A flexible laptop for our stay-at-home lives

There’s no getting around it: Laptops are super important right now because we’re all stuck at home. And though countless industries have slowed to a crawl during this pandemic, ASUS keeps on trucking with its newest laptop, the Chromebook Flip C436. 

Though its feature set is admittedly more incremental than revolutionary, ASUS’ hybrid Chromebook/tablet device could be a worthwhile option for anyone who needs a versatile laptop for both work and entertainment purposes. While the limitations of ChromeOS are put in stark relief here when contrasted with the Flip’s relatively high price, an attractive build and a couple of smart new additions make the Chromebook Flip C436 tough to dismiss.

The Good: Smooth performance, sweet design, future-proofed WiFi

At first, second, and third glances, the new Chromebook Flip is pretty similar to the previous model, the C434. It’s still a Chromebook that can bend over backwards to become a tablet, but for a $799 starting price, you get some cool new features, like better WiFi and a new way to log in. 

The base model comes with an Intel Core i3 processor, 128GB of storage, and 8GB of RAM, but you can get a Core i5, 512GB of storage, and 16GB of RAM for $999. A microSD slot lets you expand the storage by up to 2TB, too. The port situation is unremarkable though, with USB-C flanking either side and a headphone jack on the left. 

Those are pretty beefy specs for a Chromebook, but they’re made less enticing by a nearly $1,000 price tag that puts the Flip C436 on the upper end of the Chromebook price spectrum. We’ve certainly come a long way from the days of the cheap 2015 Chromebook Flip. The specs do compare somewhat favorably to a Windows laptops in the same price range, but something like the Acer Spin 5 comes with a better processor and 1TB of storage for $1,000.

That said, other machines with better specs might not be convertible, which could add a bunch of value for the right person. It all depends on your individual needs, but in terms of raw specs, the Flip isn’t a mind-blowing value.

New to the Flip C436 are WiFi 6 support and a fingerprint sensor on the keyboard. WiFi 6 is a faster wireless internet standard you can read about here, but you may not have the router to take advantage of it yet. Future-proofing is always good, though, as is the implementation of biometrics. The fingerprint sensor sits subtly above the backspace key, which is useful (but not required) for unlocking the Chromebook Flip after you’ve left it idle. 

I gotta be honest: It didn’t work great for me because, well, fingerprint sensors never seem to work properly for me. (I should consider a career in cat burglary, I guess.) Sometimes, it unlocked on the first try and, other times, I was forced to enter my password after too many failed attempts. Still, I can’t dock too many points for a problem I’ve also had with multiple iPhones. I do like the placement of the sensor, however, and the Chromebook is fully usable without it. 

The device’s high-cost may be questionable, but its performance is not. The new Chromebook Flip is as reliable for day-to-day tasks as can be, taking seconds to boot up and get ready to do a day’s work. ASUS claims up to 12 hours of battery life for its newest hybrid Chromebook, but I got less than that while using it as a primary work machine. Don’t take that as cause for alarm, though, as even with lengthy video conferences sapping the battery, the new Flip managed to make it almost to the end of an eight-hour work day on one charge.

The best part is that it charges quickly over USB-C. Even 20 to 30 minutes on the charger should get you plenty of juice to finish whatever task you’re working on.

Aesthetically, there’s a lot to like as the magnesium alloy body has a cool angular sci-fi look that I dig quite a bit. It also weighs a little less than 2.5 pounds, making it a breeze to move on and off your lap, desk, or coffee table. This is bolstered by an excellent keyboard, with keys that travel 1.2mm for a full press without feeling squishy or unresponsive. Both the keys and touchpad are adequately quiet, too, so you won’t bother your roommates while you work from home.

Oh yeah, and the screen bends backwards, too. It’s not ASUS’ first rodeo with this design, so it works as well as it should. Flipping it around and using the keyboard as a kickstand is great for passively taking part in Zoom calls or streaming videos on the vibrant 14-inch display. And the hinges feel strong enough to withstand some punishment. It’s also got a pressure-sensitive touchscreen for creatives who want to use the optional stylus accessory, which I can’t tell you much about because I didn’t have one on hand.

I still might prefer last year’s Pixelbook Go as a daily work machine though, because of its marginally more attractive form factor and cheaper starting price. But I found the new Chromebook Flip generally easy to use as a laptop.

The Bad: Awkward to use as a tablet, ChromeOS still feels like a burden

There isn’t much to hate about the new Chromebook Flip, but the closest thing to a red flag I encountered was its form factor as a tablet. When you turn the screen all the way around so it’s flush with the keyboard, you can theoretically use it just like an iPad. I’m just not sure you’ll want to, depending on what you like to do.

The Flip’s touchscreen feels a little too rough to the touch for my tastes. It’s more than responsive enough, though occasionally it registered my attempts to scroll as clicks. Case in point: It’s annoying when you’re trying to scroll through Slack and keep accidentally opening individual messages instead. Touchscreen navigation on the device may very well feel better with a stylus, but without one, I didn’t love using it as a full-on tablet. 

Touchscreen issues aside, it’s also not especially comfortable to hold as a tablet. Without some kind of case, your fingers will be smashing into the (deactivated) keyboard and touchpad on the back. It’s not unique to the Chromebook Flip, as you would likely encounter the same issue with another 2-in-1 laptop from Samsung or Dell. Still, it’s noticeable.

Finally, the Chromebook Flip shares the same caveat as every other Chromebook on the market: ChromeOS is still… ChromeOS. You’re almost entirely beholden to Google’s ecosystem on this device, with app compatibility locked to whatever is on the Google Play Store. As I covered above, a Windows laptop at a similar price can not only have better specs, but better app compatibility.

That’s true of every Chromebook and it isn’t worth dwelling on for too long, but still it’s something to consider. Android devotees or people who loop their Gmail accounts into every service they use will likely be just fine. But to anyone else, ChromeOS can feel like a burden. Go in knowing what you’re getting and you won’t get burned.

If a high-end Chromebook that can enable digital art, streaming, and video calls a little better than more traditional models appeals to you, the Flip C436 shouldn’t disappoint. It’s a somewhat iffy prospect within the wider laptop market — as Chromebooks tend to be — especially for the price. But the added versatility of its (admittedly imperfect) tablet features give it a leg up over the competition.