The Asus Chromebook Flip C213SA is a very low-end chromebook aimed squarely at the budget sector. It’s primarily a machine for students, packing slow hardware and a mediocre display into a small, cheap package; its small size and rugged design make it a solid choice for students on a very tight budget. Its low price also makes a strong pick for the best chromebook for seniors, as it handles basic web browsing reasonably fine. It also doubles as a strong contender for the best chromebook for writers on a tight budget thanks to its decent keyboard and low price. If don’t mind spending a bit more more on a device, take a look at our recommendations for the best chromebook.
Why We Like It – Asus Chromebook Flip C213SA
The Asus Chromebook Flip C213SA is a solid, if unexceptional, budget option if found at the right price. Chrome OS helps it overcome its slower-than-ideal hardware, while it provides an acceptable experience for students on a budget.
- Cheap
- Touchscreen
- Decent battery life
- Anemic hardware
- Lack of storage
Display Type/Resolution
To put it plainly, the display on the Asus Chromebook Flip C213SA is not very good at all. It employs a very low end 1366×768 TN display featuring washed out colors, terrible viewing angles, and a low resolution; it’s poor for any level of media consumption, but it’s adequate for basic schoolwork and other tasks. While not top-notch, you can find other chromebooks with better display quality. Check out our Asus Chromebook Flip Flip C101Pa Review to see what I mean. If display quality matters in literally any capacity, you’re better off getting an Acer Chromebook 514; it’s got better hardware, an infinitely nicer screen, and it comes in at a similar–but higher–price point. The fact it’s a touch screen is somewhat nice, as is its ability to flip into tablet mode (something that’s genuinely useful at such a small screen size), but its usage of a TN panel rather than IPS is immensely disappointing to say the least.
Battery Life
Battery life on the Asus Chromebook Flip C213SA is unsurprisingly excellent. Its slow hardware and dim, low resolution panel allow it to sip power like nobody’s business, delivering up to 14 hours of continuous use (this is more than what you get with the Asus Chromebook Flip C434). This unsurprisingly makes it a competent machine for bringing into school or issuing to students, though battery is one of the few standout qualities of this particular machine. Its battery surpasses much higher end chromebooks such as the Google Pixelbook i7, which is a feat in and of itself considering Google’s attention to quality on the Pixelbook lineup.
Weight
Weight is another small win for the Asus Chromebook Flip C213SA. It comes in at a mere 2.75 lbs., meaning it’ll practically go unnoticed in a bag; students should have no issue lugging it around from one location to the next even across long periods of time. It’s a bit dense for its screen size, but that’s to be expected of an immensely low budget machine.
Durability
Thanks to its thick plastic chassis and overall rugged design, the Asus Chromebook Flip C213SA is very durable. Its chassis has anti-scratch coating that will make the machine age somewhat gracefully over time, while its overall build quality and construction should hold up even after several years.
Inputs
Port selection is surprisingly good, particularly at this price point. You’re looking at 2 USB Type A ports, 2 USB C ports, a microSD card reader, and an audio jack. Surprisingly, there’s no HDMI port present, though its Type C ports allow for display out via aftermarket dongles; considering its focus on education, it’s surprising no display outputs are included on the laptop’s physical chassis. Its spill resistant keyboard is also surprisingly good, with decent travel, though the lack of a backlight is both unfortunate and surprising.
Asus Chromebook Flip C213SA Wrap-up
It’s very difficult to recommend the Asus Chromebook Flip C213SA. The Acer Chromebook C523NA and Asus’s own Asus Chromebook Flip C302 are both much better for almost the same price, while pricier machines like the HP Chromebook x360 14 (even the meager Core M3 model) blow it out of the water. There are very few redeeming qualities on this machine; its display is terrible, its hardware was anemic when it came out 3 years ago, it’s starved for storage, and it’s priced in such a way that it has a very narrow target audience. Google Play support (which allows it to run Android apps) is nice, but with how weak its hardware is and how middling its display is, you’d almost be better off just buying a similarly-priced Android tablet (or a different, better chromebook). If you’re looking for a durable chromebook to give to a grandparent or a child that only really needs to use Google Chrome, it’s a solid pick, but that’s about all it has to offer.
