We’ve been keeping an eye on the ASUS Chromebook CM14 Flip ever since its surprise unveiling at CES 2023. It’s one of those quiet Chromebooks that captured our attention thanks to an interesting combo of features, battery life and price. However, as the months have gone on, I sort of forgot about it until getting an email recently that prompted me to dust off a few months-old posts and get reaquianted with this affordable, convertible Chromebook. Because right now, the ASUS Chromebook CM14 Flip is actually available for purchase at Walmart at the lower-than-promised price of just $279!
What’s special about the ASUS Chromebook CM14 Flip
The ASUS Chromebook CM14 Flip was nice surprise at CES 2023 and it really impressed me with its super-thin design, MIL-STD 810H ruggedness, spill-resistant keyboard, and surprisingly-capable MediaTek Kompanio 520 processor. Much of the device felt more like a mid-range Chromebook and what was most impressive is the fact that the CM14 Flip promises up to 14 hours of battery life and comes equipped with a garaged USI pen.
The only real thing that has changed since we saw it in Las Vegas is the color: gray now instead of the black we had hands-on time with at CES 2023. The version currently available at Walmart comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, making it solid for everyday tasks, remote learning, or working from home. ASUS did tell us a version with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage would arrive eventually, but that has yet to come to fruition.
Coming in at $279 is pretty remarkable for this device, and though it’s all-plastic build would make you think it is flimsy and cheap feeling, this Chromebook was anything but in our time with it at CES 2023. The thin chassis and rigid feel made it – once again – feel like a device that would command a higher price tag. The only real things to sort out at this point are performance and battery life.
We had the Lenovo Chromebook Slim 3 in the office for a bit and it runs on the same Kompanio 520 SoC, so we can know what to expect. If you stick to a few tasks and don’t try to go overboard with tons of apps and virtual desks, it should get along fine. And from what we’ve seen with MediaTek Chromebooks in the past, the battery life claims are likely spot on, meaning you can expect 12-14 hours of actual use with this device. For most of us, that means a couple days of work without needing to charge it in between.
Our review unit should be on its way, and I’m really looking forward to spending some time with this sub-$300 convertible Chromebook. I think it will make a great fit for a wide array of potential Chromebook users and the combo of a thin/light chassis and massive battery life will likely appeal to many of you out there. It’s not currently on sale, but at $279, I suppose it doesn’t need to be to still be a great deal as we continue moving through the Back to School season.
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