Acer’s Chromebook 14 for Work is a 3.5 pound laptop with support for up to a Core i5 Skylake processor, up to a 1920 x 1080 pixel display, and up to 8GB of RAM, making it one of the more powerful Chromebook options on the market.
But what really sets this Chrome OS laptop apart is the design: it has a Corning Gorilla Glass lid, which protects the top of the computer, but allows corporate customers to emblazon their logos or other designs beneath the glass and have it shine through.
And the laptop is MIL-STD 810G tested for durability. Acer say the Chromebook 14 for work should be available in May for around $349 and up.
Entry-level models will likely have 1366 x 768 pixel displays, 2GB of RAM, and and Intel Celeron processors. But it’s nice to have options for more powerful hardware. Acer will also offer models with standard or backlit keyboards.
The demo unit I saw also had a matte display, which is something that’s increasingly difficult to find on laptops. While matte screens don’t reflect as much glare as glossy displays, they also tend to look a little less vibrant under some lighting conditions.
Other features include a USB 3.1 Type-C port, 3 USB 3.1 type-A ports, HDMI and DisplayPort, and audio jacks. Modes will be available with 16GB or 32GB of storage, and the Chromebook 14 for Work has a 720p webcam with an 88-degree wide angle lens.
Acer says the notebook should be able to get up to 12 hours of battery life (or 10 hours for models with a full HD screen), and the notebook measures about 13″ x 9″ x 0.9″.
The notebook has been tested for drops from 48 inches as well as the ability to work in high or low temperatures, and humid environments.
Acer is positioning this as a laptop for enterprise, but the company isn’t ruling out the possibility that it will be available for retail customers as well.
