Best Acer Chromebooks

Chromebooks aren't known for having high-end hardware. Although there are a few expensive options out there that are on the higher-end, the real strength of a Chromebook is allowing for people to easily take care of simple tasks on lower-end machines. With the Acer Chromebook 715, though, you are actually getting much more than low-end hardware. This system is powered by an 8th generation Intel Core i3-8130U processor running at 2.2 GHz - 3.4 GHz. Although this is far from a high-end processor, it is still a very powerful processor with much better performance than you will find in most other Chomebooks. Complementing this powerful processor is 4 GB of RAM, which is more than sufficient for working on multiple tasks at once.

Having the more powerful hardware in this system gives it a few capabilities that most other lower-powered Chromebooks simply can't do. For instance, those who need to work on higher-end data processing, such as working on large spreadsheets, will find this system easily up to the task while lower-end models will probably struggle with it. In addition, watching 4K ultra HD quality video output to a separate TV or monitor can also be done with ease, another tasks that lower-end systems simply aren't capable of doing, at least without performance issues.

The Acer Spin 11 has no problems spinning right round, not unlike the fabled record. Using the 360-degree hinge, this device lets you switch between tablet, tent, stand, and laptop modes, accommodating creative professionals. Of course, there are countless Chromebooks out there that come equipped with dual-torque hinges. But these 'books do not also come supplied with a protective sleeve and a Wacom stylus pen. With the pen's fast and accurate control mimicking a natural writing experience, the Wacom® tech pen ensures unsurpassed usability. You'll be able to draw, doodle, write, sign documents, there's very little that this pen will not let you do. In the same vein, the 10-point touchscreen will enable surfing, organizing, swiping, and editing without even touching the touchpad. While the protective sleeve will not help with these tasks, the sleeve will help with transportation, protecting the screen on the road.

Considering that this product costs less than $400, the protective sleeve and the Wacom stylus pen are an excellent addition to the package, but they're not what sells this package, not quite. Before they can contribute, what sells this package is the IPS display. Not unlike most IPS panels, this display keeps the colors accurate, the contrast ratio high (meaning that the blacks are deep and the whites are bright), and the viewing angle wide, 178 degrees wide, to be more precise. Plus, measuring 11.6 inches, the screen's 1366 x 768p native resolution is an excellent fit, making the picture sharp and detailed.

One of the most important aspects of any laptop is how long it is able to run on a full charge of the battery before it needs to be plugged into a power outlet. After all, laptops just aren't of much use if they won't last long on battery power. Unfortunately, many of the Chromebooks that one can find fall well short of meeting the needs of those who need their laptop to last a full day before needing to be recharged. That is, most but not all, as is evidenced by the Acer Chromebook Spin 311. This Chromebook packs a hefty battery that gives this unit enough juice to last not only a full working day, but also well beyond that, thanks to its ability to run for up to 15 hours on a single charge. And no worries about having to wait forever for it to recharge, as its full charging time is no more than 3 hours max.

Having a hefty battery doesn't mean this unit is heavy, though. Far from it, in fact, as this model is easily the lightest one on our list, coming in at just 2.3 lbs. It's low weight and compact form factor make it extremely portable, so carrying it around with you in a backpack won't be burdensome at all. In fact, you'll probably not even notice its weight, so those who are looking for an ultra-portable option will definitely find this model to their liking.

Right off the bat, most people don't think of Chromebooks as being speed demons, and for good reason. These systems are generally made to be cheap and easy to use, but having high-end hardware seems to be a bit of a stretch for any Chromebook. Of course, you don't need high-end hardware in order to handle all of your tasks quickly and efficiently, as you can see with the Acer Chromebook 315. This laptop, despite using lower-end hardware and coming in at a budget price, is able to handle any tasks you throw at it with a minimum of fuss, letting you concentrate on your work rather than having to fight with the system.

As we already stated, the hardware this Chromebook is packing is far from the state of the art. The system is powered by a dual-core Intel Celeron N4000 processor running at up to 2.6 GHz, which is definitely not a high-end laptop processor Don't let this fact fool you, though, as any task can be performed lightning-quick on this system. Aided by 4 GB of LPDDR4 Memory and 32GB eMMC storage, this system is highly responsive and is plenty fast for most basic tasks, including web browsing, working with documents of any type, or handling email. In short, this system won't slow you down while you work.

One of the biggest areas in which almost any Chromebook will come short is in local storage. Most Chromebook models come with only a minuscule amount of internal storage, which is often not enough to store all of the files that a user may need locally. Yes, Chromebooks are meant to work with data stored in the cloud, but there are certainly times when a user needs those files right on their computer. If you find yourself with this conundrum with most other Chromebooks, then you'll want to take a look at the Acer Chromebook 314. This model comes with 64 GB of internal storage space, which is much more than most other affordable Chromebook models will include.

Of course, even 64 GB may not meet everyone's needs in this day and age. If this is the case for you, not to worry! This model includes plenty of other storage options, ranging from its four USB ports that allow for connecting all manner of fast external storage devices, to its built-in microSD card reader, which allows you to expand the internal storage to a much higher amount. Simply put, users who require access to locally stored files will find that this Chromebook will meet their needs. No more having to wait ages for cloud-based files to download just to work on them.