Acer was one of the first companies to launch a Chromebook, and these days the company has a wide range of models with different screen sizes, processors, and capabilities. But for the most part they’re low-cost devices with entry-level specs. The fanciest current Acer Chromebook is probably the Chromebook R13 with a 13.3 inch convertible touchscreen design… but it has a relatively sluggish MediaTek processor.
Now Acer is showing off a new version of its Chromebook 11 at Computex in Taipei, and it looks like the new Chromebook 11 will be available with up to 8GB of RAM and up to an Intel Core i5 processor. It’s also a MIL-STD-810G tested device which means it has a ruggedized design to help survive classroom use.
While Windows laptops with 8GB of RAM and Core i5 chips are solidly mid-range, those kinds of specs are rare enough in a Chromebook to consider this a premium device… but those are just the high-end specs.
Cheaper models will feature Celeron or Core i3 processors and as little as 2GB of RAM.
Each version has a spill-resistant keyboard, a touchscreen display (even though there’s no 360-degree hinge for converting the notebook to tablet mode), and Acer says the Chromebook 11 should offer up to 13 hours of battery life.
Other features include USB Type-C, USB 3.0, and USB 2.0 ports, HDMI and headset jacks, and a microSD card slot.
There’s no word on the price or release date.
via Chrome Story
Nice linux laptop. I would hope that it would have a fast SSD instead of emmc memory. Too much power for just browsing webpages. Great strategy for Acer and Linux… let Google and Intel pay for hardware development, the end-user installs a linux distro.
Interesting. Off hand it seems like Google might be loosening up restrictions on what and how many ports can be on these devices. A nod to OEMs wanting more differentiation maybe? Or just a byproduct of the system maturing a little perhaps.
Always a little struggle to figure the benefit of the core i5 on a Chromebook for most people.