Asus has revealed a new range of "education-ready" Chromebooks and a Chrome OS tablet. They will launch during CES 2019 this week as it looks to crack the growing popularity of Chromebooks.
There will be a total of four models in the range: the Asus Chromebook C204, the Chromebook Flip C214, the Chromebook C403 and the Chromebook Tablet CT100.
The C204 and C403 will be traditional clamshell laptops, coming in 11.6-inch and 14-inch sizes respectively, while the C214 will be a 14-inch convertible. The CT100 will be a new tablet form-factor for Asus, following the lead of the Google Pixel Slate, and feature a 9.7-inch QXGA wide-angle touch display to compete against the iPad.
The new series features durability, spill- and tamper-resistant keyboards and all-around rubber bumpers to withstand bashes and bumps Asus believes the kids of today will inflict on the devices.
The entire family of new devices will all feature similar specs and a common design aesthetic.
If you hadn't guessed, the C204 is the successor to the C202 and the C214 is the follow up to the Asus C213.
Asus Chromebook Tablet CT100
- First time a tablet included in the range
- USB-C for charging and accessories
With Google leading the way with a Chrome OS tablet in 2018, Asus is following suit. The 10mm thick tablet has been designed to be dropped from up to 1m with a rubberised finish and sports a USB-C connector for charging and connecting other devices. It will be powered by the OP1 found in other Chromebooks like the Samsung Chromebook Plus, a dedicated chip for Chrome OS devices. The new tablet measures 9.9 x 238.8 x 172.2mm and weighs 568g.
The Chromebook C204
- 11.6-inch display
- 4GB RAM
- 32GB Onboard storage
Coming with a dark grey finish rather than the bright and breezy white and blue of the predecessor, it will feature a thinner design (292 x 199 x 195mm, 1.2kg), but be able to withstand a drop of 1.2m when flat or 80cm when dropped on its sides.
It will come with an 11.6-inch display available in both touch and non-touch variants and is powered by a dual-core Celeron processor from Intel, as well as 4GB of RAM with 32GB of onboard.
Connections include two USB Type-A port, two reversible USB Type-C ports, a microSD card reader, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and for video calling a HD webcam.
An all-day battery life is promised but Asus hasn't detailed specific timings as yet.
The Chromebook C403
- 14-inch HD non-touch display
- 11 hour battery life
The C403 features the same design as the C204 but features a much larger 14-inch HD non-touch enabled display instead.
It too will be powered by an Intel Celeron processor, come with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage.
Connections include two USB Type-C ports, two USB Type-A slots, a microSD card reader, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and for video calling a HD webcam.
Battery life is a promised 11 hours on a single charge.
The Chromebook Flip C214
- Can be used either as a laptop or tablet
- 11.6-inch touch or non-touch display options
Offering you option of laptop or tablet, the C214 will come with virtually identical specs to C204 but with the option of flipping the screen around to treat it as a tablet when you need. That includes the Intel Celeron processor, 4GB of RAM and 32GB onboard storage.
Asus also says that it has made every effort to make the device as repairable as possible.
When can you get one?
We don't know exact release date or cost at present. Asus says that the new models will be available in the coming months with configurations and pricing to be announced nearer the time.
We will keep you posted.