Wow! Just yesterday we reported Acer dropping a couple new education devices at the annual BETT show in London. Those devices, powered by the latest Intel Celeron chips (Gemini Lake), bring 3:2 screens, speedy performance, better screens, and military-spec ruggedness for the classroom.
This group of devices announced today bring much of the same to the table, just in a more standard 11.6-inch, 16:9 form factor. Specs aren’t surprising and fall in line with what we’ve been seeing from EDU Chromebooks this year, but Acer has also included another AMD-powered device in the mix this time around.
Honestly, we thought it a bit odd that Acer’s only AMD entry was the rather pedestrian Chromebook 315 we saw at CES, a 15-inch budget device that doesn’t have any of the ruggedness of other EDU-focused Chromebooks. Now that we’re seeing another AMD model in a much more robust chassis, I think Acer has a better answer to HP’s AMD offerings.
Let’s Look At The Models
All of these new Chromebooks are the 11.6-inch, 16:9 variety, so we’ll skip through that part on each.
First up is the Acer Chromebook Spin 511 (R752T). With an antimicrobial Gorilla Glass display, Celeron N4000/N4100 processor and convertible form factor, this device comes in at a starting price of $379. It also features a stowable stylus for handwriting tasks.
Second is the Acer Chromebook 311 (C733), which is a classic clamshell with a spill-resistant keyboard that can withstand up to an 11 ounce spill and is also powered by the Celeron N4000/N4100. This model will start at $299.
Third and fourth are a convertible and clamshell Acer Chromebook 311/Spin 311 (C721/R721T) that are powered by the 7th-gen AMD A4 processor. Both devices come with a tamper-resistant keyboard that is easily serviceable and start at $279 for the clamshell and $349 for the convertible.
Additional specs are as follows:
- Rugged and MIL-STD 810G certified
- All feature IPS displays for wide viewing angles
- Up to 2 USB-C (3.1) ports and 2 USB-A (3.0) ports
- Bluetooth 5.0
Apart from this, we don’t actually have a full spec rundown from Acer, but I’d fully expect to see 4GB/8GB RAM options paired with 32GB/64GB internal storage options.
With a massive fleet of new Chromebooks on offer for the classroom coming in at a wide variety of pricing, Acer has clearly gone all-in on Chromebooks for education. As these devices start finding their way to market, we’re hopeful that we’ll be able to get our hands on a nice sample of all the models now on offer (6 in total!) and weigh in a bit on the best bang for the buck as schools begin to make purchasing decisions for the 2019-2020 school year.
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