Asus Chromebook Flip CX5 / 5601 is a 16-inch convertible with 12th-gen Intel chips
Hoping for some new Asus Chromebooks to debut at CES 2022? Well, that didn’t happen. Or did it? Chrome Unboxed noticed that tucked inside a press release about several other products is an introduction to a new Chrome OS laptop. The Asus Chromebook Flip CX5601, part of the CX5 series, is a 16-inch convertible with 12th-gen Intel chips.
This model has many similarities to the current Asus Chromebook Flip CX5. Ther’s a large NanoEdge display, full numeric keypad, massive trackpad up to 16 GB of memory, and up to a 512 GB SSD.
Unlike the CX5, this CX5601 model gets a small size bump with a 16-inch screen that’s now a 16:10 ratio. You can configure it with up to a 12th-gen Intel Core i7. And you get WiFi 6E, a quad-speaker system, and Thunderbolt support on the USB Type-C jacks.
The 720p webcam on the older model is replaced by a 1080p sensor that can hide behind the privacy shutter. There’s no mention of a stylus on the Asus Chromebook Flip CX5601 product page now. However, it appears to me there’s a garaged stylus included on the left side of the chassis.
Simply put, this appears to be a fairly extensive upgrade, especially if the stylus is included.
The prior model supports a USI stylus but doesn’t come with one housed in the chassis. There’s no official spec list yet, so we don’t yet know which 12th-gen Intel Core processors will be inside. Some, like the Core i7 in the $979 Asus Chromebook Flip CX3 I’m testing are fanless chips that use less energy.
However, I do see air vents on the back of this new Flip CX5601, so it’s relatively safe to assume the chips use a fan, and therefore more energy.
That means they can sustain higher clocks speeds for a longer amount of time. And Asus is currently quoting up to a 10-hour battery life, which in my world means around 8 hours. That’s another indicator of a higher-powered processor. Especially when you have so much room for a battery inside a 16-inch Chromebook.
Pricing and availability are unknown at this time. At least to me. Given that the CX3 I’m testing is pretty decked out, I don’t see the Asus Chromebook Flip CX5601 coming in under $700 for a base model.
I’m assuming that’s with a Core i3, 8 GB of memory, and a 128 GB SSD drive. And if you go hog wild for one of the “up to” variations with a Core i7, 16 GB of memory, and 512 GB of local storage? I don’t even want to hazard a guess right now.
I’m not going to lie. I’m slightly annoyed they put a 16:10 screen on this and not the smaller CX9. I would’ve purchased a smaller Asus in a second if it didn’t have a 16:9 screen on it. This and the CX9 look amazing. I don’t want a computer this big though.
The price I’ve seen for the top model is $1299 at another site.
https://a2zlaptop.com/us/laptop/asus-chromebook-flip-cx5-(cx5601)-1577
I hope they release it soon. I just sent back the Lenovo c630, they sent me a refurb.
I have an old macbook air in the meantime.
Base model is 649 (currently on sale 549 Best Buy). Here we are in September and still no word from ASUS on when the i5 or i7 will be available. They didn’t even know the i3 was being sold at Best Buy, odd I know more about the product than the actual company
I hope they release it soon, I am excited to purchase one.