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A few weeks ago, a deal on my favorite Chromebook currently available resurfaced, bringing this excellent overall device down to just $449. As we tend to see with Chromebooks, that deal expired later that week and most of us freely assumed it would be gone for a while. But a few things have occurred since that last deal that make me wonder if Acer is ready to get aggressive in moving the remaining inventory of this device off shelves sooner than later.
A new Chromebook Plus 516 GE is coming
Namely, the emergence of a new, Chromebook Plus model of the already-excellent 516 GE has me wondering if Acer will be ready to push the 18-month old model a little harder to make way for the sequel. We’ve covered it in the past week or so, but Acer looks primed to deliver a new Chromebook Plus 516 GE in the near future, and that’s an exciting possibility to be sure.
We found this new model listed over at cros.tech (where you can see all the current Chromebook development boards and their current ChromeOS versions) and it seems like only a matter of time before it arrives. I’ve also written a post about the tweaks and updates I’d love to see for this upcoming Chromebook, and one thing about that wish list is quite important: it is very short.
The 516 GE is so good already that there are only a few, small upgrades I’d like to see in the sequel. But those things are creature comforts, not necessities, and that means I still consider the 516 GE to be one of the absolute best Chromebook experiences you can buy right now. Sure, a few little tweaks will help sweeten that overall package a tad, but iteration is definitely the way Acer needs to go with an updated model as the current version is still such an absolute pleasure to use.
And that’s great news for anyone looking for an amazing Chromebook at an amazing price. For just $449, you’re getting a 16-inch QHD IPS 16:10 120Hz screen that is an absolute treat to work from on a daily basis. It gives you enough room to spread out a bit, but that large screen comes in an ultra-sturdy chassis that still only weighs in at 3.7 lbs, too. It’s the best of both worlds!
With a great, RGB backlit keyboard, a huge OceanGlass trackpad, plenty of I/O and super-fast internals (12th-gen Intel Core i5-1240P, 8GB of RAM, 256GB NVMe storage), you can easily see why I love this Chromebook so much. It gets so much of the Chromebook equation so right that a $449 price tag feels almost silly. If you want a laptop experience that goes the extra mile, don’t miss out on this one. You won’t regret it.
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