What you need to know
- ASUS quietly debuted its first Alder Lake Chromebook at CES 2022.
- The ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5 (CX5601) is also the first Chromebook with a 16.0-inch screen, filling in the gap between 15.6-inch and 17-inch Chromebooks.
- Available with 12th Gen Intel Core processors (up to i7), Iris X graphics, and up to 512GB of storage, this premium Chromebook will be ideal for power users.
ASUS debuted a whole host of new Windows 11 PCs for gaming, business, and creativity, but it also snuck in a pretty beefy Chromebook during their tidal wave of CES 2022 announcements. ASUS's 2021 offerings focused mostly on larger form factors like the 15.6-inch ASUS Chromebook Flip C536 and the 14-inch CX9, and they're stepping things up again this year with the first 16-inch Chromebook: the ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5 (CX5601).
If you remember that the ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5 already launched last summer, that's because one did; the ASUS C536 and ASUS CX5 are literally the same laptop with two different names, right down to the matching product pages on ASUS.com. This new ASUS CX5 at least will be easier to tell apart from its predecessor, unlike the two Acer Spin 713 and HP x360 14c generations: featuring a larger 16-inch screen and an inky Mineral Grey design, the two CX5s are quite literally night and day from a visual perspective.
The new ASUS Flip CX5's 16-inch screen is a 16:10 aspect ratio which should hopefully help it feel a little less like a monster when you're holding or carrying it around the office or house. A claimed 10-hour battery should help it break free of your desk for more comfortable work on the couch or out on the back porch as you watch the sun set on another beautifully warm day (once your part of the country escapes winter's clutches, that is). Its backlit keyboard — with a number pad — should keep you company during late evenings live-tweeting the game— I mean finishing quarterly reports! Sitting under that keyboard is a 5.84-inch trackpad to match that nice, big screen.
Alongside the upgrade from 11th Gen to 12th Gen Intel Core processors, the CX5 also sports two USB 3.2 Gen 2 USB-C ports that are now Thunderbolt compatible, and Wi-Fi 6E support should allow you to take advantage of the latest and greatest Wi-Fi routers. I do wish that they'd upgraded to up-facing stereo speakers, but the quad speakers are Harman Kardon certified and should sound as good as last year's model — loud but easy to muffle if you're not using it at a desk.
ASUS hasn't revealed the pricing or exact availability for the ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5 (CX5601) quite yet, but we'll work to get a review for you as soon as we're able.
