ASUS Chromebook CM14 Flip CM1402F 14" Full HD 2-In-1 Gravity Grey Review

The ASUS Chromebook CM14 Flip is a weird one. It's got a ton of ports, which is awesome, and the MediaTek chip is fine for basic Chrome OS stuff. But then you look at the 8GB of RAM and the tiny 8GB of storage, and you realize this is built for a very specific, very simple job. It's a 2-in-1 Chromebook that's all about being a cheap, portable web machine, and not much else. The 14-inch touchscreen flips around, so you can use it like a tablet, which is handy for reading or watching videos.

Performance is a mixed bag. The MediaTek Kompanio 520 CPU lands in the 34th percentile, so it's fine for web browsing, Google Docs, and YouTube, but don't expect to do anything heavy. The integrated GPU is surprisingly decent for a Chromebook, sitting in the 98th percentile, but that just means it can handle basic graphics. The real bottlenecks are the 8GB of RAM (16th percentile) and the tiny 8GB eMMC storage (4th percentile). You'll be living in the cloud and managing your tabs carefully.

At around $430, it's a tough sell. You're paying for that 2-in-1 flexibility and the great port selection, but you're sacrificing core specs. That 8GB of storage is a massive problem. You'll need to rely on cloud storage or a microSD card immediately, which adds cost and hassle. For this price, you can find Chromebooks with more balanced specs, even if they have fewer ports.

Compared to other Chromebooks, this one is an outlier. Most in this price range offer at least 64GB of storage. Compared to the laptops in its 'top competitors' list, like the MacBook Pro or Legion Pro, it's not even in the same universe. Those are powerful Windows/macOS machines. A fairer comparison would be something like the Lenovo Chromebook Duet, which also offers a 2-in-1 design but often at a lower price point, making the ASUS's value harder to justify.

Only buy this if you absolutely need a 2-in-1 Chromebook with a ton of USB-A ports and you're committed to living entirely in cloud storage. For most students or anyone needing a portable computer, a Chromebook with more onboard storage is a much safer, less frustrating bet. This is a niche device for a very specific need.