Recent high-spec, big-screen Chromebooks have one thing in common: they were all designed primarily for gamers. Sure, the Acer Chromebook 516GE (now end-of-life) and the Lenovo IdeaPad 5i Gaming Chromebook Plus were fantastic Chromebooks that could work well in a business environment, but what if you didn't mind RGB lighting and a 120Hz? Update frequency? What if you just wanted a Chromebook with a screen big enough for multitasking and a keyboard you could work on all day? And would it hurt if he looked a little more professional?
Well, if the gamer shine of those Chromebooks puts you off, the Asus Chromebook Enterprise Flip CB5 might be just what you're looking for. It has a 16-inch display with a 16:10 aspect ratio and a resolution of 1920 x 1200. It comes with an Intel Core i5-1235 CPU, along with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. It also has a fantastic keyboard and plenty of battery, but its 2-in-1 convertible design is flexible, stylish, and office-friendly. While it's expensive by Chromebook standards, it feels like a premium device. If you value convenience and features more than lightweight portability, the Enterprise Flip CB5 is worth paying a little more for.
Asus Chromebook Enterprise Flip CB5: Design
The basic design of the Chromebook Enterprise Flip CB5 may look familiar if you've seen Asus' older Chromebook CX5500 Flip or the more recent Chromebook Vibe CX34 Flip. Like them, it is a 2-in-1 convertible laptop that can be used perfectly in the normal folding format, but where you can fold the lid against the base to create a kind of massive, thick tablet. Alternatively, you can fold it back to about 270 degrees and use it with the screen face down and facing out in a tent setup, or with the base functioning as a stand to hold the screen facing forward and up. The latter two options are particularly useful for touchscreen applications or ad-hoc presentations, although the large size of the 16-inch screen makes using the tablet form factor a bit awkward, especially without an included stylus.
And like the CX55500 Flip and Vibe CX34 Flip, the Enterprise Flip CB5 has a sturdy powder-coated aluminum body, here in a stylish matte dark gray. It's relatively thin and light for a 16-inch laptop, with a desktop size of 358 x 262mm and a maximum thickness of just under 20mm, and when you combine that with the slim bezels around the 16:10 screen you get a pretty stylish machine. It is also robust and meets MIL-STD-810H requirements for dust and shock resistance.
The ErgoLift hinge raises the keyboard by pushing the screen back so it's at a comfortable angle for typing, and there's still enough room for a good variety of connections, including two 10Gbits/sec USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, a single USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type A ports and an HDMI 2.0 video output. Add Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity to the mix and you'll have everything you need for a complete desktop setup on board. Only if you want dual screens, wired networking, or the convenience of a single cable will you need to invest in a separate dock.
Crucially, the larger size makes this a laptop you can work on all day. The keyboard suffers from a small left shift key, cramped cursor keys and an undersized numeric keypad, but the feel is excellent, with 1.4mm of travel and a quick but still clicky action. The 128 x 72mm touchpad is also larger than normal, and while it doesn't have the glassy feel of a touchpad on a high-end laptop, it's still reliable in tracking and smooth to the touch. In this case, a mouse is more of a nice-to-have than a must-have.
Asus Chromebook Enterprise Flip CB5: Screen
If there's one area where Asus should have gone further, it's the screen. It's big and the 1920 x 1200 resolution is perfectly adequate, but if you've been spoiled by the 2560 x 1600 resolution of the IdeaPad 5i Gaming Chromebook Plus and Chromebook 615GE, you'll notice that this one isn't as crisp or clear. What's more, the colors are not as deep or vibrant; In testing, the Enterprise Flip CB5 covers just 59% of the sRGB color gamut and 43% of the DCI-P3 gamut, which is more than we'd expect from a budget Chromebook than a premium model.
However, in isolation, the image quality is quite good. The screen gets bright and reaches 343 cd/m2, making it usable in most lighting conditions except direct sunlight, text looks sharp and there is plenty of contrast. What's more, the 16-inch screen size is easier on the eyes when working in multiple windows than the 14-inch screens on many rival Chromebooks.
Asus Chromebook Enterprise Flip CB5: Performance
The Chromebook Enterprise Flip CB5 combines a ten-core Intel Core i5-1235U processor with 8GB of RAM, and what would be a mid-range spec in a Windows laptop functions as a high-end spec in Chrome OS. Benchmark results are similar to other high-end models like the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 and Asus Chromebook Vibe CX34, although the Flip CB5 fell slightly behind in Geekbench 6's multithreaded tests, scoring 5,615 vs. 6568 from the Spin 714 and 6292 from the Vibe CX34. It came closest in Basemark 3.0, from 1238 to 1245 for Acer and 1360.24 for Vibe CX34, and even closer in the Jetstream multitasking benchmark, where it scored 257.95 to 246.92 and 260.65.
In real-world use, there's enough processing power here to handle a wide range of applications. You can have more than a dozen Chrome tabs open without any hint of slowdown, while Android apps and even Linux apps shouldn't give you any performance issues.
In terms of battery life, the Chromebook Enterprise Flip CB5 exceeded expectations by lasting eleven hours and 49 minutes of 1080p video playback before dying. That puts it ahead of the smaller Vibe CX34 Flip, if not matching the Spin 714 with its epic 13+ hour longevity. Even with the brightness turned up, you should be able to get through most workdays without recharging, which is impressive considering you're working with a larger screen.
Asus Chromebook Enterprise Flip CB5: Is it worth it?
At £879, it's more expensive than the Chromebook Spin 714, but still not very expensive compared to other business-ready Chromebooks. It also looks and feels distinctly more premium than the recent group of Chromebook Plus models, with a fully usable keyboard and impressive performance and battery life. The Spin 714 has the edge when it comes to its screen quality and is slightly better value for money, but if you're looking for a large-screen alternative, the Chromebook Enterprise Flip CB5 is as good as it gets.
Asus Chromebook Enterprise Flip CB5 Specifications
| Processor | Intel Core i5-1235U |
| Show | 1920 x 1200 16 inches 16:10 IPS |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Ports | 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type A, HDMI 2.0, micro SD card, 3.5m audio |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Dimensions | 258x262x19mm |
| Weight | 2.15 kilos |
