Samsung announced its latest-and-greatest Chrome OS convertible, the Galaxy Chromebook 2, over a month ago, and has now finally started taking pre-orders for the device. In case you’ve been eyeing a premium 2-in-1 Chromebook, the Samsung offering is a great option. But how does it fare against the Asus Chromebook Flip C436, which is another convertible with sufficiently powerful innards and a sleek design? Let’s find out:
Design and build quality
Both devices rock a metallic build, and it would ultimately boil down to your preference
Now, the Samsung and Asus offerings are neck and neck, both in terms of build quality and aesthetics. Both the machines rock a sleek metallic build with thin bezels on the front and sharp lines. It would boil down to your personal preference as to which color suits your taste buds. The Asus Chromebook Flip C436 comes in a choice of two colors – Aerogel White with a beautiful gradient finish and Silver. As for the Samsung machine, you can choose between Fiesta Red and Mercury Gray.
| Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 | Asus Chromebook Flip C436 | |
| Dimensions | 304.9 x 203.2 x 13.9mm | 31.90 x 20.50 x 1.37 ~ 1.37 cm |
| Weight | 1.23kg | 1.14 kg |
| Display | 13.3-inch QLED FHD (1920 x 1080) with Touchscreen | 14.0-inch, LCD FHD (1920 x 1080 pixels) |
| OS | Chrome OS | Chrome OS |
| CPU | 10th Gen Intel Core i3-10110U Intel Celeron 5205U | 10th Gen Intel Core i5-10210U 10th Gen Intel Core i3-10110U 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10510U |
| Graphic | Intel UHD Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics |
| Memory | 4GB / 8GB (LPDDR3) | 8GB / 16GB LPDDR3 |
| Storage | 64GB, 128GB | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD |
| Camera | 720P HD (1MP) | 720p HD camera |
| Audio | Stereo Speakers (Max 5Wx 2) with Smart AMP | Built-in Harmon Kardon speakers |
| Pen | USI Pen support (sold separately) | Bundled stylus |
| Keyboard | Backlit | Backlit Chiclet Keyboard |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+), 802.11 ax 2×2 Bluetooth v5.0 | Intel Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) Bluetooth V5.0 |
| Battery | 45.5Wh (Typical) | |
| Ports | 2x USB-C 1x Headphone/Mic 1x MicroSD slot | 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C 1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack 1x MicroSD slot |
If you’re concerned about authentication, the Asus device comes equipped with a fingerprint sensor, and the Titan C security chip for storing biometric data and passwords. Port selection on both the machines is identical, and both of them come with a backlit keyboard with similar key travel. Both the machines have an almost identical profile too, but the Asus offering is slightly lighter at 1.14kg, while the Samsung machine tips the scales at 1.23kg.
Display: Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 takes the crown here!
The Galaxy Chromebook 2 offers a 13.3-inch FHD (1920 x 1080 pixels) display flanked by thin bezels on all sides. The Asus offering, on the other hand, comes fitted with a slightly larger 14-inch FHD display with a 16:9 aspect ratio, 300 nits of peak brightness, and 85% screen-to-body-ratio. Talking numbers, the Galaxy Chromebook 2’s display is slightly more pixel-dense, and the QLED display gives it an edge over the LCD panel of the Asus device.
Internals: Asus Chromebook Flip C436 is the winner this time!
This is one area where you really need to get your priorities right. If you want a premium-looking Chromebook that can sail through your lightweight tasks with ease, the 10th Gen Intel Core i3 processor -paired with 8 gigs of RAM and 128GB storage – inside the Galaxy Chromebook 2 will be adequate. However, if you need more firepower, the Asus Chromebook Flip C436 also goes up to a 10th Gen Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processor.
If you need raw firepower, the Asus Chromebook Flip C436 is a better choice
And it pairs the more powerful silicon with double the amount of RAM at 16GB and plenty of storage (up to 512GB) of the much faster NVMe PCIe 3.0 type. So, if you want a machine that can handle even the most demanding tasks and dozens of Chrome tabs as well as multiple background apps with ease, the Asus Chromebook Flip C436 should be the better choice.
The battery life won’t be much different between the two machines, at least going by on-paper capacity, as the Samsung and Asus devices come equipped with 45.5Wh and 42Wh Li-ion packs respectively. But in real-world usage, the beefier processor inside the Asus offering will consume more battery juice.
Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 vs Asus Chromebook Flip C436: Price
It comes as no surprise that the Asus Chromebook Flip C436 is priced significantly higher compared to the Samsung machine, given the faster chipset and more memory fitted inside the machine. For the Core i5 variant of the Asus machine, you’ll have to shell out $999.99, while the Core i3 model with 8 gigs of RAM and 128GB storage will set you back by $799.99 on Amazon.
The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 starts at $549.99 for the Intel Celeron model, while the Core i3 variant will cost you $699.99 on Samsung’s official website. At the end of the day, you’ll have to decide how much power you need before going with either machine, and the options are quite obvious from this perspective. However, if you plan on watching a lot of videos on your device, the QLED panel of Samsung’s device will be the better option for you.
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