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I’ve made no bones about it: the Acer Chromebook 516 GE is my absolute go-to device when I need a Chromebook I can really rely on. In so many circumstances it has been the best choice for me to keep around in my book bag, and I can think of no device that makes me more excited to see go on sale.
And why is that? I love recommending stellar Chromebooks that I 100% enjoy using. No, the Acer 516 GE isn’t perfect, but it is by far one of the best examples of great features and great build quality coming together to make a unique, exceptional experience.
Sure, I’d love for the screen to have touch input and I’d like the RGB keyboard to have a bit more brightness, but these are small issues in the larger scheme of things and what really matters is the fact that I know every time I reach for this Chromebook, it is going to deliver a spectacular overall experience.
The obvious star of the show is the 16-inch 16:10 QHD screen that hits over 350 nits of brightness and is buttery-smooth at 120Hz. But that screen would be all show if there wasn’t power under the hood, and the 12th-gen Intel Core 15-1240P, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of NVMe don’t disappoint, keeping everything smooth and fast on that 120Hz screen at all times. Add to that a fun RGB keyboard, a smooth Ocean Glass trackpad, and upward firing speakers, and you get a massive Chromebook in a rigid chassis that comes in at just 3.75 pounds and is always ready for whatever task you have.
And right now, this amazing laptop is slashed down to a ludicrous $419, a full $230 savings over its standard MSRP and by far the lowest we’ve ever seen the price go. And when a Chromebook this good gets this affordable, the time to buy is now. We’ve seen $200 deals on this one come and go, and each time I love recommending it because there’s really no reason this great of a device should be this inexpensive. Now at $30 even cheaper than what we’ve ever seen, you have to get your hands on one before the price jumps back up. You’ll thank me later!
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