ASUS Chromebox 5 is a compact desktop computer designed for the Chrome OS operating system. Exhibited at the last CES, the Taiwanese manufacturer now announces the launch in various hardware configurations starting at 294 dollars.

It must be said that Google’s PC platform is not limited to Chromebooks and that even without such an offer as for laptops, other formats such as AIO or A mini-PC like the one in questionwhich happens to be one of the most advanced to date on the market.

And that’s because the ASUS Chromebox 5 uses Intel’s twelfth generation processors (Alder Lake) with models like 12-core Core i7-1260P and an integrated Iris Xe graphics card capable of displaying content on three 4K displays simultaneously. The manufacturer offers three other main configurations, with Core i5-1240P, Core i3-1220P or low-power Celeron 7305 processors and a price aimed at those looking for the lowest price.

This mini-PC has two SO-DIMM slots that can be equipped with up to 32 GB DDR4-3200 memory Its internal storage is deployed with an M.2 2280 slot, which is standardized for connecting PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe SSD disks with a capacity of up to 512 GB. Your connectivity is completely complete as you will see with all kinds of ports:

• 2.5GbE Ethernet LAN
• Wi-Fi 6E
• Bluetooth 5.3
• 1 Thunderbolt 4
• 2 HDMI 2.1
• 1 DisplayPort 1.4
• 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type A
• 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A
• Memory Card Reader
• Kensington Castle
• audio outputs

ASUS Chromebox 5 maintains the small dimensions of any mini-PC, with dimensions of 166.5 x 165.8 x 45.9 mm and the option of placing it on the desktop, on the wall or behind the monitor. It also has another feature not often seen on a mini-PC, Qi charging pad in the upper part of the chassis, with which you can wirelessly charge the battery of a smart phone or wearable with a power of up to 15 watts.

Qi wireless charging is the icing on the cake for one of the best compacts you’ll find in recent years, with Chrome OS greatly improved in terms of user interface and support for running native, Android and Linux apps. It is already available for pre-order in some regions with a price from 294 dollars.