8th generation Intel processors, the Chromebox 4 offers 10th generation Intel processors. Asus says these will deliver “faster, smoother and more fuel-efficient performance.”

Image: Asus

The new Chromebox can include an Intel Celeron 5205U or one of three Intel Core processors: an i3-10110U, an i5-10210U, or an i7-10510U. (These are 15W TDP).

For other specifications, you can configure Chromebox 4 with 4 GB or 8 GB of memory (DDR4-SO-DIMM) and up to 256 GB of storage (via M.2 SATA SSD). There are a host of ports – including HDMI 2.0, USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 (supporting power and DisplayPort), and USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A – that can support up to three 4K displays at a time. . The system supports 802.11ax dual-band Wi-Fi 6 and includes a fan.

Like other Chrome OS devices, the Chromebox 4 supports Google Play. This means that you will be able to use Android apps natively on the device. Whether you actually want to do this depends on your workflow – some Android apps work great on Chrome OS devices, while others are problematic and unnecessary. Speaking of Chrome OS, you’ll also get automatic software and security updates, so you won’t have to set aside time to download and restart like you would with Windows or Mac machines.

The Chromebox 4 will be available in North America in December starting at $ 289.