After popping up at a random Amazon storefront (and quickly selling out), ASUS’ detachable Chrome OS tablet has officially arrived at the ASUS store. As reported last week, there are two configurations available with the only difference being the storage options. This Chromebook is clearly aimed at directly competing with Lenovo’s Chromebook Duet but the ASUS has a couple of features that set it apart from the Duet that could make it a better option for some users.
First and foremost, the ASUS CM3 comes with a garaged rechargeable USI stylus that stows seamlessly into the side of the tablet and will give you up to 45 minutes of use with a mere 15-second charge. If you want a stylus for the Duet, you’ll have to pony up $30-$60 for a USI pen. When you take that into consideration, this puts the price of the Duet a little closer to the ASUS but the CM3 has a couple of other tricks up its sleeve. In addition to the integrated stylus, the ASUS Chromebook CM3 has a 2-way folio case that acts as a kickstand so the tablet can be used vertically which is handy if you do a lot of reading.
Last but not least, ASUS had the common sense to put a headphone jack on its tablet which was one of the few glaring complaints many users had when Lenovo unveiled the Duet. I get that most mobile devices are doing away with the 3.5mm but a tablet with a detachable keyboard that only has a single USB port needs a headphone jack. That’s my two cents and I’m glad that ASUS decided to keep it. Anyway, I still hate that ASUS waited this long to release this tablet but I’m sure that there are many that have been holding out to get one. So, with that said, you can pick up the 64GB or 128GB ASUS Detachable Chromebook CM3 directly from ASUS for $369.99 or $389.99 respectively. Personally, I’d recommend spending the extra $20 for the larger storage as you won’t get an SD card slot. Find both models below.
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