Support our independent tech coverage. Chrome Unboxed is written by real people, for real people—not search algorithms. Join Chrome Unboxed Plus for just $2 a month to get an ad-free experience, access to our private Discord, and more. Learn more about membership here.
START FREE TRIAL (MONTHLY)START FREE TRIAL (ANNUAL)
HP was all set to steal the show at CES 2022 with the companies first-ever Dragonfly Chromebook. While we’re equally as excited about Acer’s upcoming MediaTek-powered Chromebook Spin 513 that’s rocking the flagship-caliber Kompanio 1380 SoC, HP’s 12th Gen Intel Alder Lake Dragonfly will undoubtedly be a powerhouse and it has every bell and whistle you could want in a laptop regardless of the operating system. It even features a Chrome OS first in the form of a haptic touchpad. Swanky to say the least.
With most of our virtual CES meetings out of the way, I honestly wasn’t expecting any more Chromebook-related announcements but Google alerts just informed me otherwise. ASUS had an early sneak peek press conference before CES 2022 started and there were a lot of really awesome new products to note including a foldable 17.3 laptop that folds out into a massive tablet. Chromebooks, however, were not on that list and we were given no inclinations that the PC giant would be announcing a Chrome OS device in Vegas. But… they did.
ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5(5601)
Adding to the established Flip CX5 lineup, ASUS quietly added the Chromebook Flip CX5(5601) to the official CES 2022 press release and this could be the most exciting device yet from the PC giant. Like the HP Dragonfly Chromebook, the new ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5 is powered by Intel’s 12th Gen Alder Lake CPUs and the new model will offer up to a Core i7 and 16GB of RAM. The Flip CX5 doesn’t have a fingerprint sensor, wirelessly charging stylus, or LTE like the HP but what it does feature is the first-ever 16″ display to grace a Chromebook.
The 16″ display offers a 16:10 aspect ratio which gives users an increase in vertical desktop space and the three-sided nano-edge panel touts an 87% screen-to-body ratio. The 16-inch CX5, like ASUS other premium Chromebooks, features audio tuned by Harmon Kardon. If it’s comparable to the CX9 or CX5400, the sound quality should be better than most. Other notable features include the latest Wi-Fi 6E which boasts speeds up to three times faster than Wi-Fi 5. You’ll also find two Thunderbolt USB-C ports, a full-sized HDMI port, and a MicroSD card for extra storage and easy file transfers. Here’s our first look at the all-new 16-inch ASUS Chromebook Flix CX5.
The ASUS Chromebook CX5(5601) comes in Mineral Gray with an aluminum-alloy lid and a backlit, spill-resistant keyboard which compliments the ruggedness of a MIL-SPEC-rated chassis. ASUS will offer an Enterprise version with an optional Chrome Enterprise Upgrade and the same Intel vPro enterprise-level security offered by HP’s Dragonfly. Pricing and availability have not been announced but we have reached out to our contacts at ASUS to get some more info and hopefully, get our hands on a review unit as soon as they are available. Stay tuned for more on the new ASUS and our ongoing coverage of CES 2022.
SUBSCRIBE TO UPSTREAM
Get Chrome Unboxed delivered straight to your inbox
Upstream is our flagship, curated newsletter with the top stories, most click-worthy deals, giveaways, and trending articles from Chrome Unboxed sent directly to your inbox a few times a week. Join 31,000+ subscribers.
