Christmas gift, ASUS FLIP C436 chromebook

We’re onto Day three of the Best Buy 12 Days of Christmas gift ideas feature. It’s usually difficult to pick just one product to feature from the computers category, but the ASUS Flip C436 Chromebook made it easy. Chromebooks are extremely popular, even more so in 2020 when so many people are working from home or taking remote classes. The thing about the ASUS Flip C436 is that it offers all the benefits of a flexible, 2-in-1 Chromebook, but does so in a package that looks visually stunning and packs a surprisingly powerful punch.

Take a look at all of our editor picks for our 12 Days of Christmas series.

Christmas gift, ASUS C436 chromebookA Chromebook with a flexible 2-in-1 design

The ASUS Flip C436 is a compact Chromebook, with the flexibility of a 2-in-1 design.

It’s light, thin, and easy to carry around, tipping the scales at just 1.18 kg (2.6 pounds) and a mere 1.37 cm at its thickest. Battery life rated at up to 12 hours means it can be used wherever is convenient. No need to be near a power outlet.

Christmas gift, ASUS C436 chromebookThe 360-degree ErgoLift hinge on the ASUS Flip C436 lets you use this Chromebook the way you want. Tent mode is great for watching streaming video. Tablet mode is perfect for reading or playing Android games. Of course it excels as a traditional laptop.

When used in laptop mode, that ErgoLift hinge raises the back of the ASUS Flip C436 slightly for an improved typing experience, while offering more room beneath for better cooling airflow and audio.

ASUS Flip C436 has everything for working from home or remote learning

For most people, the ASUS Flip C436 Chromebook offers everything needed to work from home or participate in remote learning. Many schools have standardized on Google Workspace (formerly G Suite). If Microsoft Office access is needed, a Chromebook has full access to the online version. You can also run the Android app versions of Microsoft 365.

The Chromebook is equipped with a full-sized, backlit keyboard that’s comfortable and responsive, and an HD webcam for those Zoom sessions.

Stunning design and power to spare

Lots of Chromebooks cover the same basics the ASUS Flip C436 does, so why is this Chromebook in the spotlight?

Power and design. They are both outstanding and show how Chromebooks are moving in a new direction.

Christmas gift, ASUS Flip C436 chromebook

Let’s start with power. Instead of a modest, two year-old processor, they equipped the ASUS Flip C436 with a 10th generation quad-core Intel Core i5-10210 CPU. It has a whopping 16GB of LPDDR3 RAM to work with. While many Chromebooks offer minimal storage, the C436 has 512GB of PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD storage. That’s a nice combination of speed and capacity, with plenty of space for even huge multimedia files. There are two USB-C ports, plus a MicroSD card slot. Wireless connectivity is the latest and greatest: Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.

Christmas gift, ASUS C436 chromebookThe premium design on the ASUS Flip C436 starts with a 14-inch NanoEdge, 1080p touch display with 100% sRGB color gamut. It really pops and the tiny bezels means this Chromebook is the physical size of a 13-inch laptop.

Watching video is even better thanks to a Harman Kardon-tuned quad speaker system. The body is magnesium alloy, giving it a solid and premium feel. The topper is the Aerogel White finish lid that is almost iridescent. This is one of the nicest laptops I’ve seen or used in 2020, and I find it amazing that it’s a Chromebook—a category that started out as utilitarian as it gets …

The premium approach does make the ASUS Flip C436 more expensive than many Chromebooks, but as a laptop in general it’s still quite reasonably-priced. Returning my review unit was painful, and anyone who receives one of these as a gift is going to be thrilled.

To learn more about the ASUS Flip C436 Chromebook (and why it made such a big impression), be sure to check out my hands-on review from November.

Be sure to watch for the rest of our 12 Days of Christmas series featured gift ideas.

Brad Moon
Brad Moon
Editor Computing solutions
I’m a long-time electronics and gadget geek who’s been fortunate enough to enjoy a career that lets me indulge this interest. I have been writing about technology for several decades for a wide range of outlets including Wired, Gizmodo, Lifehacker, MSN, About.com, Kiplinger, and GeekDad. I’m in my 10th year as a senior contributor for Forbes with a focus on reviewing music-related tech, Apple gear, battery power stations and other consumer electronics. My day job is with the Malware Research Center at AI-native cybersecurity pioneer CrowdStrike.
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18 COMMENTS

  2. have friends who own one of these but can afford it, for me well..not so much. would be great to win one! 😉 i will have to put it out for santa eh…

  8. Thanks for the review .Me and my husband are looking at getting my son one for Christmas as he is using my husband’s and needs his own

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