A 4G LTE version of the 13-inch ASUS Chromebook C300 has gone on sale in the US.
The mobile-ready model is being sold by retail chain Best Buy priced at $199 with a two-year contract from Verizon.
ASUS C300 With LTE
As one of the better looking Chrome OS devices you can find right now, the ASUS C300 has always been a fairly great buy.
In adding a cellular version to meet the needs of cloud-centric road warriors ASUS become one of only a handful of OEMs to offer such a model.
Frustratingly for some the ASUS C300MA is (at the time of writing) only available with 2GB RAM and a 16GB SSD. While capable specs, 4GB really is the sweet spot for optimum performance on a Bay Trail device.
The addition of cellular capabilities aside, the rest of the specifications on offer are the same as the entry-level C300: 13.3-inch LCD display running at a 720p resolution, 2GB memory, 16GB eMMC storage, and a dual-core Bay Trail processor coupled with Intel HD Graphics.
4G, Smourgee.
As we mentioned at the outset, the ASUS C300MA with 4G LTE is available to buy from Best Buy in the US priced at $199 with a 2-year Verizon contract.
What does that mean? In order to buy this model for $199 you need to either ‘add’ it to your existing Verizon data plan or take out a new 2-year contract.
Souring an otherwise sweet deal, data-only plans with Verizon via Best Buy start at $20/m for 2GB. This helpfully also includes Verizon mobile Wi-Fi hotspot access, so you can get online in select places without eating up your mobile allowance.
Monthly usage over the 2GB cap will cost you $15/GB so this could be a nice buffer to have.
As tempting as a $199 4G Chromebook sounds at first blush, your total cost at the end of the two-year period will be at least $679.
No word yet on whether it’ll make an appearance outside of the US (based on previous availability of cellular models, don’t bank on it).
If 4G isn’t for you you could always pick up the 4GB RAM version of the ASUS C300 for $249 and use public Wi-Fi, tethering or a use a compatible mobile data dongle.
- Source: HDBlog (h/t Riccardo & NBI)