The new Asus Fanless Chromebox could be mistaken for a wireless router

Asus has announced a new fanless addition to its Chromebox family: the Asus Fanless Chromebox. Like previous models from Asus, the compact size of the fanless Chromebox is designed to be mounted on the back of a display or desk to save space in size-conscious work environments. Perhaps unintentionally, it also looks almost exactly like a wireless router.

The dimensions of the Asus Fanless Chromebox are approximately 8.15 x 5.82 x 1.26 inches, which gives its aluminum chassis a small rectangular shape. But the real aesthetic of the wireless router comes from the ridged design on the top of the box and the two adjustable antennas on the back.

Image: Asus

Inside, the Chromebox is equipped with a 10th generation Intel Core or Celeron processor: you can choose between an Intel Core i7-10510U, an Intel Core i5-10210U, an Intel Core i3-10110U or a Celeron 5205U. It also offers up to 16 GB of RAM and up to 256 GB of SSD storage.

Depending on the configuration, the Chromebox offers different ports, the major difference between the Celeron and Core models being the number and type of USB ports: the Celeron model has a mix of two USB 2.0, one USB 3.2 and one USB-C port, while Core models have three USB 3.1 ports and one USB-C port. All configurations feature two HDMI 2.0 ports for connection to displays and a microSD card slot to add additional memory.

Asus says the Chromebox’s specs, along with its fanless design, should allow it to power up to three 4K displays while running Chrome OS (and Android apps from the Play Store, too). With a starting price of $ 399, the Asus Fanless Chromebox could be a solid desktop Chrome OS experience – don’t just buy a wireless router by mistake.

The Asus Fanless Chromebox will be available in the United States in February 2021.