
There are big Chromebooks and then there are BIG Chromebooks. The Acer Chromebook 317 falls into the latter category, coming in at 17.3-inches and earning the title of one of the largest Chromebooks you can buy. We had hands on with this device quite some time ago, and the one thing I remember about my time with this subtle giant was loving the feeling of a quasi-mobile desktop-like device I could take with me wherever I chose.
Don’t get me wrong; a 17.3-inch laptop isn’t for everyone, but I did love the fact that anywhere I opened up this behemoth, I felt like I had ample space to stretch out and get stuff done. The 1080p screen doesn’t exactly give you any extra space for your apps or windows, but it does help you see all those digital tools much easier when leaned back and little at your workstation.
The screen is bright enough with an anti-glare coating, the keyboard and trackpad are very comfy, and the speakers – as they should be on a device with this much space available – are quite nice as well. Pair all of that with a swift Pentium Silver N6000 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage, you have a Chromebook experience that is adept at most things you can throw at it.
While the standard $499 price tag has always given me a tad bit of pause with this one, a recurring sale price has made it far more interesting of late. At a full $200 off retail right now, the Acer Chromebook 317 is a lot of Chromebook for only $299. And for a ton of potential users, that extra space and screen real estate might be just what you are looking for in a Chromebook. At this sort of price, this is one I think could work really well for a lot of people. And as always, if it’s of interest to you, jump on it while you can. We never know when deals like this will simply vanish.