Today in London, Acer announced three new Chrome OS devices, including two laptops and a Chromebox. Overall, they"re aimed at a mix of consumer, educational, and commercial customers.
The new Chromebook Spin 11 is, as the name implies, a convertible laptop with an 11.6-inch HD touchscreen, and it"s aimed at consumers. It supports Android apps, coming pre-loaded with the Google Play Store, so it can be a laptop, and it can serve as a tablet OS as well. There"s even an optional Wacom stylus.
The Chromebook Spin 11 actually seems pretty similar to the Chromebook 11 that was announced at CES, offering USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C ports and all-day battery life. Processor options are from Intel"s Pentium and Celeron ranges, and they come with either 4GB or 8GB RAM, and either 32GB or 64GB of storage. The device will be available in North America in March, starting at $349, and in EMEA regions in April, starting at €379.
Along with the Chromebox CXI3, the Chromebook 11 C732 is aimed at the educational and commercial markets. The new Chromebook does have the Google Play Store, but unlike the Spin, it"s not in a convertible form factor. One benefit that it does have, however, is 4G LTE, meaning that the device is always connected to the internet.
"Acer has been known for providing incredibly durable Chromebooks that exceed the expectations of our education customers for investment protection and performance," said James Lin, General Manager, Commercial & Detachable Notebooks, IT Products Business at Acer. "The new Acer Chromebook 11 C732 delivers durability features typically found in much more expensive and specialized products. This enables schools to expand learning to more environments so students get even more out of their Chromebook."
The C732 also promises all-day battery life, with a pair of USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C ports, and processor options include the dual-core Intel Celeron N3350 and the quad-core Celeron N3450. The Chromebook 11 C732 will be available in March, starting at $299.99 for models with touch and starting at $279.99 for non-touch variants. It will be available in EMEA regions in April, starting at €329.
Finally, the Chromebox CXI3 includes up to Intel"s eighth-generation Core processors, although Acer didn"t specify which models. It offers "a myriad of connectivity options", including five USB Type-A ports (USB 2.0 or 3.0, depending on which one you buy), one USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C port, HDMI, Ethernet, and microSD.
Pricing and availability hasn"t yet been announced for the Chromebox CXI3, but Acer says that it will have more information soon.