Asus Chromebook CM34 Flip Review: Battery Life Beast

Value When Reviewed

$499

Finest Costs At present: Asus Chromebook CM34 Flip

$499.00

It’s no secret that I’m an enormous fan of Chromebooks. I am keen on the easy nature of them. I like the dearth of bells and whistles, which fits me simply high quality as a result of I primarily use mine as a piece machine.

These days, Chromebooks are available nearly each form of selection, from gaming machines to luxurious convertibles. Though convertible Chromebooks, aka 2-in-1s, aren’t new to the tech world, there are a few actual standouts. Asus’ Chromebook CM34 Flip is one such instance.

The CM34 Flip is an effective laptop computer for the on a regular basis individual. You’ll discover AMD {hardware} underneath the hood in addition to a touch-enabled show with skinny bezels, a 360-degree hinge and phenomenal battery life. So far as options and functionalities go, this particular machine checks off quite a lot of packing containers.

Having used varied Chromebooks for the final couple of years or so (I contemplate myself to be well-versed on this class), I can confidently say that the CM34 Flip is effectively definitely worth the cash.

Design & construct

The darkish blue color scheme is unquestionably delicate, however that’s not essentially a nasty factor. There’s an air of sophistication right here. I do know I wouldn’t thoughts bringing this laptop computer to an necessary enterprise assembly.

It’s not ugly, per se, however possibly only a contact on the boring facet. We function in a world of gray rectangular packing containers, so I like seeing a pleasant pop of color once in a while, even when that color is extra understated. It’s nonetheless a pleasant contact.

IDG / Ashley Biancuzzo

What stunned me was the load of the machine. For a convertible laptop computer, it’s fairly heavy. Once I eliminated it from the field, I might really feel all 4lb (1.81kg) of it weighing down my arms. That’s not what I used to be anticipating.

Whereas I used to be upset within the basic heaviness, it will get brownie factors for sturdiness, because it positively feels well-made. Once I flipped the display screen round 360 levels, the hinge holding the display screen to the remainder of the laptop computer was good and tight. I didn’t discover any creaking within the keyboard deck, both.

Keyboard & trackpad

General, the keyboard is good to make use of. It’s a full-sized backlit keyboard that permits for 1.4mm of journey. I’m of the thoughts that if I take advantage of a keyboard lengthy sufficient, I’ll get accustomed to it no matter whether or not it stinks or not.

Happily, this keyboard is fairly good for a laptop computer keyboard. I like that it’s full-sized, which leaves quantity of area between the keys and the backlighting is good for typing in low-light environments. It doesn’t embody a numpad, however that’s extra widespread on gaming laptops.

IDG / Ashley Biancuzzo

The touchpad is phenomenal, nonetheless. It measures 5.55-inches and it sits proper within the centre of the keyboard deck. It registered my faucets and swipes with ease. I might additionally zoom out and in in a single clean, seamless movement. If there have been any misfires, they have been few and much between. I discovered that I tailored to it instantly.

Show & audio

I actually just like the show’s 16:10 side ratio in addition to the ultra-slim bezels. You’re getting quantity of display screen right here. I discovered that it was tremendous simple for me to scroll via a protracted article I used to be modifying.

It’s additionally display screen for watching Netflix, YouTube movies and so forth. Once I watched the trailer for the Barbie film, the assorted shades of pink in Barbie’s fantastically outrageous world have been each vibrant and sharp.

By the way in which, the show incorporates a decision of 1920×1080 and a refresh fee of 60Hz. That’s completely appropriate for general-purpose use or workplace work.

IDG / Ashley Biancuzzo

My solely gripe with the show is that it’s tremendous reflective in outdoors environments. I wish to work from my deck on good days, however it’s virtually unimaginable to take action with the Flip as a result of it’s so troublesome to see the show underneath direct daylight.

When it comes to brightness, it measures about 300 nits, which is ok for indoor however outdoors is one other story. That mentioned, this isn’t uncommon for touchscreen laptops. In case you don’t sometimes use your laptop computer outdoors, you then in all probability received’t ever encounter this drawback.

I don’t contemplate myself a lot of an audiophile, however even I can recognize clear-sounding audio system. The Flip is outfitted with Harman Kardon-certified audio system, which have a little bit of a punch to them (that’s factor).

I’m a baby of the ’90s, so I’ve acquired a rigorously curated playlist enjoying always. Once I began enjoying music from The Cranberries, Dolores O’Riordan’s (RIP) highly effective vocals sounded crisp and full. I’d say the audio system are highly effective sufficient to fill a medium-sized room with sound.

Webcam & ports

The 1080p webcam is a pleasant perk, that’s for certain. With so many individuals working from residence (hello!) as of late, it simply is smart to equip laptops with 1080p webcams as an alternative of the cheaper 720p fare. Frankly, I don’t need to look grainy in videoconferencing calls.

General, I used to be happy with the standard of this webcam. Colors seemed wealthy and heat, and I didn’t discover any blurring round my face. Background particulars have been comparatively clear, too.

The Flip has a pleasant choice of ports. You’re getting one HDMI 2.1, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Kind-C, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Kind-A, one audio jack, one microSD card reader, and one Kensington lock slot.

That’s selection proper there, so that you don’t actually need to maintain an adapter with you. That is excellent news for these instances if you need to plug in an exterior mouse or monitor.

IDG / Ashley Biancuzzo

Efficiency

The Flip was one of many first to incorporate AMD’s line of Chromebook-specific CPUs. The AMD Ryzen 3 7320C CPU comprises 4 cores and eight threads, which implies it’s able to dealing with a number of duties and purposes directly. I didn’t discover a lot slowdown once I was leaping from tab to tab throughout the browser.

Nonetheless, it’s necessary to mood your expectations, because it’s not the strongest performer on the market. It’s higher than these with Snapdragon CPUs, certain, however it’s not going to carry out like extra highly effective AMD chips.

The Spin 514 has a CPU with six cores and 12 threads, which implies it’s extra highly effective within the processing division. The extra cores, the higher. Nonetheless, the Spin can be dearer because of that {hardware}.

The Flip can deal with on a regular basis duties simply high quality and if that’s all you’re searching for, then it received’t disappoint. Right here’s how the Asus Chromebook CM34 Flip carried out in our browser-based benchmarks:

• CrXPRT 2: 148
• Speedometer: 73.7
• Basemark Internet 3.0: 725.03
• Kraken: 716.7
• Jetstream 2: 171.377

The Acer Chromebook Spin 514, for instance, earned a rating of 210 in our Speedometer benchmark, which measures the responsiveness of net purposes. The Flip, alternatively, scored simply 73.7. If I needed to guess, it’s probably as a result of Flip’s CPU, which doesn’t have as many cores or threads.

In real-world use, I’m undecided you’d discover that a lot of a distinction between the machines so far as efficiency goes, until you deliberately run the Flip into the bottom by overwhelming it with a bunch of open tabs and purposes. It’s not a strong Home windows machine, however then once more it’s not making an attempt to be.

Battery life

The Flip lasted a jaw-dropping 19 hours on a single cost, which is positively wild. The truth is, I ended up working the benchmark twice as a result of I used to be so stunned by the end result and felt the necessity to confirm it.

We run the CrXPRT 2 battery benchmark on Chromebooks, which cycles via varied duties till the laptop computer dies. The Flip’s 60Wh battery is on the bigger facet, so I anticipated it to succeed in the ten hour mark, however the ultimate end result exceeded my expectations.

In case you’re on the hunt for a long-lasting on a regular basis machine, you actually can’t get a lot better than this. Holy cow.

Verdict

With its vibrant touchscreen, 2-in-1 type issue and unbelievable battery life, the Flip has quite a bit to supply at this $599 value level.

It’s possibility for school college students or those that simply want an on a regular basis machine. The touchpad is spacious and the 1080p webcam captures clear, vibrant video.

It’s heavier than most convertible laptops, although, which can be a dealbreaker to some folks: you may find yourself with a sore shoulder for those who plan on lugging it round day after day.

That mentioned, for those who don’t thoughts the extra heft, it’s a extremely good worth purchase. Hopefully it’ll come to the UK sooner or later.

Specs

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 7320C
• GPU: AMD Radeon graphics
• Reminiscence: 16GB
• Storage: 128GB PCIe SSD
• Show: 14-inch 1920×1200 touchscreen, 60Hz, 16:10, 300 nits
• Ports: 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Kind-C, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Kind-A, 1 HDMI 2.1, 1 3.5mm audio jack, 1 Kensington lock slot, 1 microSD card reader
• Webcam: FHD 1920×1080
• Weight: 4.07 lbs
• Battery: 63 Wh
• Wi-fi: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) (Twin band) 2*2 + Bluetooth 5.3 wi-fi card

This assessment was initially revealed on PCWorld.