Acer Chromebook Spin 713 Pairs Chrome OS With Project Athena
Acer has revealed its latest Chromebooks, with the Chromebook Spin 713 tapping Intel's Project Athena for maximum performance from Google's OS. Promising a premium twist on Chrome OS, the notebook pairs a tough reinforced aluminum chassis with a 360-degree hinge and 10th Gen Intel Core processors.
Acer Chromebook Spin 713
With those CPUs, there's up to 16GB of DDR memory and up to 256GB of PCIe NVMe SSD storage. The display is a 13.5-inch, 3:2 aspect touchscreen, with 2256 x 1504 resolution. It's an IPS panel and has a Gorilla Glass top layer for durability; Acer will also offer an antimicrobial coating as an option.
Indeed, holding up to rough treatment is part of the Chromebook Spin 713's overall charm. There's MIL-STD 810G compliant ruggedization, for example, which means you can drop it from four feet – or crush it under 132 pounds – without worry of dents or corrosion. Despite the toughened chassis, it still measures in at 0.66-inches thick and 3.02 pounds in weight.
The hinge swivels a full 360-degrees, and there's a backlit keyboard and dual stereo speakers, plus dual microphones. Ports include two USB 3.1 Type-C – each of which support charging and external displays – plus HDMI and USB 3.0. There's also a microSD card reader. Wireless options include WiFi 6 2x2 MU-MIMO and Bluetooth 5.0.
Battery life is up to 10 hours, Acer says. The Acer Chromebook Spin 713 will go on sale in July, priced from $629.99. A Chromebook Enterprise Spin 713 will arrive the following month, priced from $1,099.
Acer Chromebook Spin 311
If you want more battery life, less on the sticker, and aren't willing to compromise on the hinge, the Chromebook Spin 311 may do the job. It has an 11.6-inch touchscreen and up to 15 hours of battery life, and weighs 2.2 pounds.
There's still an antimicrobial Gorilla Glass covered screen – albeit at HD resolution – but inside it's a Mediatek MT8183 processor doing the heavy lifting. Acer throws in WiFi 802.11ac MU-MIMO and Bluetooth 4.2 as well.
The Acer Chromebook Spin 311 will go on sale in July, priced from $259.99.