HP may have beaten other OEMs out of the Chromebox gate but ASUS came to Las Vegas with a surprise up their sleeve and they don’t plan on being outshined.
Amidst their ROG lineup, new connectivity solutions and a GIGABIT LTE Windows device, ASUS unveiled some mini-PCs, a new tinker board and the Kaby Lake-powered ASUS Chromebox 3.
Like the HP, the ASUS will tout the 8th generation Kaby Lake-R a.k.a Kaby Lake Plus. ASUS has yet to release full specs but we know the Chromebox 3 will come with at least one USB-C for data transfer, external device charging and most importantly, video out.
We’ll be getting some hands-on the Chromebox 3 tomorrow afternoon but I suspect we’ll find it powered by the same Intel® Core™ i7-8650U offer in the top-tier HP. Measuring 4.5″ x 4.5″, the ASUS has a slightly smaller footprint than the HP.
Unless ASUS is offering some major RAM or storage upgrades, I would suspect similar performance between the two new Chromeboxes. Price, however, is anybody’s guess. HP is known to charge top dollar even for Chrome devices but with the latest Intel chipset, but manufacturers will likely charge premium dollars for the premium machines.
The Chromebox 3 will come with Android Apps out of the box and is expected to be available in spring of this year.
Keep an eye out for our first look and hands-on with the ASUS tomorrow. We’ll do our best to get as many specs as possible. Stay tuned for ongoing live coverage from the show floor at CES 2018.
Source: ASUS