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This just in from intrepid Chrome OS hunter +Brent Sullivan: a new ASUS Chromebook C301 is on the horizon and listed as “Coming Soon” on ASUS’s US Store website.
Interestingly, this comes on the heels of the Acer Chromebook 14 we reviewed not long ago here at Chrome Unboxed. A similar build, processor, dimensions, etc. are all encouraging. While the Acer Chromebook 14 wasn’t a real workhorse, the metal build and good-enough processor would fit in quite well for the casual user. Price points on these two devices are quite close as well with ASUS getting in just $20 under the Acer.
ASUS tends to build pretty solid machines (Chromebook Flip, Chromebox, C201 to name a few) on a meager budget, so this could be very interesting. While understandable, the lack of a touch screen and true SSD (eMMC isn’t nearly as fast as a true SSD) hurt the overall appeal of this device. However, at this price point, concessions have to be made. It will be very interesting to see how quickly they get this device to market.
Spec Rundown? Sure thing:
- Braswell Celeron N3160 (quad-core Atom)
- 4GB RAM
- 13.3-inch Full HD (1080p) Anti-Glare Display
- 16GB eMMC Storage
- Full SD Card Slot
- 720p Web Cam
- Wifi 802.11 AC
- Bluetooth 4.2
- 2 USB 3.0
- Full Size HDMI
- Aluminum Body
- Dimensions: 32.9cm x 23cm x 2.03cm
So, what do you think? Is this an appealing entry from ASUS (who has been silent in the Chromebook market since late last summer) or do they need to do more to earn you cash?
