ASUS Launches the 360º Chromebook Flip C213: 11.6-inch Apollo Lake, Starting $349

Back in January of this year, ASUS announced they were coming to market with a new Chromebook targeted specifically at education-focused customers. With Google focusing on Education in their Chromebooks as of late, using these ‘convertibles’ instead of iPads, ASUS hopes to increase its market share with the newest offering.

The Chromebook Flip C213 is listed as a rugged notebook and supposed to be designed to take bumps and bruises from daily use by students. To reinforce this, it touts a MIL-STD-810G spec construction, rated to protect it from drop damage (from nearly 4 feet) and moisture (spills up to 60ml). The outside of the laptop is protected by a rubber ‘bumper’ to protect it, as well as to reinforce the I/O ports.

By virtue of the Flip nomenclature, it operates in various rotational modes. These include a standard laptop (pictured above), a tent, a stand, and tablet modes, making it an option for a wide variety of use scenarios. It also features dual cameras, a 5MP on the back and an HD camera on the front.

The 360-degree all metal hinges attach to the 11.6” touchscreen, working at a native resolution of 1366x768. There are two versions of the screen for two different use models: the first screen type uses an anti-glare finish, while the second is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass as well as supporting an (optional) stylus - using the Wacom EMR technology for painting, sketching, and handwriting. This version should be available in a couple of months, and carries with it a price premium over the anti-glare model.

The included 46Wh battery is said to last up to 12 hours of continuous use, which ASUS claims that it potentially eliminates the need for a charge in the middle of the day and more suitable for classroom or travel situations. The unit uses Chrome OS (59) to provide access to all of Google tools made for business and education, called the 'G Suite'. Users will get automated updates, built-in anti-virus protection, and the security that comes with using Google personal accounts.

ASUS claims that the unit is designed for easy servicing: it has a modular construction, enabling quick replacement of key components like the keyboard, touchpad, battery, motherboard, power jack daughter board, and the display panel. Modularity replacements could reduce the burden on IT resources, potentially lowering total cost of ownership in servicing.

Hardware wise, the Flip C213 uses the Intel Apollo Lake N3350 - a dual core Atom-class CPU with a base clock of 1.1 GHz capable of bursting to 2.4 GHz. DRAM capacity sits at 4GB, with static storage at 32GB of eMMC rated up to 300 MB/s sequential reads and 140 MB/s sequential writes. Wireless is provided by an 802.11AC 2x2 Wi-Fi card with Bluetooth 4.0. There are 2x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C ports, 2x USB 3.1 Type-A ports, a micro SD card reader and a 3.5mm audio combo jack rounding out connectivity. 

Pricing on the two versions comes in at $349 for the anti-glare screen, while the Gorilla Glass version with an optional stylus will come in at $399. You can find the former version at authorized ASUS resellers now, while the latter will be available in September.

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