The ASUS Chromebook Flip C434 is a worthy successor to the beloved C302

In recent years, the Asus Chromebook Flip C302 is one of the best Chrome OS devices on the market. Its MacBook-like design, excellent keyboard, support for Android apps (although a few months after its release), its good screen and price under $ 500 make it a great computer for many. I should know – it was my main laptop for over a year.

The C302 has been upgraded for some time, and Asus has finally been successful. The Chromebook Flip C434 is Asus' new flagship Chromebook, with an updated design and a larger screen. It is also more expensive. While the C302 was starting at $ 500 for a Core M3 processor and 4GB of RAM (and now stands at around $ 470), the entry-level C434 with a m3 processor and 4GB of RAM costs $ 569.99 USD. The model with 8 GB of RAM will cost you $ 600.

The C434 is a worthy successor to the C302, but its compromises are different from those of the previous model, with a higher starting price.

Design and material

The most radical change from C302 to C434 is design. The aesthetics of the MacBook and the big-screen glasses are nowhere else on the C434, they are being replaced by something that looks a lot closer to Asus' line of Windows ultrabook books from ZenBook. It uses a sandblasted aluminum finish, with a silver border around the hinge cover and touch pad.

The screen is the main improvement of the design. Even though it still has a resolution of 1080p (no 14 "laptop needs anything higher), the surrounding surrounds have been drastically reduced.The screen looks more like a Dell XPS or a MacBook Pro, and gives you more space for productivity.The webcam is always located at the top.

Another improvement on the C434 is connectivity. There are always two USB 3.0 Type-C ports on each side, both capable of charging, but Asus has added a single Type-A connector this time. It will take some time before the original USB connector connects to FireWire. It is therefore a welcome improvement in my book. There is also a headphone / microphone combo jack and a microSD card slot.

The hinge mechanism, called by Asus ErgoLift, is a nice feature. When opening the laptop, the keyboard is tilted slightly 3 ° instead of being flat. However, this means that two of the four rubber feet are not completely in contact with the desk / table, which can drag the laptop onto certain surfaces.

Another disadvantage of this new design is the tablet mode. Although the C302 is very comfortable to use and maintain as a tablet, the combination of a larger screen and the gap between the keyboard and the screen means that this Chromebook Flip n & # 39; 39 is not very good for … rocking.

Internal hardware is where things get complicated. Like the original C302, Asus sells several variants of the C434 with different hardware. The processor can be an Intel Core m3-8100Y, i5-8200Y or i7-8500Y processor, and you can have 4GB or 8GB of RAM. There are also three storage options: 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB (all eMMCs). For reference, I test the m3 model with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage.

I noticed two hardware-related bugs on the C434. First, the sensor in place that determines whether the C434 is in tablet mode or laptop mode sometimes does not work properly. For example, when I open the Chromebook in sleep mode, keyboard activation sometimes takes a few seconds. Plus, when it is connected to the point of access of my OnePlus 6T, the Wi-Fi sometimes disconnects (even when the phone is next to the laptop) and I'm not sure what's going on. I have encountered this problem with no other device I own.

Keyboard and trackpad

I am not a big fan of the C434 keyboard. The layout is good, with decent-sized keys and backlight support, the keys themselves are not very rattling – they're way better than my Dell XPS 13. That said, you'll probably get used to it after a while. a few days and at least the keys (probably) will not fall from the computer.

The trackpad is also a little disappointing. It's big enough for comfortable use and gestures, but I would have liked to see Asus copying Apple's huge touch pads. By clicking, you feel a little hollow, but again, you will get used to it after a while.

Speakers and display

As mentioned earlier, the display is probably the most radical change compared to previous Asus Chromebooks. This is a large, bright 14-inch IPS 1920×1080 screen, offering good viewing angles and a good brightness level. The small screw caps also allow the C434 to feel even more luxurious and the webcam is (thankfully) still located above the screen.

The speakers of the C434 are not bad at all. They can be very noisy – I usually set the volume at around 20% – but there is a noticeable distortion at the highest levels. The speakers are pulling down, but that did not really bother me.

Performance and battery life

The m3-8100Y in the C434 base is a minor improvement over the previous model, the m3-6730, delivered with the C302. They both have 2 cores / 4 wires and a 14 nm lithography, but the 8100Y has faster base frequencies (900 MHz vs. 1.10 GHz) and turbo (2.20 GHz vs. 3.40 GHz).

It is still a 5 W TDP processor, which allows the C434 to be completely quiet, but it will not match the performance of Chromebooks equipped with 15 W TDP chips (as the Dell Inspiron Chromebook 14, the Acer Chromebook Spin 13 and Google Pixelbook). If you're interested in landmarks, my m3 C434 scored 3591 for single-core performance and 6950 for multicore performance in Geekbench 4 (full results here). On Speedbench 2.0, the laptop scored 82.

On the technical side, the C434 is a very fast and responsive computer. I do not push my laptops very hard, but the 4GB model has managed my usual workload (usually 5 to 20 Chrome tabs and some Android apps) as a champion.

The battery life is also very good. Asus says that the Chromebook should last "up to 10 hours", but during my tests, that equals 8 hours at a brightness of 60 to 80%. It varies a bit depending on what is running, so keep in mind that your use could be very different from mine.

Should you buy one?

Yes. The Asus Chromebook C434 is a good laptop, with solid performance and high-end design. Although it is not as powerful as other modern high-end Chromebooks equipped with Intel 15-W processors, the C434 reduces from $ 100 to $ 200 most of them. For example, the Acer Chromebook Spin 13 with a 15-core Core i5-8250U and 8GB of RAM currently costs $ 744, while the C434's 8GB of RAM displays a $ 600 MSRP.

I am disappointed that Asus still holds 4 GB of RAM on the lowest-end model. Although Chrome OS generally uses less memory than Windows or macOS, RAM prices have dropped to such an extent that there is no longer really any excuse for using 4 GB.

There are several variants of the C434 available worldwide, but in the US, we have a 4GB model of RAM and an 8GB model. Both have the same Core m3 processor and 64GB of storage. The availability of the 8GB version is limited at the moment (the Amazon list is that of a third-party seller that drives up the price), but this should improve in the coming months.

Buy it if:

• You want a high quality Chromebook.
• You can not afford a Pixelbook.

Do not buy it if:

• You are picky on keyboards.
• You must regularly run performance-intensive workloads (such as dozens of tabs or large Linux applications).
• You already have the Asus C302 (unless you really want Linux applications).