Over the years, one constant through all the ups and downs of the Chromebook market has been Acer. From affordable Chromebooks for kids, enterprise-ready devices for the working class, and some of our all-time favorite consumer models, Acer has been pushing Chromebooks as long as they’ve been around. In fact, one of the very first Chromebooks I ever laid hands on was the Acer Chromebook C720, a device we still keep around the office simply for nostalgia.
And the company has never been shy about trying out new things with processors, styluses, form factors, and screen sizes. Among the earliest attempts at a 3:2 screen on a Chromebook was the original Chromebook Spin 713 and the very first Chromebook with a MediaTek processor inside was the Spin R13. Acer has attacked nearly every facet of the Chromebook market in some way, shape or form, but there’s one place they’ve yet to really dive in. And I think it is finally time for them to do so.
Though Acer has a high-end line of laptops under the Swift name, they’ve never brought that branding over to their Chromebooks. Thus far, they’ve not needed to, and there’s part of me that applauds them sticking to their Chromebook naming structures; but the time could be right for the Swift line of laptops to finally begin including a Chromebook or two. Here’s why.
The HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook could shake things up
We are right around the corner from the release of the HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook, and that device stands poised to set the consumer Chromebook market in a bit of a new direction. For the first time, we’re seeing a premium brand being included in the consumer Chromebook space with no enterprise-focused contingencies. This isn’t HP dipping a toe in the water: it’s them diving all the way in.
The Dragonfly Pro Chromebook will not only be one of the best (if not the best) Chromebooks you can buy when it releases, it is also a clear entry into a market saturated with devices that have confusing names, multiple configs, and unclear paths to purchase. Consider the Acer Chromebook Vero 514 for a second. There are at least 3 configs out there to buy, only one is available at Best Buy, and the other two higher-end models show up on Acer’s site for purchase not from Acer’s store, but from Newegg or CDW. And that’s just one example of many.
For consumers used to seeing a few models of a particular gadget clearly named and clearly priced, the Chromebook naming/pricing/config scheme is a bit of a mess. HP is coming at this situation with the Dragonfly Pro Chromebook as if they are fully aware of the state of the market and are reacting accordingly. The Dragonfly Pro has one SKU, one name, and two color options. Period. There are no enterprise models, no custom configs, and no confusion. And I think it will be a bit of a revelation for consumers to consider.
It’s time for an Acer Swift Chromebook
With all of this in mind, it feels like it may be high time for Acer to respond. They don’t yet have a flagship Chromebook for 2023, and it would make a whole lot of sense for them to make that high-end device something akin to what HP is doing right now. Their Swift laptops are light, thin, and come with some absolutely stellar specs. Each time I pick one up at a Best Buy or when we’re out at CES, I’m jealous that there isn’t a Chromebook version of these laptops.
And we finally have a reason for one to exist. While I don’t think HP’s Dragonfly Pro will outsell cheap Chromebooks, I think it is ready to set a new precedent for what we can expect from the higher end of the Chromebook market for consumers moving forward. While it won’t single-handedly shift the market and make everyone want a nicer ChromeOS device overnight, this Chromebook will have an impact. Chromebooks are more capable than ever, and those abilities are only set to continue growing in 2023.
And that makes this the perfect time for Acer to finally dive into the top end of the market. They could keep the Spin 713/714 device that always goes on sale and stays in the $500-$700 range, but add in a Swift Chromebook that delivers the top-notch experience expected on a $1000+ Windows laptop. It’s no longer aspirational to think a company could do this one day: HP is set to deliver it very soon.
So, instead of sitting back and watching HP secure the entirety of that segment of the market (which they will if the Dragonfly Pro launches without a major hiccup), Acer could launch a Swift Chromebook with a gorgeous OLED screen, thin/light chassis, and great internals to compete with them. While ASUS and Lenovo and Samsung should all do the same, it is Acer that feels the most likely and most positioned to do so.
Will they? It’s impossible to say at this point, but I sure hope they do. Acer makes some awesome Windows laptops that I feel get lost in the shuffle a bit. But as a high-end, consumer-focused Chromebook? That could garner some real attention and make for a very intriguing device. I sure hope it is in the works and I hope that even if Acer leaves the Swift naming off of it, a high-end consumer device is in the works from them. The time is definitely right if they choose to strike.
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