Google has been adding touch-friendly features to Chrome OS for years, and a growing number of Chromebooks have featured touchscreen displays. But Acer is the first company to cut the keyboard.

The new Acer Chromebook Tab 10 is a 9.7 inch tablet that runs Google’s Chrome operating system, supports Android apps, and has no keyboard (although Acer plans to offer optional cases later this year, including with a Bluetooth keyboard).

It’s a 1.2 pound tablet with with a 2048 x 1536 pixel display, a Rockchip OP1 processor (also known as RK3399), and it comes with a Wacom EMR stylus for writing or drawing.

The tablet is designed for the education market, and should ship in the US in April for $329.

The Acer Chromebook Tab 10 will also be available in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa in May for €329.

If the tablet looks familiar, that’s because we got an early peek at it earlier this year when it was spotted at the BETT education technology show in London.

The tablet  features 4GB of RAM, 32GB of eMMC storage, stereo speakers, a USB 3.1 Type-C port, a microSD card reader, and a headset jack.

It has a 5MP rear camera, a 2MP front-facing camera, a 34 Wh battery for up to 9 hours of estimated battery life, and the tablet supports 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth 4.1.

The tablet measures 9.4″ x 6.8″ x 0.4″ and it features a slot in the tablet where you can store the Wacom pen when it’s not in use.

Overall, this is a pretty exciting development in the Chrome OS space. Thanks to Google Play Store support, the Acer Chromebook Tab 10 is basically an Android tablet that happens to ship with the full desktop version of Google’s Chrome web browser.

Like most Chrome OS devices, it should also get 5 years of operating system updates delivered by Google. That’s something no Android tablet has been able to deliver to date.

The $329 price tag is also pretty nice: the Samsung Chromebook Plus has the same processor, memory, and storage configuration as the Acer tablet, but Samsung’s model (which is a convertible notebook with a built-in keyboard) has a list price of $499. It also has a bigger, higher-resolution screen though, so it’s not quite a fair 1:1 comparison.

Meanwhile, the Asus Chromebook Flip C101 also has similar specs and a $299 price tag. But that convertible notebook-style devices has a lower-resolution 10.1 inch, 1280 x 800 pixel display and built-in keyboard.

All of which is to say, the price for the first true Chrome OS tablet seems pretty reasonable for folks that don’t need a built-in keyboard. You can always buy a separate Bluetooth keyboard if you think you might need one from time to time.

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21 replies on “Acer’s first Chrome OS tablet is coming in April for $329”

  1. None of this matters until Chrome OS gets support for adaptable storage.

  2. If this need internet conection for work. they should have add a 4G conection

  3. I think that $329 is a bit steep for this device.

    The original Samsung Chromebook (XE303) cost $249 in 2013 and had a very good keyboard. Granted, it had a weaker non-touch non-IPS screen, half the RAM and half the internal flash storage but the hw advancement in the 5 years in between should more than cover for that.

    $329 would be ok if this came with a detachable keyboard, twice the internal flash storage and some more RAM.

  4. Not exactly what I had hoped for but still pretty interesting. Some pros and cons for me in contrast to the basic ipad. Will be interested to see if Apple updates that this year.
    As somebody else mentioned I wonder if it supports external monitors. The way they list it as a USB 3.1 type C port has me a little worried on that front.
    I think that will be an important pivot for me in deciding on this or an iPad. Of course, here is hoping that other makers will be coming forward with Chromepads too.

  5. This is very interesting news. As a fan of chromebooks that has been frustrated by the lack of functionality in the iPad Pro (and Android tablets), this chrome OS tablet seems like it will be the beginning of some good things.

  6. Seems like a nice device but I would be wary of the Rockchip processor.

      1. Well, may be he wary because of well-known support of 3d acceleration and other hw blobs for Linux? With ARM devices there is a big chance to stuck with one Linux Kernel to the end of time.

      2. Fastest …… with an Arm processor says it all really, – like best one-legged footballer!

  7. rk3399 ubuntu support is getting better everyday (from the Odroid N1 and rockpro64 developers). I would like to buy this tablet and put ubuntu on it when the wifi and type-c drivers are stable.

  8. Can you natively connect to an external monitor through USB-C? No overhead.

    Does ChromeOS on ARM support always-on connected standby?

    When PWA’s become fully finalized & scaleable from phone-to-desktop, I wonder how long before Google replaces Android phones with ChromeOS phones. It’s a clever way to get around the update problem.

    1. Most people don’t really use the cameras on tablets. Is there something in particular that you would use it for and be willing to pay a higher price for?

      1. Google is really starting to push Augmented Reality with their new ARCore. Since this is a tablet, I would think that AR would be a consideration for anyone spending over $300 for a tablet.

        1. it is AR compatible. Still, cameras are not really a priority for tablets. Mostly because it’s a money saving opportunity because only my grandparents ever use tablets for pictures. A lower megapixel camera would make AR faster.

          1. Actually, it is not ARCore compatible. There are still only a handful of phones that are, and not a single ChromeOS device — granted this is one of the few with a rear camera. You can see a list of ARCore devices here: https://developers.google.com/ar/discover/

            As for the camera, better cameras allow for better detection of surfaces as ARCore will draw a grid in your current environment in order for you to place objects. It also detects features (points that it detects as “interesting”) and tracks their movements. These are mapped; based on the camera, gyroscope, etc. While a higher megapixel camera may cause more overhead, it is also much more accurate. Here is a listing of the metadata ARCore pulls from the camera itself: https://developers.google.com/ar/reference/java/com/google/ar/core/ImageMetadata

            The OP1 processor can more than handle an 8 megapixel camera for ARCore. There is no need to settle for a 5 megapixel. OP has every right to consider it a “deal breaker”, if their use of the camera is warranted.

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