Google’s Chrome OS has a shadowy existence, at least in this country, with a market share of around 5%. With the ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5, a convertible comes onto the market that leaves little to be desired in terms of performance and should show what works with the Google operating system.
Do manufacturers dare to do more with Chromebooks? While Windows laptops often come up with silvery shimmering aluminum, the ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5 can use polycarbonate. The exterior is white, while the screen, keyboard, and palm rest are black. That is so out of the ordinary. And so you don’t even notice the case’s otherwise very conventional cut at first glance.
The design is clean but not convincing in every area. The body and display lid have high torsional stiffness, but the plastic above the keyboard is very soft. The hinges could also be better. Not least because of the high weight, they have difficulty holding the display in place if it jerks unexpectedly.
| PROS | CONS |
| Robust housing | Google Chrome OS doesn’t suit every user |
| Fast hardware for a lean operating system | |
| Long battery life |
General Info
| ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5 | |
| Brand | ASUS |
| Model | Chromebook Flip CX5 |
| Release Date | 14th January 2021 |
| Processor | Intel® Core™ i3-1115G4 Processor 3.0 GHz (6M Cache, up to 4.1 GHz, 2 cores) Intel® Core™ i5-1135G7 Processor 2.4 GHz (8M Cache, up to 4.2 GHz, 4 cores) Intel® Core™ i7-1165G7 Processor 2.8 GHz (12M Cache, up to 4.7 GHz, 4 cores) |
| Weight | 1.89 kg (4.17 lbs) |
| Display | 15.6 inches, IPS, (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) |
| Dimensions | 357.6 x 240.8 x 18.5 mm |
| Color | Immersive White |
| Type | Laptop |
Display
| ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5 | |
| Display Type | IPS LCD |
| Display Size | 15.6 inches |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 |
| Dimension | 357.6 x 240.8 x 18.5 mm |
With a screen diagonal of 15.6 inches, the Flip CX5 is one of the giants among the Chromebooks. However, the parameters are far from exceptional. Both the resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels and the aspect ratio of 16: 9 are conventional. The viewing angle dependency of the IPS display is not the best, and the colors and contrasts could be a bit crisper.
The display is touch-sensitive and understands both finger and pen input. The latter is part of the standard equipment and basically works well. However, it is incomprehensible that ASUS relies on a classic battery for power supply. There is no provision for charging on a laptop. After all, there are loops in the box with which the pen can be fixed to the housing. The card slot is used for this. However, the connection is so ridiculously shaky that it can’t handle the transport.
Specification
| ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5 | |
| Processor | Intel Core i7 1165G7 |
| Base frequency | 1.2-2.8 GHz |
| Turbo frequency | 4.7 GHz |
| Cores | 4 |
| Threads | 8 |
| L3 Cache | 12 MB |
| Graphics | Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EU |
| GPU base clock | 300 MHz |
| GPU boost clock | 1100-1400 MHz |
| RAM | 16 GB RAM, LPDDR4-2133 |
| RAM slots | 2 |
| Storage | 512 TB, SSD, NVMe |
Chromebooks have always been considered to be underperforming. The operating system, which is reduced to the essentials and based on a Linux kernel, does not make any major demands. But if you really want to be productive, you need power, not least for one or the other app from the Google Play Store.
And so ASUS has decided to offer an alternative to the smooth appearance of the Chromebooks, which relies on Intel’s Core i7-1165G7 and 16 GB of RAM. The compilation has already shown what it is capable of in previous tests. The performance of the Flip CX5 is at the expected high level: cross-platform benchmarks show similar values in terms of CPU and GPU performance under Chrome OS as with a comparable Windows system.
Google can also optimize Chrome OS and Chrome Browser better so that the speed is significantly higher than with comparable Windows systems. The ASUS Chromebook achieved over 300 points in the WebXpert browser benchmark, while Windows laptops with comparable equipment already failed at 170 points.
The ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5 also stands out from most competitors in storage space, which often comes with firmly soldered memory modules with limited space reserves because ASUS relies on an NVMe SSD with a storage capacity of 512 GB.
Multimedia
| ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5 | |
| Webcam | Above the display |
| Webcam resolution | 1280 x 720 |
| Audio jack | 3.5mm jack |
| Speakers | 2.0 |
| Dolby Atmos | No |
| Network | WLAN 6 |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Ports | 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C support display / power delivery 1x HDMI 2.0a Micro SD card reader |
| Keyboard Numpad | No |
For the connection to the outside world, ASUS relies on the technology in the processor: The Intel chip comes with a WLAN module that transmits on the ax specification ( WLAN 6 ) and Bluetooth 5.
It gets tight for wired peripherals. In addition to a classic USB interface, two USB Type-C ports are available, one of which is also required for charging. As a basis, you use the 3.1 specifications across the board. Screens can be connected via HDMI 2.0a, a card reader understands itself on micro SD cards.
High-performance hardware is one thing, but input devices are almost as important for comfortable work. ASUS tries to do justice to this by offering as many options as possible. Entries can be made traditionally via keyboard and touchpad, with fingers on the screen or a digital pen.
However, the ASUS convertible is not entirely convincing. The keys are small with 1.5 cm² for a folding calculator of this size. Nevertheless, the keys on the number pad had to be reduced in width by a third so that they fit into the case. The properties are not completely inspiring either. They offer a rather soft stroke, and the key travel is not huge.
The touchpad, which is moved slightly to the left, works flawlessly, and with an area of 13 x 6.5 cm, it is also sufficiently large. However, it would not have been a mistake if the unused space reserves for the keyboard as well as the edge of the glass surface had been used.
Battery
| ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5 | |
| Battery Type | 3-cell Li-ion |
| Battery capacity | 57WHrs |
| Fast charging | Yes |
| Charging port position | Left, Right |
| Power | 45 W |
Google’s reduced operating system also conserves the battery. Due to the optimized use of the browser, the runtimes are longer than with a comparable Windows notebook. This effect is increased in everyday life because common applications such as Docs are executed in the browser. In the test, 94% of the reserves remained in the battery after an hour in the browser.
But the notebook also shows its frugal side in other applications. After an hour on the racetracks at Asphalt 9, the level indicator showed a value of 84 percent. With comparably equipped Windows laptops, all the tricks are barely more than 60 percent.
Google’s Chrome OS pleases with its simplicity; the time to get used to it after switching to Windows is short. The settings are very reminiscent of those of a smartphone and are quick and easy. Thanks to the focus on the browser as the central element, speed is one of the big pluses. With the possibility of simply installing apps from Google’s Play Store, there is also a more than abundant offer available here – which, however, reaches its limits with more experienced users. In particular, (semi-) professional tools, which are standard in the world of work, are often missing, and alternatives cannot keep up with their range of functions. The distance to Windows is also obvious when it comes to details.
Conclusion!
The ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5 is a successful notebook or convertible with a rather high weight but a robust outer shell trimmed for durability. The two-tone design, in combination with the rotating screen, obscures the rather conventional appearance. The somewhat carelessly designed pen also fits this.
The notebook, on the other hand, impresses with its battery performance. Because the operating system uses fewer resources and operation in the browser is optimized, the runtime is significantly longer than comparable Windows notebooks.
