Acer launches four new Intel-powered Chromebooks for the education market

Acer’s latest Chromebooks for the education market are small notebooks with 11.6 inch or 12 inch HD displays, support for up to 8GB of RAM and up to 64GB or 128GB of storage, depending on the model.

The company is introducing four new models, with starting prices ranging from $380 to $500. Some models are convertible tablets with 360-degree hinges and support for a pressure-sensitive pen, and all models are available with at least the option of a touchscreen display. And all of the laptops are powered by 12th-gen Intel processors.

What’s different is which 12th-gen chips. Three of the new Chromebooks come with a choice of Intel Processor N100 or N200 chips. These low-cost, low-power processors are part of Intel’s Alder Lake-N family. Each is a 6-watt chip with four Gracemont CPU cores – which are basically the Efficiency cores used in other 12th-gen processors

The fourth laptop is the Acer Chromebook Vero 712 which is available with a choice of Intel Celeron 7305, Pentium Gold 8505, or Core i3-1215U chips. While these 15-watt processors aren’t exactly speed demons, they all feature at least one Performance core. Combined with the higher base power rating, the Vero 712 should be capable of delivering a little more performance than the other new models.

It’s also the first Chromebook from Acer to be part of of the Vero brand, which means it incorporates sustainable design elements. The chassis and display bezel are made with 30% post -consumer recycled plastic and the keycaps use 50% post-consumer recycled plastic. The notebook’s packaging is also made from 100% recycled paper pulp.

Acer says all four of its new notebooks feature rugged design elements including reinforced corners, shock-resistant bumpers, reinforced ports, and spill-resistant keyboards. You should be able to spill up to 11 ounces of water on the keyboard without causing any damage, and the notebooks should survive drops from heights up to 48 inches.

The new Acer Chromebook 511 and Chromebook Spin 512 also include a user-replaceable keyboard that can be detached by removing just two screws.

Here’s a run-down of key specs for the new Chromebooks:

Acer says that models with Intel Processor N100 and N200 chips will also be available with optional support for 4G LTE in select markets, but the company has no plans to offer that option to customers in the United States or Canada.