Asus may turn to ARM processors for its latest low-cost Chromebook

By Jon Martindale March 20, 2015

asus may turn to arm processors for its latest low cost chromebook — Image used with permission by copyright holder

When it comes to budget laptops, undercutting your competitors by just a few dollars can make all the difference. That’s why, with ASUS soon to launch what it describes as its “most affordable Chromebook to date,” it may well have replaced its usual Intel CPUs with one from Chinese ARM licensee, Rockchip.

Although not officially announced, an image has appeared online of the upcoming Asus Chromebook C201, with its listed internal specs highlighting its use of the quad-core, Rockchip 3288-C ARM CPU. This goes along with 2GB of DDR3 RAM, an 11.6-inch 1,366 x 768 display and 16GB of eMMC on board storage. It’s also described as having a battery that lasts up to 10 hours at a time.

chromebookc201-transparent — OMGChrome

The image stems from a catalogue for school computers from Phoenix-based reseller Troxell and puts the Chromebook alongside the likes of the Acer Chromebook 13 and the Asus Transformer pad, which use Nvidia Tegra K1 and Intel Bay Trail-T processors respectively. That means the C201 is likely outclassed by most of its close competitors, so expect a budget price.

Considering the new Chromebook is being pitched as being ultra-affordable, this could mean that it costs as little as $200. Maybe even less, as Acer already sells Intel-powered Chromebooks for the same.

Ultimately we’ll need to wait until Asus makes an official announcement. However, with catalogues going out to schools already, it can’t be long before the C201 is ready for shipping and in that case, those eager to try one out, will get their hands on it within the next few months.

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