ASUS used CES 2026 to quietly push Chromebooks into more interesting territory, and the new Chromebook CM32 Detachable is a good example of how far that category has come from cheap plastic clamshells meant for schoolkids. Instead of another forgettable 11-inch laptop, ASUS is leaning into the tablet-first, laptop-second idea, but with the kind of screen, performance, and durability that actually makes sense for frontline workers, students, and anyone who lives in ChromeOS all day.​

On paper, the CM32 looks like a love child of a Surface Go and an iPad Air that decided to run ChromeOS. You are looking at a 12.1-inch touchscreen with a 2.5K resolution of 2560 x 1600, a tall-ish 16:10 aspect ratio, and, more importantly, two specs you almost never see together on a detachable Chromebook: 600 nits of brightness and a 120Hz refresh rate. The high brightness matters if you are using it under retail lighting, in a hospital corridor, or next to a classroom window, while 120Hz makes scrolling, inking, and simple stuff like dragging windows feel more fluid than the usual 60Hz budget panels. Corning Gorilla Glass 3 with an anti-fingerprint coating on top and an 87% screen-to-body ratio helps it feel more like a modern tablet than a chunky education device of old.

The form factor is familiar, but ASUS clearly wants this to be more than “Chromebook, but with a kickstand.” The tablet itself weighs around 625 grams, and with the detachable keyboard attached, you are still under a kilogram, which keeps it light enough to carry on rounds, to class, or between meeting rooms. The keyboard docks via pogo pins, has a claimed 1.35mm of key travel, and lives in that middle space where it needs to be good enough for writing long emails or lesson plans without feeling as cramped as some of the older detachable Chromebooks. There is also an optional magnetic stand covered in a stain-resistant leatherette finish (on the white version) that can be propped up at various angles, plus an optional rugged Impact Shield case if this ends up in the hands of kids or in environments where devices get knocked around.​

Under the hood, ASUS has moved away from the low-end Intel chips that have powered so many cheap Chromebooks and is instead betting on MediaTek’s Kompanio 540, an ARM-based octa-core processor built on a 6nm process. MediaTek positions the 540 as a proper generational jump over the Kompanio 520, promising up to 50% higher single-core performance, 30% higher multi-core performance, and roughly 35% better battery efficiency versus “direct alternatives,” with a graphics uplift as high as 75% compared to the 520. In practice, that means the CM32 should feel far snappier than the bare-minimum EDU Chromebooks: smoother multitasking, more reliable 4K streaming, and enough headroom for light gaming or STEM classroom apps without fans ramping up, because this design is fanless. ASUS pairs the chip with up to 8GB of LPDDR5X memory and up to 128GB of eMMC storage, which is not going to replace a workstation, but is fine for ChromeOS, especially given how much of the platform leans on cloud storage.​

Battery is another big claim: ASUS rates the CM32 for up to 13 hours on a charge based on Chromium OS load tests, which usually means a mix of browser usage, standby, and light productivity, not continuous YouTube at max brightness. MediaTek’s efficiency story backs that up, though, since the Kompanio 540 is explicitly designed to deliver all-day usage and longer runtimes than competing low-power Intel parts, especially when streaming video or running multiple apps. The 42Wh battery is charged via a 45W USB-C power adapter, and there is a single USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port that handles power, data, and DisplayPort Alt Mode, along with a 3.5mm audio jack and the pogo-pin connector for the keyboard. Connectivity also gets a welcome bump: configurations scale up to Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, which is overkill for a classroom Chromebook today but helps future-proof deployments in offices or campuses that are steadily upgrading their networks.​

What makes this machine interesting at CES is not just the hardware, but the way ASUS is framing it as a multi-sector device rather than a single-lane “student-only” Chromebook. The marketing language talks explicitly about retail, healthcare, and education, which explains a few design decisions: the world-facing 5MP camera on the back, the durable build that has passed the MIL-STD-810H test suite, and the optional rugged case. The military-grade testing does not magically make it indestructible, but it does imply that ASUS has put it through a set of drop, vibration, and environmental checks that go beyond consumer-only spec sheets. The 5MP front camera, meanwhile, is there for video calls, remote classes, or telehealth check-ins, aligning with the hybrid work and hybrid learning narratives that have stuck around post-pandemic.​

Then there is the input story: ASUS supports an optional USI 2.0 stylus that magnetically attaches to the tablet and charges wirelessly, a smart move given how easy pens are to lose in classrooms and retail environments. A 120Hz panel plus a pressure-sensitive stylus opens the door for smoother handwriting and sketching, and, for staff on the floor, faster annotation on floor plans, documents, or order forms. For students, this makes the CM32 feel closer to a mid-range Android tablet or iPad in terms of inking responsiveness instead of the laggy stylus experience that has often plagued cheaper Chromebooks.​

On the software side, this is still ChromeOS at heart, but the timing of the CM32 lines up with Google’s broader AI-heavy Chromebook strategy. New Chromebook Plus models and premium devices increasingly ship with perks that highlight Gemini-powered features, and ASUS confirms that CM32 buyers can try a three-month Google AI Pro plan with access to the best of Gemini and 2TB of cloud storage at no additional cost. That perk effectively turns the CM32 into a more capable content creation and research tool out of the box: users can call on Gemini in Gmail, Docs, and other Google Workspace apps, generate images with tools such as Nano Banana, and stash large file libraries in the included cloud storage tier. ChromeOS itself handles the usual behind-the-scenes work: automatic updates, built-in virus protection, and tight integration with a Google account to keep user data segmented if a device is shared or lost. For IT admins, ASUS will offer configurations with Chrome Enterprise Upgrade or Chrome Education Upgrade, making it easier to manage fleets via the Google Admin console.​

From a CES narrative standpoint, the CM32 feels like ASUS trying to reassert itself in a Chromebook space that has recently been dominated by Lenovo’s Duet series and Acer’s education-first devices. The headline features—600-nit 120Hz display, MediaTek’s newest Kompanio chip, a surprisingly polished detachable chassis—are clearly aimed at enthusiasts and early adopters who care that their Chromebook does not feel cheap. But ASUS is also hedging by making sure it ticks the boxes that school districts, hospitals, and retailers look for: MIL-STD-tested durability, optional rugged accessories, manageable weight, and ChromeOS manageability options.​

The lingering questions, of course, are price, configuration availability, and regional SKUs, all of which ASUS tends to vary by market. The official spec sheet hints at 4GB and 8GB memory options and multiple storage tiers, plus different wireless configurations, but does not lock down exact pricing or ship dates beyond the CES 2026 timing. What seems safe to say is that the CM32 is not chasing the absolute bottom of the market; instead, it is trying to hit that sweet spot where a Chromebook can be a primary device for work. ASUS used CES 2026 to quietly push the Chromebook category a little further than anyone really expected from a detachable. The new Chromebook CM32 Detachable is pitched as a flexible work‑and‑play machine, but the story it really tells is about where ChromeOS devices are heading next: brighter, faster, more AI‑aware, and a lot more serious about durability.​

At a glance, CM32 looks like the natural evolution of the “tablet that pretends to be a laptop” idea ASUS has been chasing for a few years, but the hardware here is more grown‑up. You get a 12.1‑inch, 2.5K touchscreen that hits up to 600 nits of brightness and runs at 120Hz, which is the kind of spec sheet number usually reserved for high‑end laptops or premium tablets, not classroom Chromebooks. ChromeOS animations, stylus strokes, and simple scrolling all benefit from that higher refresh rate, and early hands‑on impressions out of CES call the panel one of the best detachables the ChromeOS world has seen, especially in harsh show‑floor lighting. Corning Gorilla Glass 3 with an anti‑fingerprint coating keeps it from turning into a greasy mess, and the bezels are slim enough to get ASUS an 87% screen‑to‑body ratio without making the tablet feel fragile.​

The detachable part still matters, and ASUS leans into it. In the box, there’s a magnetic keyboard that snaps onto pogo pins and effectively turns the CM32 into a small laptop, available in white or dark grey depending on how much you trust your coffee habits. The keys have 1.35mm of travel, which doesn’t sound exciting on paper, but for the Chromebook crowd, that’s a step up from the shallow, plasticky decks that have been the norm; people who tried it at CES described it as “significantly better” than previous ASUS detachables. If you want to use it mostly as a tablet, an optional magnetic stand wrapped in stain‑resistant leatherette lets you prop the device at almost any angle, and an optional “Impact Shield” case adds extra drop and bump protection for classrooms, retail counters, or hospital carts.​

Around the edges, ASUS is pretty pragmatic about ports and wireless. There’s a single USB‑C port that handles charging, data, and DisplayPort out, plus a 3.5mm audio jack for anyone still clinging to wired headsets. Wireless is clearly where ASUS expects most people to live: the CM32 can be configured with Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 7 radios, both paired with Bluetooth 5.4, which means better congestion handling in crowded environments and more stable wireless peripherals. In typical Chromebook fashion, there’s no fan; the whole thing stays slim and quiet, making more sense for a kid’s backpack or a nurse’s cart than a noisy, vent‑heavy Windows 2‑in‑1.​

Powering all of this is MediaTek’s Kompanio 540, a new ARM-based Chromebook chip that lands at an interesting moment for ChromeOS. Kompanio 540 is an octa‑core processor built on a 6 nm process, with two ARM Cortex‑A78 performance cores and six Cortex‑A55 efficiency cores, and MediaTek claims big generational jumps over its own Kompanio 520: up to 50% faster single‑core, 30% faster multi‑core, and 75% better graphics performance. In practice, that means this detachable is not just for Docs and Slides; it should be comfortable juggling multiple Android apps, a few heavy web apps, and even some lightweight gaming or STEM tools without coughing, all while keeping battery life in check.​

Battery life is where ASUS really tries to sell the CM32 as an all‑day device. Officially, the company quotes up to 13 hours on a charge based on Chromium OS power tests, which is the usual “your mileage may vary” territory, but it lines up with what Kompanio 540 is designed to do: trade raw horsepower for efficiency and cooler operation. It’s backed by a 42Wh battery and a 45W USB‑C charger, and because this is ChromeOS, a lot of the heavy lifting happens in the browser or cloud anyway, which tends to be friendlier to these ARM‑based chips than traditional desktop workloads.​

For cameras, ASUS takes the “tablet first” mindset seriously: you get a 5MP front‑facing camera for calls and a 5MP “world‑facing” rear camera for snapping barcodes, documents, or patient labels—little things that matter in retail and healthcare scenarios. It’s not about social‑media‑ready photography so much as capturing context: a teacher documenting experiments, a warehouse worker scanning inventory, or a field worker logging site conditions. Dual speakers with Dolby Atmos support push audio that should be good enough for Netflix and YouTube, and a multi‑array microphone helps with classroom calls and hybrid meetings without forcing you into a headset immediately.

Durability is a big part of the CM32 story, and that’s where ASUS tries to separate this device from the stereotypical fragile detachable. The chassis meets US MIL‑STD 810H standards, a battery of drop, vibration, and environmental tests that don’t make it indestructible, but do mean it’s less likely to die at the first desk‑edge impact. For deployments that really can’t afford downtime—schools, clinics, frontline retail—pairing that with the optional Impact Shield case turns the CM32 into something closer to a rugged tablet than a delicate consumer slate.​

All of this sits on top of ChromeOS, which has quietly evolved into a much more capable platform than the “just a browser” stereotype from a decade ago. ASUS makes a point of highlighting Google’s AI‑forward direction: buyers of the Chromebook CM32 Detachable can claim a three‑month Google AI Pro trial, which unlocks Gemini features and 2TB of cloud storage at no additional cost during the promo window. That perks‑based approach mirrors Google’s broader Chromebook Plus push, where on‑device AI features and extended Gemini access are becoming part of the value proposition for new hardware. Beyond AI, it’s still the familiar ChromeOS playbook: automatic system updates, built‑in malware protection, tight integration with a Google account, and easy access to Google Play for Android apps like Netflix, Lightroom, Zoom, and Microsoft 365.​

ASUS is also thinking about fleet buyers here. The CM32 can be ordered with Chrome Enterprise Upgrade or Chrome Education Upgrade, which essentially flips a switch and exposes it to centralized management through the Google Admin console. That makes it easier for IT teams to lock down policies, push apps, and track devices across districts or organizations, and it lines up with ASUS’s positioning of this machine for education, retail, and healthcare alongside the typical consumer use cases.​

Specs on paper round out the picture. Depending on configuration, you can get 4GB or 8GB of LPDDR5X memory and 64GB or 128GB of eMMC storage, which is standard fare for ChromeOS but still worth noting if you tend to keep a lot of Android apps installed offline. The tablet alone weighs about 0.625kg, rising to 0.93kg with the keyboard attached, placing it in that sweet spot where it feels lighter than most ultraportables but still substantial enough to use on a lap. Security comes via a dedicated NuvoTitan security chip alongside ChromeOS’s usual verified boot and sandboxing, giving admins a bit more peace of mind in sensitive environments.​

In the broader CES 2026 context, the Chromebook CM32 Detachable is one of those products that doesn’t scream for attention but starts to quietly reset expectations for its category. ASUS is betting that people want more from detachable Chromebooks than just “cheap and flexible”—they want the kind of display you don’t have to apologize for, battery life that actually lasts through a shift, and enough AI‑adjacent headroom to ride ChromeOS’s next few years of updates. For students, frontline workers, and anyone who likes the idea of a tablet that turns into a laptop in a snap, CM32 looks like one of the more interesting ChromeOS machines to come out of CES this year.