16.12.2019

When my convertible laptop was written off earlier this month due to screen breakage, I was left with a payout from the insurance company. Money in hand, I went to my local electronics retailer and walked straight past Chromebooks. Too basic, I thought. Cheap and undesirable. I was wrong.Looking at what I used my laptop for - web browsing, word processing and watching streamed media; I realised I didn't need an i7 with oodles of RAM. Most of my needs could be met with a web browser, and Office applications for mobile devices are pretty good nowadays. Enter the Asus C434 Chromebook. I was attracted by the design, positive 'chart topping' reviews online and battery life. I have not been left disappointed.Firstly,the C434 is the more premium-end of Asus' Chromebook line-up. This means you get their display with small bezels, all aluminium construction and backlit keyboard. The model below this is a blend of aluminium and plastic however very similar from a hardware perspective. Due to concerns about chassis bend when pressure was applied to the keyboard, I felt spending a little extra was worth the money for peace of mind. The C434 feels very sturdy, like a solid chunk of metal. Thanks to this it looks way more expensive than it actually is too. Using it at work and out and about, I have gained a few compliments, and people have been genuinely surprised that a Chromebook can look this good!Coming from an i7 I was very concerned about performance. I haven't bought a computer with this little RAM and CPU power since the days of Netbooks. I haven't found this to be a problem. I tried to overload the RAM with opening 25 tabs in Chrome, alongside running Word, Excel, Powerpoint, a VPN and Spotify. Yes, it slowed down a little when opening system menus, but scrolling in Chrome and opening up further tabs was smooth and perfectly usable. ChromeOS is an amazingly well optimised operating system. In fact, I am writing this review with an obscene 28 tabs open, and I'm swapping through a few of them without Spotify skipping once. This is beyond what most people would consider reasonable use, but good to know regardless.The battery life is somewhere in the region of 8-9 hours for mixed general use. Perfectly reasonable and on-par with mid-range Android tablets. The backlit keyboard doesn't appear to negatively impact this, and screen brightness can be left at a brighter level with no large detrimental effect. The 1080p screen is clear and is great for consuming media. No pixels can be seen at usual viewing distance and the backlight is more than usable for use outside without reflections becoming too distracting.In terms of ChromeOS, I have been very pleased. There was a small adjustment process as some keyboard buttons are modified or missing. A prime example of this is CAPS lock, which is search, summoning Google Assistant. This can be re-mapped in settings or (like me) you can simply press 'ALT+Search' to turn CAPS lock on or off. I barely ever use this, so I have not seen it to be a major drawback. Also there is no right press on the mouse pad, causing me a great deal of confusion at first. Right click on some Chromebooks is gesture based - simply hover over the item/word you want to right click, then tap on the touchpad using two fingers spaced apart. Reliable, yes. Convenient, no. ChromeOS on the Asus C434 supports Play Store so Android apps can be installed, and also Linux-based apps. The latter requires more technical experience. I just use Play Store as many apps are optimised for tablets and mobiles, so you're simply served the tablet user interface by default.Things aren't perfect though, and a few minor annoyances mean I cannot give this a perfect 5 stars.The keyboard is fine to type with, and is nice and quiet. The standard size means typing is intuitive but the keys feel a little mushy.The trackpad is quite bad, the worst I have used in a notebook for many years. The plastic finish means that it is not accurate, and sometimes interactions are not picked up immediately. Small movements might not be picked up initially, leading to a large reaction on the screen when the pad notices the input. This can mean inputs look a little jagged and harsh on the screen. I have adapted to this and barely notice it now, but coming from a premium notebook with a glass touchpad to this was a little jarring.The backlit keyboard had a weird mid-key LED light which can be seen through the keyboard and sometimes actually makes the keys harder to see. In low light I have sometimes turned it off. Thanks to the silver keyboard and clear keys, the backlight of the screen illuminates the keys well enough not to need to use it all the time.The built-in speakers are good but lack a little bass. My Android Tablet (S5e) has better speakers and a much smaller form factor. Left/right spacial differentiation is good without any post-processing of audio needed. Still, Asus could do better. They also opted to place the speakers on the bottom of the laptop meaning that you can sometimes obscure the speakers when using it on your lap. Side firing speakers would have been a better option.Overall, even despite my concerns with some of the design choices, I still love my Asus C434 Chromebook. It is fast, boots quickly and with ChromeOS is very secure too. It meets all my needs well and I'm left wondering how much money I've wasted on laptops over the past few years.

8.5.2019

So, let me start this review by saying I have worked in IT for a number of years, and have used a number of different makes and models of devices on all manner of operating systems over the years. I've got a large screen (17 inch) Windows 10 laptop which I have been using as my primary device, and a Samsung S8 phone that i get on really well with, but i wanted something bigger and better than a phone for use on the couch, portable and lightwieght for travelling and media and after looking at a number of reviews and trialing friends devices i chose this one.I still use my Windows 10 laptop for full Office Suite when i need it, and a few other applications, but on the whole this is now my main device.For web browsing, Android Store apps like Netflix (which allows offline downloads), Android games, Google Docs and Office Online, Youtube, Spotify etc this lovely bit of kit from Asus fits the bill.This is a slim, lightweight device, in a lovely polished chrome design. It has a full sized keyboard which is nice to type on, and has a handy backlight. The screen is a perfect size at 12.5 inches, I'm not a fan of the smaller more common 11.6 inch size machines. It feels sturdy enough, although I'm not planning on dropping it! The rotating screen is handy if you want to use it as a tablet, or turn it into a tent stand to watch a movie or something similar. The speakers are good enough for what you'd expect, obviously you'll need to use some headphone if you want a good quality sound. There is a standard 3.5mm headphone port and it supports bluetooth for external devices. There is a USB - C port on each side for charging, or for peripherals and there is a micro sd card slot if you need to add some storage for media or photos and documents. I've not yet fully tested the battery, but it seems to be good, I'm not convinced about claims that I'ev read about 10 - 12 hours of use, but i suspect i'll get 6 - 8 hours.The Chrome OS is refreshing, simple to use, and is intuitive once you've used it a couple of times. It will take some getting some used to for people who are not used to using non Windows devices, but anyone who has an Android phone will pick it up quickly. I've been holding off on using Chromebooks until Android apps were available, which they now are, although the store is not identical to the mobile one, for example no Amazon Prime Video app.All in all I'm very pleased with it so far as the device i'll use most for internet, shopping, apps and games that are better on a bigger screen than a phone or with a keyboard. Great for media and watching Netflix (or Sky Sports when there is an argument about the TV). If this is going to be your only device you need to make sure that you're not going to need anything that needs to be installed such as iTunes, Visual Studio, full Microsoft Office etc, otherwise you'll need to stick with Windows, Apple or Linux I'm afraid.

18.2.2018

Great little device. Boots up in seconds, fast recharge. This is one of the gadgets that runs Android apps as standard (but with a 12.5 inch screen, I tend to run the browser versions of most things). I had a problem running the Google Play Movies app, so use the browser version instead. Don't know if that is a specific problem that I experienced or something affecting this device in general.Take the time to learn the trackpad commands etc., you will get so much more out of this gadget. The old criticism of Chromebooks (can't use it offline) is moot now, as offline functionality has been added. I find Google's suite of applications (Docs, Sheets) are simple to use; they're close enough to Word and Excel,

5.2.2018

An amazing little piece of technology. It is fast and versatile with a lot of useful features. The fully-rotatable screen is even handier than I could have ever imagined. It is extremely lightweight and portable and the touch screen is very nice. It has a nice, small light-up keyboard that can be dimmed or brightened instantly using keyboard commands. The mousepad is fine with different finger gestures achieving various things. It has a good battery life and charges very quickly.Obviously, there is no disk drive and the physical memory of the device is limited. This is completely redeemed by the 100gb of free google drive space; allowing all of your files to be saved in the cloud instantaneously.

17.4.2019

The screen is great - sharp, bright and with good contrast - very comfortable to use outside on a bright sunlit day. Don’t believe one of the previous reviews criticising the keyboard and the trackpad. I do a lot of writing for a living and I am finding keyboard really comfortable over long periods - precise and responsive. The trackpad is OK - smooth and accurate - but not exceptional. The touch screen has about the right level of sensitivity for me when reaching out to it in laptop mode (haven’t used the machine much in tablet mode yet). The only very slight caveat is that it gets a bit ‘laggy’ switching between windows when you have a lot of them open - by a lot mean 8-10 - but even then it’s still perfectly usable.

5.10.2017

Firstly, the build quality is superb, the photos don't do it justice it is very thin and not heavy at all. The metal build is fantastic something you won't see on a Windows laptop at this price point. The bezels on the screen are very thin for a chromebook and the lid closes very flush to the main body, very professional, my ideal form factor.The typing expierence is the best I have come across on a laptop this size, the keys are well spaced apart and have a good amount of travel, the backlight in the keyboard is a total game changer and really sets it off. Same goes for the track pad, smooth and responsive. One thing to get used to is the lack of a physical right click,

13.3.2017

This piece of kit is pure class.I've been looking extensively for a sturdy, reliable, fast and premium Chromebook for quite some time to run my business off, and this is definitely the best of the bunch at this price point. The key requirements for me are speed, portability, battery life, typing experience, and build quality. This ticks every box and outperforms all other available Chromebooks within this price point in my opinion. The touch screen and the 2 in 1 flippable form factor are just icing on the cake, and will absolutely be useful for Android App usage on these machines (which will soon have a stable version of the Google Play Store available).The biggest competitor, of course,

8.5.2019

I bought the Asus C302 20 months ago for my wife knew nothing about computers or the Internet. At the time it cost close to £700.For normal purposes such as email, Internet searching, YouTube watching and suchlike it is excellent. The Chrome operating system is seamless and has given no trouble whatsoever. I have downloaded quite a number of apps from Google store and they install style and run without problem. I take an online version of a daily newspaper and also The Spectator weekly. From opening the cover of the Asus to downloading the daily newspaper amounts to something like 15 seconds. Something similar applies to the Spectator.

2.12.2019

This is almost the perfect Chromebook let down by one thing. I will break this down into categories.Screen - The HD screen is very crisp with good colours and viewing angles. Very thin bessels on the screen mean it is a 14 inch screen in the body of a 12 inch laptop. Also love the fact it can be used in laptop mode, tent mode, tablet or screen up keyboard under. The later is the way I can see myself using it for media consumption.Battery - Not had it long enough to confirm but other review suggest 9 hrs with 1hr charge time.Keyboard - Premium feeling keyboard with good travel. Nicely backlit.Trackpad - This is the one disappointment.

30.12.2017

We bought this as a Christmas present for our son, hoping it would be up to the hype of a number of industry reviews in 2017. Being very restrained, I didn't even play with it before wrapping, just left it for our son to play with on opening.He absolutely loves it. For one thing, it's a lot better than my much older Toshiba Chromebook he's occasionally borrowed, and the fact that is has a touch screen, a tablet mode and phenomenal battery life meant that he was sat there on Christmas Day doing maths homework for the new year because it was so much fun. He's 11. If a Chromebook can make him love homework, I'm delighted :)It's very speedy, thanks to the 4GB memory, the display is excellent,

15.7.2017

I am so very pleased with this Chromebook. I used to have a Window PC, later laptop since Win 95. I bought a Win 10 laptop locally and was so disgusted with how slowed down this laptop with 8RAM and a great processor was. Navigating Win 10 I hated from the first minute. When your doing something important the update kicks in keeping you from finishing your task. So I decided to return that laptop and order the Asus Chromebook.It is beautifully designed, nice to look at and feel. It is light, very fast and handles at least 18 different websites opened without lagging. Display is crisp, colours not overwhelmingly candylike;) The lit keyboard is perfect and so are the keys in general.

22.10.2018

This was my first experience with Chrome OS, and I think I will honestly never get any other laptop, unless it's an upgraded version of this. It's absolutely fantastic, I've now had mine for over a year or so and I cannot fault it whatsoever. My Chromebook Flip is still amazingly fast, it never stutters, I use it for all of my University work, Netflix, YouTube watching, honestly everything, I never take my charger with me and it lasts all day. I've never had to worry about it dying on me; crashing and losing important files or not being able to be productive because of the lack of Office, if anything Chrome OS and it's apps are so cohesive and intuitive feature for feature and bang for buck,

19.10.2019

I used the almost exactly the same Asus C434 for a week but unfortunately had to return it due to a faulty hinge and ended up getting the C433 64GB model instead.Looks wise I prefer the C433 as it has a less shiny surface and more of a blue grey tinge to it as well as a more boxy feel. The keyboard is the same and just as awesome and the screen has been just amazing. The track pad is bigger on the C433 and I actually prefer that. I can't tell if it is glass or not but it works great. I've added a 256GB micro SD which solves any space concerns and set it up for work and everything works beautifully.Asus have really done an amazing job of getting a 14 inch screen into a 13 inch form factor.

4.6.2017

I have had this machine since March, and have to say I am very pleased with it, despite its one or two minor flaws. It is the first machine I reach for when I am in my living room and my daughter (5) loves the touch screen for playing educational games on the web.The screen is beautiful being IPS, especially when used at native resolution and scaling. The touch screen is very responsive, and the Chrome OS UI is generally very usable with touch (a key exception being the tab bar in the Chrome browser). The machine uses USB-C for charging and can be charged from either side of the device, which is surprisingly convenient.Onto the flaws then. At £600 I would expect the fit and finish of the machine to be better than it is.

11.5.2020

For context: I have owned several Chromebooks, starting with a small plastic Samsung one some five or six years ago, use a recent model Dell ultrabook for work and sometimes also a MacBook Air. I'm not a graphic designer or video editor, but make broad general of laptops - including browsing, film streaming, video conferencing and document creation.A few observations. 1) The c433 is a beautifully made machine. It has a quality feel, with keyboard, trackpad, screen and folding mechanism all pleasing to use. 2) I deliberately chose a Chromebook over a Windows equivalent for its simplicity (in particular device management). It is simple but also powerful and Chrome OS has come a long way in recent years.

Asus Chromebook Flip 14 C433TA - Reviews

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