I have limited experience with the Chrome OS, having used an Acer refurb 11.6 chromebook and a new Samsung 11.6" chromebook for a few weeks. (I preferred the Acer, as it was quicker although both had the same or very similar specs). I purchased this new Acer Chromebook 15.6" because of the size of the screen and because of enjoying the smaller Acer laptop earlier. I should state that I don't plan on traveling with this larger Chromebook very often, so size and weight weren't a huge consideration. I also purchased it mainly as an entertainment device and possibly some light file sharing/word processing. Having been a Google chrome user for quite a while now, I must say that cut the learning curve down a good bit too. I really like that just signing into a google account will automatically link you to your saved info on the new machine. I also enjoy using Google docs and sheets and knowing that data entered there will also show up on any other devices I have chrome installed on, like mobile phones, tablets or even windows laptops. I'm still getting used to using the cloud as a back up system, but until I trust it more, I have lots of external HD and flash drive devices at the ready. As for using the Chromebook, it is pretty easy and there are a lot of online resources for finding a vast array of information, like the many keystroke shortcuts that can be used. So let me go through a few of the things I've formed and opinion about on this Chromebook 15:
When I first went to use it after fully charging, I found that it continued to go to my home page from the desktop and tell me that Chrome had not shut down correctly; when that was clicked, it would immediately go back to the sign on page. It did this several times and I was starting to think I'd have to return this machine I'd been looking forward to testing out. It turned out that it had shipped with an older version of the OS installed, since once I checked the version and did a manual upgrade, things started working as they should.
-The build quality is what I'd consider fair to good. This is a sub $250 laptop.
I've seen a lot of reviewers mention that the screen quality could be better, and I suppose it could be, but I find it more than adequate. The colors seem bright, and viewing video content here works very well for me. Not being an audiophile, I find the larger, top facing speakers to be among the better ones I've heard on a laptop.
- I find the keyboard very comfortable to type on. I usually add a wireless keyboard and mouse to any laptop I use, but only needed to add a mouse this time, as I find using this keyboard enjoyable.
- I don't think the track pad is bad, but I don't have a lot of experience with them and just prefer the simplicity of a wireless mouse.
- battery life is pretty decent; I'm getting anywhere from 7 to 7.5 hrs this first couple of weeks. That is with light to mod.browsing and video playback and brightness at about 40%.
- I would have liked an additional usb 3.0 port, but again, keeping the cost down was a prime concern, I suppose.
- it has quick boot up. You're ready to start doing what you want in seconds.
- I'd have preferred it if it was fanless, but the fan is very quiet and I think it was needed with the better Celeron chip that this shipped with.
- some folks like the kind of funky patterned outer plastic, but I'm not a big fan. This may just make keeping the white case clean a bit harder.
- I'm not overly impressed with the 720p camera, but hopefully it'll prove adequate for video chats.
By far the biggest thing I consider a major flaw with this laptop is the small, flimsy looking charger and charge port, which looks more suitable for a 10 year old low price cell phone than a new computer. It looks like this may be the first thing to fail, but I hope using it with care, that won't be the case.
As the time gets closer to when the play store should be opening up the use of Android apps on Chromebooks, I believe this rating my get closer to 5 stars... certainly 4.5 or 4.75 anyway!
All told, I'm very happy with this purchase and hope to have it working well for a long time to come.
Update-2/20/19: I purchased a second of these Chromebooks, 'used-like new', and it arrived in pristine condition. After several weeks, it's working like our new one did. No problems, and no hassles with Microsoft security issues.
| Standing screen display size | 15.6 Inches |
|---|---|
| Screen Resolution | 1366 x 768 pixels |
| Max Screen Resolution | 1920 x 1080 Pixels |
| Processor | 1.5 GHz celeron |
| RAM | 4 GB DDR3L SDRAM |
| Memory Speed | 1.6 GHz |
| Hard Drive | 16 GB Solid State Drive |
| Graphics Coprocessor | Intel HD Graphics |
| Chipset Brand | Intel |
| Card Description | Integrated |
| Wireless Type | 802.11ac |
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 3 |
| Number of USB 3.0 Ports | 1 |
| Average Battery Life (in hours) | 9 Hours |
