ASUS Chromebook CX9 unboxing and initial impressions [VIDEO]

I have been waiting for this day for months. Not since October of 2017 and the announcement of Google’s Pixelbook have I been this excited to get my hands on a flagship Chromebook. No, it isn’t a new Pixelbook. Nor is it a new premium device from Samsung. The Chromebook that has had me on the edge of my seat is the ASUS Chromebook CX9 that was announced at the virtual CES 2021 back in January. With 11th Gen Tiger Lake CPUs and up to 16GB of RAM, this Chromebook is currently the most powerful Chrome OS device ever produced and it is absolutely gorgeous.

What’s most exciting about this device is the fact that ASUS finally appears to have its pricing structure in line with other premium Chromebooks from other OEMs. ASUS’ last flagship, the Chromebook Flip C436, was a bit of a letdown when it came to build quality but its lack of finesse was grossly eclipsed by the egregious price tag of $999 that didn’t even get you a Core i7 processor. Combine that with the fact that it rarely saw any discounts and certainly did not see significant sales like other models in its class.

That’s all water under the bridge now. ASUS has come out swinging with three new Tiger Lake devices and they are price in a way that is not only respectable but aggressive and that’s a big win for you. Robby recently reviews the 15.6″ ASUS Chromebook CX5 and we all struggled to find anything bad about this powerful 2-in-1. To add some icing to the cake, ASUS priced this Core i3 convertible at a mere $569 which is more than $100 less than other 11th gen flagships in a similar vein. The Chromebook Flip CX5 has already seen multiple discounts that have brought the price down to as little as $419 and that’s insanely cheap in relation to what the device offers.

Anyway, what’s so special about the ASUS Chromebook CX9? Well, for starters, the one we have in-house features the 11th Gen Tiger Lake Core-i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of speedy NVMe storage. For now, this is the most powerful Chromebook in the world but that’s not all the CX9 brings to the party. I’ll save the finer details for Robby’s full review but you can take one look at this Chromebook and see that ASUS was very intentional with its design. The FullHD (optional 4K) 14″ display has a 91% screen to body ratio which makes it look as clean as any premium Windows device on the market. It doesn’t hurt that the display also pumps out 400 nits which is what a premium laptop should do. You also get nearly everything you’d expect from the latest generation of laptops. A fingerprint sensor, backlit keys, Thunderbolt 4, and it is super light and thin. All that said, here is Robby’s unboxing and first impressions of the highly-anticipated ASUS Chromebook CX9.

I mentioned that ASUS appears to have its pricing in order and here’s why. The top-tier FGD model of the ASUS Chromebook CX9 comes in at $1,149. Now, that may seem like a lot when you look at the overall Chromebook market but let’s not forget, Google’s own Pixelbook with similar specs was priced at $1,649. The ASUS is only $149 more than Samsung’s original Galaxy Chromebook and it is significantly more powerful and it has fans so you shouldn’t have to worry about overheating concerns. Stay tuned for Robby’s full review but I can go ahead and say, in my opinion, that ASUS has raised the bar for the entire Chromebook industry. You can see both models that are coming soon over on the ASUS store.

ASUS Chromebook CX9 key specs

• Chrome OS
• up-to 11th Gen Core i7 Tiger Lake CPU
• up-to 16GB RAM
• up-to 512GB NCMe SSD
• 14″ FullHD display at 400 nits, Core i7 model w/touch and USI support (4K coming soon)
• fingerprint sensor
• 2 x USB-C with Thunderbolt 4
• HDMI
• USB-A 3.2
• MicroSD slot
• Integrated numeric touch keypad
• webcam w/privacy shade
• Wi-Fi 6/Bluetooth 5
• Passes multiple MIL-STD-810H tests
• AUE date June 2029

ASUS Chromebook CX9 at ASUS