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Intel’s Project Athena initiative feels custom-made for Chrome OS and as expected, we now have another premium Chromebook that adheres to Athena specifications of instant wake, internals, and battery life. Acer took to the virtual stage this morning to take the wraps off of the company’s latest products and in the mix, the PC giant announced two new Chromebooks. As we expected, based on previous leaks, Acer’s newest flagship device is a refreshed and refined version of the original Chromebook Spin 13. Along with the new Project Athena-certified model, Acer has revamped the popular Chromebook Spin 311 by replacing the intel CPU with the same MediaTek chipset that powers the Lenovo Chromebook Duet tablet.
Acer Chromebook Spin 713
The Acer Chromebook Spin 713 takes most of what was great about the Spin 13 and improves on it. You won’t find a garaged stylus on this model but Acer has added support for USI pens which means you can grab the stylus of your choice when USI pens become more widely available. For now, you’ll be stuck with the HP USI pen. Let’s take a look at the specs of the new Acer Chromebook 713 and then, you can have a listen to Robby’s initial impressions.
- Chrome OS
- 10th Gen Intel Pentium Gold 6405U/Core i3/Core i5/Core i7
- 13.5″ 2K 2256 x 1504 IPS touch display, VertiView 3:2 Aspect Ratio
- Up to 16GB DDR4 RAM
- 128GB/256GB PCIe NVMe storage or 64GB/128GB eMMC
- WiFi 6
- Bluetooth 5
- 2 x USB-C, 1 x USB-A, MircoSD and full-size HDMI port
- all-aluminum chassis
- Gorilla Glass touchscreen and trackpad with optional anti-microbial coating
- U.S. MIL-STD 810G compliant (drop-tested at 48″ and withstands up to 132 lbs of downward force)
- 16.8 mm thick, 3.02 lbs
- Android and Linux app ready
- USI stylus support
- optional Chrome Enterprise Upgrade
The Acer Chromebook Spin 713 will be available in July and we have confirmed that the Core i5, 8GB/128GB model will be priced at $629. That is a huge price decrease from the original Spin 13 that retailed for $899 at the time of its release. This will make the Spin 713 a big competitor in the premium Chromebook space and hopefully, devices like this and the Lenovo Flex 5 will lead a new movement of affordable and powerful flagship Chrome devices. To see more, check out Robby’s hands-on and first impressions below. You can find more details about the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 in Acer’s press room here.
Acer Chromebook Spin 311
Premium Chromebooks are awesome but there is a huge market for budget devices that don’t suck. Acer has made a name in that department with the very popular Chromebook R11. Recent follow-ups include the Spin 311 and now, Acer has refreshed that model with an ARM processor. The Chromebook Spin 311 houses the MediaTek MY8183 that is also found in the Lenovo Chromebook Duet tablet. Acer is stating that this little 11.6″ convertible will get up to 15 hours of battery life which makes it the perfect companion for the student or employee on the go.
Key Specs
- Chrome OS
- MediaTek MT8183 ARM processor
- 4GB RAM
- 32GB/64GB eMMC storage
- 11.6″ IPS touch display 1366 x 768
- Android and Linux app ready
- anti-microbial touchscreen
- 2.2 lbs
The Acer Chromebook Spin 311 will be available in North America in July and starts at $259. EMEA consumers will see this model in June and can pick it up for 299 euros. We’ll get our hands on this one as soon as possible and bring you a full review. This could be the go-to budget convertible to beat for 2020. Acer also launched new models of the company’s Swift, ConceptD and Predator lines. You can watch the entire presentation in the video below.
