There will be no shortage of great Chromebook deals in the coming days as we approach the biggest shopping day of the year but this Chromebook could be one of the cheapest “premium” devices we’ve ever seen. The Acer Chromebook 715 debuted in New York back in April but didn’t officially hit retail shelves until mid-September. The 15.6″ “semi-premium” clamshell brings a lot of features to the party including a fingerprint sensor that was, until recently, a Pixel Slate exclusive.
In addition to a Full HD display, the Acer 715 was the first Chromebook announced that features a much asked for numeric keypad. Apart from that, this device takes a lot of design cues and build quality from my personal favorite, the Chromebook Spin 13. It doesn’t feel quite as solid but it, by no means, feels cheap. A number of variations are available ranging from Pentium all the way up to a Core i5 model with prices starting at around $499 for the former.
There will be no shortage of great Chromebook deals in the coming days as we approach the biggest shopping day of the year but this Chromebook could be one of the cheapest “premium” devices we’ve ever seen. The Acer Chromebook 715 debuted in New York back in April but didn’t officially hit retail shelves until mid-September. The 15.6″ “semi-premium” clamshell brings a lot of features to the party including a fingerprint sensor that was, until recently, a Pixel Slate exclusive.
An email from Rowan M. alerted us to a deal from Walmart that honestly, looked too good to be true. We have frequently seen deals on Core i3 Chromebooks like the HP Chromebook X360 or Dell Inspiron 14 that push prices down below $400 but right now, you can pick up the Core i3, 4GB/128GB Acer Chromebook 715 for the insanely low price of $299. You read that right. A Full HD, Core i3 Chromebook with a numeric keypad for only three Benjamins. Here’s a closer look at the impressive list of features the 715 has to offer for very little cash.
- Chrome OS
- Intel 8th Gen Core i3-8130U processor
- 4GB DDR4 SDRAM
- 128GB eMMC storage
- 15.6″ FHD 1920 x 1080 IPS touch display
- aluminum chassis
- 2 x USB-C, 1 x USB-A, MicroSD and 3.5mm audio jack
- Android and Linux app support
Now, the caveats. This listing from Walmart is unique. If you search this specific model number, you will find Walmart and Acer’s listings and that’s it. Acer lists retail of $549 while Walmart has it with an MSRP of $399. The stock photos also show a fingerprint sensor but Acer’s listing say that this model is not equipped with that feature. When announced, Acer did say that this was an “optional” feature. So, if you order this, do so with the understanding that it will likely not have a fingerprint sensor.
All that aside, you aren’t going to find a brand new, Core i3 Chromebook with a Full HD display and numeric keypad for this price anywhere. The Pentium version of this device goes for nearly $500 on some sites. If you’re looking for a device with a great build, massive screen real estate and ample power, this is a deal worth checking out.
Update: We have this Acer in the office and can confirm that there isn’t a fingerprint sensor or a backlit keyboard. The biometrics aren’t a big deal and honestly, at this price, the lack of keyboard illumination is quite forgivable. The big problem here is that the sticker on the device clearly says “Backlit Keyboard” and that’s a gross error on Acer’s part. Still, I can definitely recommend this Chromebook at $299. You won’t find a machine with these internals at this price anywhere else. Just know going in that the aforementioned features will not come along for the ride.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.