The new Chromebook launched by Acer ticks all the important boxes for a powerful and reliable notebook: great graphical performance and processing power, HD display, sleek design, and a battery capable of powering the device for an entire day.
Notebooks running Chrome OS aren’t getting as much love as their Windows or OS X counterparts, but things are about to change, and Acer’s Chromebook 13 is one of the steps needed for getting there. The Tegra K1 Chromebook adds some diversity to the line, as all the other Chrome OS notebooks are powered either by Samsung or Intel processors.
It should be noted that the Chromebook 13 (which was previously leaked as CB5 by a Swedish retailer) will be available in two versions, the main distinction being made by the display resolution. More precisely, the first one, which will sell for $279, sports a 1366 x 768 display, 16GB of internal storage and 2GB of RAM, while the latter includes a full HD 1920 x 1080 display, and otherwise the same specs, for $299. The ones who aren’t satisfied with 16GB of storage and 2GB of RAM can opt to double both of them, but that will cost $380.
There are a lot of people who claim that $380 is an exaggerated price for a notebook that only has 32GB of internal memory, but they’re missing the point entirely. Unlike Windows laptops, Chromebooks are a lot more responsive and have a much longer battery life, Acer’s Tegra K1 laptop being firm proof of that. Besides, Chromebooks were mainly built for browsing the web and storing whatever important data users have in the cloud. The cheaper Chromebook 13’s battery keeps the notebook going for 13 hours, while the full HD version can run for 11 hours on a single charge. Since that’s more than a work day’s worth, the longer battery life is a clear advantage Chromebooks have over the competition.
If it’s numbers you’re interested in, Acer Chromebook 13 is 0.71 inches thick and weighs 3.31 pounds. The notebook sports 2 USB 3.0 ports and an HDMI port that should come in handy when connecting the Chromebook to a projector or an external display.
Chromebook 13 is currently available for preorders on Acer’s website, and should start shipping sometime in September. Now it’s time for Acer’s competitors to make their move.
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