ASUS Chromebook Flip C302CA-DH54 12.5-inch Touchscreen Convertible Chromebook Intel Core m5, 4GB RAM, 64GB Flash Storage, All-Metal Body, USB Type C, Corning Gorilla Glass, Chrome OS

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Im coming from owning a 1st Gen Chromebook Pixel for the last 4 years so that will obviously influence this review. I was upset when Google announced the first gen $1,000 Chromebook pixel would not be able to run Android apps. Its such a nice computing experience it terms of the quality of everything that I decided I wanted to find a device with similar capabilities and materials but not spend as much just in case Google decides to screw me over again. Finally, the Samsung Chromebook pro came out which I was convinced would fit the bill but unfortunately the typing experience ruined the entire package so back to the store it went. Then the ASUS flip C302 came into my life: *Battery* - Battery life is great. Depending on my use i can get 6-9 hours of use between charges. Speaking of charges, its so nice to be able to use USB C. Our phones are USB C so one cable does everything for me. *Keyboard* - The keyboard is alright. Its miles better than the Samsung Chromebook plus or pro, but still miles behind the 1st gen Chromebook pixel that Im leaving. The backlight works great and I had no problems using it in the dark. *Track pad* - The trackpad is well done. Its a nice smooth surface so no tension when gliding across it. Multi-touch input works great. I have no complaints in this department. Its not quite as nice as a MacBook pro but given the price difference, its not far away. *Android Apps* - Android apps have a long way to go before they work like first class citizens on Chrome OS. They work, technically they work, but its hit or miss in terms of does an app properly support tablet mode or is it a phone app stretched across the screen. If it renders in tablet mode, is it cutting off some of the app (sometime bottoms of apps are cutoff)? 80% of the apps its a poor experience. 20% of the apps its a decent experience. This will get better with time. Ill point out that Google doesnt allow any Android application to be device administrator on a Chromebook so any MDM/MAM apps (intune, airwatch, mobileiron, MaaS360m etc) that requires device admin privileged will not work. *Build Quality* - Im really pleased with the overall quality. The frame/body is awesome and metal. There is no wiggle or wobble or creaks or groans or nothing. Its solid. Overall, I’m happy with this purchase and have no issues keeping it as my daily driver. This is a great device and the $450 asking price seems fair.

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My second Asus Chromebook has died. Exactly 6 months old and suddenly will not charge. First one died in one month. I am not new to Chromebooks . I am a fan and treat them well. But Asus Chromebooks have a fatsl flaw. I will not buy another one.

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JUNK! Bought it for a xmas gift, dead in less than 3 months. Wont charge, wont turn on, 9% one-star reviews- $500 paperweight- STAY AWAY.

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The Asus C302 is the best Chromebook you can buy. Ive used it daily for 3 months to stream video, work with google docs AND emulate games from the NES, SNES, Nintendo 64 and the Sega Genesis. The ability to use it as a regular laptop then flip it into a tablet or put it in tent mode to watch video without seeing the keyboard is great. The touch screen is super responsive and the keyboard is excellent. Overall the machine very much reminds me of my Macbook Pro and even has a backlit keyboard for a fraction of the cost. If you are into gaming, Chrome OS lets you add the google play store and get access to games and apps available on Android OS. It runs most of those apps and games beautifully and when combined with a "Logitech Gamepad F310" you can play the games with a game controller! Ive tried multiple controllers in the past without any success as Chromebooks have issues with the drivers but the Logitech gamepad works beautifully on this ASUS C302. The controller even works on those emulator games so that you can play Super Mario World, etc. with an actual game controller and feel like a kid again. When I bought this chromebook I also got the Samsung Chromebook Pro to try head to head based on reviews and the ASUS was clearly the knock out winner for me. The screen is not as bright as the Samsung but the keyboard is far superior as is the build quality. After 2 weeks with the Samsung Chromebook Pro I had to return it because the screws in the case were coming loose just with light use of the machine and I could hear the casing creaking when Id pick it up. Overall this is a home run purchase and I cant say enough good things about the ASUS C302. You wont be disappointed with it!

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Great machine out of the box... BUT after only a couple of days the thing just turned off and wont turn back on again... I tired every remedy found online, and even got in touch with Asus tech support who just said "send it back"... This seems to be a somewhat common issue with Chromebooks but this Asus model doesnt have a way to preform an external reset, which is a big problem if youve setup any personal info on it and it has to be sent back. AND apparently Amazon is experiencing a supply shortage because my replacement isnt expected until sometime between Jan 11th to Feb 5th! I purchased this for a Christmas gift (bought on Nov 28th and received Dec 7th) and so next month, or maybe even the next is totally unacceptable... Everything (covers, etc...) is going back in efforts to find something that works before Christmas... I dont usually leave bad reviews and I totally get supply issues, but after searching online, I found that these things seem to have tendencies towards intermittent power issues (battery not charging, etc.. and this one in particular has no way to reset...) I wish I would have known that BEFORE buying...

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This is a dreadful little piece of machinery. Ive had mine 10 months and the motherboard has crapped out twice already. The first time it happened it took six weeks to get the board replaced because, according to the staff at MicroCenter, the motherboards on this piece of equipment go out so often that Asus is backed up issuing replacements. When it works its fine, when its dead its dead.

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The C302 is a great machine. I had problems with my ASUS C302 and sent it in to ASUS Repair Center in Texas on Dec 10, 2017. As of Feb 21, 2018, I have not received my chromebook back. That is over 2 months. As of today, they can not give me a date on the return of my Chromebook. BEWARE. Buy another Chromebook that has an m3 processor. Clearly, this is a company that can not handle repairs in a timely matter. The funny part is that the customer service people have been great but they have no control to take care of problems. Only the repair department can send out a replacement. Plus either ASUS customer service or a customer is allow to talk to the repair department. Clearly they are a company with systems issues... BEWARE....

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All through college I had been telling myself, I would like to try a chromebook, but I needed too many windows dependent programs for my engineering classes to justify the expense. Now that Im graduated, I wanted something to replace my Samsung Note Tablet which was starting to show its age after years of faithful service. I decided that because I often found myself wanting to type when using my tablet, a 2 in 1 would be a good option for me. I am so glad I took this plunge! I use it every day. Its light enough to carry pretty much every where. It starts up, runs without issues. Not long ago, I replaced the hard drive in my Toshiba laptop with an SSD, and in regards to speed and general "snappy" feeling, there was as much of a difference between the SSD and this as there was in the SSD upgrade over the hard drive. I love that I can let other people borrow my computer without compromising my privacy. I also like taking it to work, logging into my managed G-Suite account and knowing that my work account cant "see" anything I do on my personal account. I mostly use it for playing a couple of games, surfing the web, managing my calendar/tasks lists, reading e-books, that sort of thing. Between being able to do a surprising amount with chrome extensions and being able to run android apps on it, there isnt much it hasnt been able to handle. It plays nicely with nearly everything I have wanted to do. I even use MightyText to get and send text messages with it. The keyboard is small, a little weird and takes some getting used to, but I find myself actually preferring to use it over other keyboards. People preferring tablet mode may want to consider the Samsung Chromebook Plus or Pro because the screen dimensions are more tablet like, but since I find myself using it mostly in computer mode and like having the option of the tablet, I think this screen is beautiful. The resolution is great. Even the speakers are way better than I expected from a 2 in 1 at this price point. I would recommend it highly to anyone who wants a light-weight device to use for work or play, especially if you can be flexible in the software that you use.

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FINAL EDIT - July 10, 2017: Weve got Android Nougat on Beta running pretty well now. Most of my Play Store related gripes are gone. Now Im just down to some gripes that are probably here to stay: the Bluetooth on this thing is really fussy (I have a brand new Bluetooth speaker that works flawlessly with every device I own *except* the C-302 - which cannot successfully connect), the non-functional video output (using USB-C video out through an HDMI cable sends just a blank desktop background and no audio, even if I am playing a movie or Youtube visibly on the C302 screen), and that it cant hold a VPN connection without dropping it every 20-30 minutes. This will be my last update unless Play Store goes stable anytime soon. My final verdict - its somewhat solid as a device now that 6 months of updates and delays are behind us...and its fun. However, even after this level of updates - Chrome OS, despite its minimalism, feels pretty half-baked compared to Windows or Mac devices. Given the quality of Windows laptops near this price range, its *very* tough to recommend this device unless you LOVE the idea Android apps... EDIT - April 26, 2017 I dont think Play Store is coming to this device anytime soon, if at all - removing 1 more start, simply due to all the other Chromebooks out there that support Android apps now that you can buy instead. As great as the device is hardware-wise, Im super disappointed at how badly delayed this is. Also, this is the only device in my home that my Chromecast doesnt seem to work well with....and USB-C video out doesnt work at all (it will send the screens background, but none of the content such as the web browser or video player playing on the C302 shows up on the monitor). Sigh. ** EDIT - March 11, 2017: Sill no Stable access to play store. Most apps run pretty-OK in Beta - some problems Im noticing in Beta are that Bluetooth is less than ideal (more problems connecting/holding bluetooth, with devices that my Pixel works perfectly with) and I believe battery life suffers greatly, now that Ive been paying attention to it. I watched a 2 hour movie on a flight yesterday (no wifi, no bluetooth, screen 80% bright), and those 2 hours took the C302 down to about 30% battery (from full). The stock video player misses audio on a lot of movies, and using the VLC app (android) is super buggy (frequently freezes and shuts down). Its increasingly disappointing to see the much-hyped Play Access is still nonexistent. Im still loving the *idea* of what the C302 is supposed to be, but the execution is feeling more and more of a miss. What the heck is going on, Asus/Google? EDIT - February 24, 2017: OK...looks like Play Store is back in Beta - Im running it currently..seems to run fine. It would be great if Google/Asus let their customers know when updates were ready for channels on the device - a notification like on an Android device would be nice. As it is now, browsing /chromebook on Reddit is about the only resource I seem to have for knowing when there are updates available for each channel. Im aware that I can always change channels on my C302, but that involves Powerwashing and starting from scratch each time. Anyhow...still waiting for a Stable Play Store. **EDIT - February 18, 2017: I am removing a star for the C302 as of the most updates. Play Store access (as the C302 has received system updates) has progressed from being available in Developer mode only, to working nicely in Beta channel, to being available in Stable channel (and functioning very poorly), back to Beta only, and finally, as of this week - Play Store is no longer available except for in the Developer channel. Needless to say, Android/Play rollout is being managed very, very poorly. For the moment, please note - ***this product no longer works with the Google Play store in Stable or Beta*** and there is no communication about what we can expect, or when. I will update this review when there is further progress - I believe this is a 5 star product but the updates are reducing my confidence in the software. I have trouble recommending the C302 given that the Samsung Chromebook Plus works just fine with the Play Store. Original review below. ** Some of you will remember the Asus “Transformer” line of Android tablets - pretty respectable tablets with Tegra processors, decent builds, and most importantly - a keyboard dock that was far, far superior to any on-screen keyboard options. I owned a couple over the years as they progressed. There were great...sort of. Sometimes they felt a bit half-baked, but I loved the idea, and the keyboard made a world of difference in what you could do with that tablet. I remember them fondly. The Asus C302 is, for me, the dream of that perfect Asus tablet/keyboard combo made real. I’ve had the C302 for about a week and a half. I want to provide you all with some new information with this review, but first, let’s go over a few of the important basic points: - Good screen. Bright enough for all uses, and 1080p is perfect - images are sharp, it takes less computing and battery power to push 1080p than a higher-res screen. - Battery life is solid, right around what is claimed - probably 7 to 10 hours depending on variables such as screen brightness and how demanding you’re being with it. - The M3 processor is *plenty* of power for all Chrome, video, and Android requirements. - The keyboard reminds me of Macbooks I’ve used - this is a big plus. It is backlit. - For almost all things that I do as a casual user, the C302 is 100% as effective my Dell XPS 13 that is powered by a skylake i5. That is a major compliment to Asus, as the Dell is the best small Windows laptop on the market. As a matter of fact, I’m posting my XPS on ebay today, actually. That’s how confident I am in the Asus after 10 days. - Android apps work rather well, even if not perfectly yet. This is a big win. I’m still using Chrome for almost all native Google Apps, however, since Chrome tabs/apps simply work better/faster/easier than their Android counterparts. - Build quality. The C302 is clean and feels solid. No complaints. Let’s talk about some huge perks that aren’t mentioned much… - Portable batteries charge the C302!!! This is HUGE HUGE HUGE for me. Since the C302 uses USB-C to charge (both of the 2 ports charge it), you can use a portable battery charger to juice the C302 back up! Since I carry around an Anker 26000 mAH battery (see attached picture), which will recharge the C302 to full about 3 times, I can have a legitimate 40 hour, ‘off the grid’ usage time! As someone who loves camping, but likes to be able to read, write, and play games while doing so, this is a major win for me. Batteries do charge slower than the high-output wall charger (you get a notification the device is charging slowly), but this is still insanely useful. - USB-C charging means you can also use a normal multi-USB wall charger (like youd use for a phone) with the C302. This is slower than high output charger that comes with the unit, but it means you can reduce clutter a bit if you only charge overnight. - Several second boot time from a cold start. As in, count to 5 and that’s probably more time than you need. - Touchscreen is responsive enough for gaming. I loaded up Super Hexagon - the most fast paced, fast-twitch, instant-reaction-required game known to man, and I was able to play at the same level as I could on Android tablets. - Chrome apps have come a LONG way since I last checked a couple years ago. I ABSOLUTELY imagine Chrome apps picking up drastically in quality and quantity now, since it seems like Chrome OS is really coming into its own this year. Ironically, Android support may fuel the interest in Chromebooks...that fuels the interest in Chrome apps development...and that lack of apps was the biggest holdback to Chromebooks so far. Nice. - Holding ALT and pressing the brightness + or - button changes keyboard brightness...all the way down to off. This is a nice perk to save battery life and for folks who like to read//browse late at night in bed and don’t want the backlighting on. - Chrome OS 56 is right around the corner. This brings you that stable Android support, and it looks like this also will improve battery life and overall performance even further. - You won’t use tablet mode and ‘tent’ mode much...but still...the screen orients extremely quickly when you flip the C302 upside down or move to hold it vertically. - Fully charges in a bit over an hour. Wow. This is now my fastest-charging device. I’m surprised this isn’t mentioned more. It charges insanely fast. - JSTorrent works nicely for any torrenting needs. I was worried about losing that ability when swapping to Chrome OS. A couple demerits: - Android support is ONLY IN BETA mode as of February 5, 2017. Asus really should be a bit more clear about this part - I thought I was going to be able to turn this puppy on and start downloading my library of apps right out of the box. This was somewhat of a letdown until I figured this out. Update to the latest version of the beta channel in OS settings, and then you get a little box that says ‘enable play store’ and you can start using Android apps. I’ve read this is the reason you can’t buy the Samsung Chromebook quite yet...Sammy is waiting for ‘stable’ Chrome OS Android support for their product. That being said - I have no complaints yet about what I’m experiencing in Beta mode on the C302...the experience feels quite stable to me. - Bezels. They matter. That Dell XPS that I’m dropping for the C302? It has nearly the exact same footprint, despite packing a 13.3 inch screen into the same space that Asus puts a 12.5 inch screen. I’d love to see the bezel size reduced, shrinking the C302 to help the portability and with the ease of using the device as an actual tablet. - In tablet mode, the screen looks too ‘tall’ to feel natural (see the attached picture). This screen ratio makes it look great in desktop mode...which I use way more often, so that’s a fair trade I suppose. So, I’ll update if with more details if I have any. I’ll end the review simply saying I’m very happy overall with my purchase! Cheers!

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First off, Im going to assume you understand what Chromebooks are and their strengths & weaknesses, with the OS. I will just review the hardware. This is finally the Chromebook Ive been waiting for, that is not a $1300 Pixel. The build quality is on par with Macbooks and other high end laptops. The keyboard is excellent (and backlit). The track pad is excellent. The action is smooth and tight with no rattling. The screen is excellent...the aluminum casing is well designed, and the flip hinges are solid, but smooth. There are only two things that are less that amazing, and theyre minor. 1. The bezel around the screen is still very wide. They could have easily fitted a full 13" screen in the same lid. 2.The only ports are 2 USB-C ports. They absolutely function perfectly, but require that you re-purchase all your peripheral cables if youre not completely on the USB-C bandwagon already. It would have been nice to have even 1 legacy USB-A 3.0 port to ease that transition. But those two items arent really failures...just the only two things I found that could be improved upon. Otherwise, this laptop is really fast and snappy...runs Android apps...and generally does everything that a Chromebook does, excellently. If youre considering it, fear not. This laptop performs in every way.

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