I don't think it is. Again I say, why do chromebooks need i5 and i7 processors? Just use Arm, it's cheaper and plus the benefits are battery life improvements due to them being more efficient. Chromebooks should be accessible to everyone in the best possible way. 🤷♀️
Yes, but only if it's your main daily device. If you're buying a Chromebook to be your ONE computer, then sure (exceptions for gaming), but if you already have a general purpose laptop, a Chromebook should be considered an accessory, like an Android tablet. I've had good success using my Chromebook as my daily driver, and I'm sold on the premium Chromebook experience, but I also still recommend cheaper devices to people on a budget. There isn't a huge difference between what you can do with them, but a $200 Chromebook compared to a $500-700 Chromebook is a world apart in terms of polish on the device (build quality, keyboard, display, etc).
Please do comparisons. E.g top 5 Chromebooks / Chromebooks under 500 / Chromebooks for students etc/ best budget Chromebooks. Would really like to see reviews comparing different devices since I am not sure which one to purchase
I bought one of these for my wife based largely on your review. Picked up the 8/128gb version for $700 from A-zon. Very impressed with this chromebook in every aspect.
How does it perform today? I can get one of these refurbished for $220. Wondering if it's worth it. Does your wife take handwritten notes? If so, how does that work? How does it work taking notes on a PDF?
I have been using it for 2 weeks now and I can only tell tyou it is a great machine. Sure the backlit keyboard lighting could be a little better, but no dealbreaker for me. Screen is simply amazing, so is keyboard and the pen in combination with the Squid app (10$ a year) makes it a very versatile device. Buy the way it is fast, really fast. In most tests faster than the Pixel. I am usng the I5 Intel.
I have this CB and the Pixel Slate with Google keyboard as well as the Brydge. I love em both, but after several months I don't NEED em both. Which one am I gonna keep...the Acer. It ain't sexy, but if I have to choose one device (and as a junkie I have owned a LOT of CBs), I cannot justify NOT choosing the ACER. But damn that Slate is SEXY!
I switched from the R13 to the SPIN 13 recently. The screen is great, I fell in love with the trackpad it is just so smooth. The one downside I find is that the battery love is somehow much more consuming than on my old R13. the moment you are in a video call or watching netflix the fans start blowing and the battery drains a lot faster. I got the i3 model btw.
I am considering the exact same from/to upgrade but in the UK the Spin 13 has been pushed back to January. I'm starting to think it isn't then long until Acer announces the next range. I have no idea how it took from May to November-January to get this out on sale in various markets.
Do you think chromebooks should be using intel processors in general? I think ARM processors were just fine cause you will get way better battery life.
@@JonathanMorris777 Yes. I totally agree. I have lost my patience. So many weeks and months checking the Acer website for the Spin 13 to arrive and also the Chromebook 514. Acer needs to look at Apple. They unveiled the new Macbook Air and you could buy it and have it delivered the following week! Supply and demand. I have had enough and am about to pull trigger on an Acer Swift 3 instead.
@@israellewis5484 I think ARM is the future and certainly the better bet for Android app compatibility. I would especially like a Qualcomm Snapdragon always on Chromebook. Maybe at CES?
I'm divided between this i-5, 8G, currently an incredible $599 on Amazon, or the Asus C434, which I would love. The screen is much more attractive, but the i-5 version is currently at $850. A whopping $300 more than this acer, with perhaps half the processing power.
Just bought one on the black Friday sales for £660 (i5 8gb 128gb), got it arriving Tuesday. Stoked to be able to finally have a portable programming powerhouse
USB-C is a complex topic you did not mention. Can these USB-c ports be used for HDMi and or Display Port monitors? Also you have done reviews on Docking stations for Chromebooks. Did you use any of those with this Chromebook? If so, what worked and what did not work? Please help, I am not finding this information anywhere. I want to purchase this but because of my intense travel schedule I need to ourchase the Chromebook, the docking stations and monitor at the same time.
I agree that the i3, 8 GB configuration is the sweet spot. I have the HP X360 Chromebook 14 with those specs and the Octane 2 score is about 36,000. And it is $200-300 less expensive than the Spin 13 (I got the HP for $514). Try the HP before choosing the Acer Spin 13, especially if a pen is NOT a necessity for you.
This is clearly not the consumer oriented model. It does however compete with the Pixelbook and if you advertise the pixelbook to be purchased why not this device? It seems we are not getting the full picture in my opinion. This unit can push the same pixels, has a slightly larger foot print and is in the same price range as the Pixelbook. Why would you not recommend it?
I know I'm a bit of a hedonist, but I was looking forward to an i7 16 gb version. My intent is to run full Linux alongside CrOS with Crostinni and the additional grunt would be welcome. My current Dell 13 i5 is still quite effective but Google has stated it's not going to receive the Linux capability. I have used the Crouton method but don't really care for the hacky and security compromised result. Has anyone seen/heard of this i7 either with the Acer Spin 13 or the Lenovo 15 yoga CB?
As always, very well prepared and great informational videos! I do have a question sorry that It might be unrelated (not 100%) to this device. My question is in regards to Android on Chromebook and access to external storage (SD Card). I've look through the library and couldn't find much recent information on this topic. Can you either point me to the proper video or better yet do a video addressing any current issues with Android on Chrome accessing SD storage and potential workarounds? Best regard.
Would you consider buying this refurbished in 2023 for $220? I can get one at that price. Seems to be a reputable dealer with many different refurbished products in my community. Any downsides to getting a used one this price?
Just bought one today, refurbished from a decent seller at 240€ with the i3/8gb configuration. With the current market in Germany it was a no brainer, because of the display size and resolution combined with the stylus. Will use it mainly for some browsing and ssh action on my machines, later on to program scratch with the kids, that's y the stylus is so important to me in this case. Probably not everyones cup of tea, but perfect for my usecase right now and at a reasonable price range. Us/uk offers were a lot cheaper, but tax will bring it to the same level currently and I like to have the same keyboard layout on all my devices.
@@user-lh8ni4so3g I thought it would capable of doing most of my work but not quite. Still, it's great for browsing and reading files (with light word processing). Love that I can mark up PDFs. At that price, it's great!
Not a definite question per say, just thinking about running multiple devices in a complex situation, sound, audio, connectivity etc., in generalities, trying to eliminate weak links in a broad sense, through entire chain of configurations, Thanks, I realize hard to respond without specifics.
It always interests me how model availability varies by market, especially as I never truly understand why, unless it is an homologation issue. In UK you can buy the Acer Chromebook Spin 13s directly from the Acer UK Store. There are no models with 16GB RAM, but in addition to the m3 & i5 models, there is also an i7-8550U processor model with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. Price in the UK is £999.00. The performance of this Chromebook in theory should be amazing with a reported Octane score of 42000, especially good for high power Linux apps when GPU hardware acceleration makes an appearance. I am certainly interested in this device to replace my ageing MacBook Pro, but I have always been a little nervous with regards to Acer build quality. The Lenovo Yoga Chromebook C630 also looks good. The build quality of my Lenovo 500e Chromebook is great, but ultimately I would like a device with a higher screen res, and more power. The C630 is available from Lenovo UK with an 8th gen quad core i5 processor with 8GB RAM, 128 GB Storage, a backlit keyboard and is considerably cheaper at £699. It still offers good performance, but has no pen support. Or do I wait for Google's long anticipated Pixelbook 2, and hope they go with better processors than used in the Pixel Slate?
Love your down-to-earth approach. But why is no one talking about the Asus C423 and the new Chromebooks in that line? I've been very interested in those Asus offerings, but would love to hear a trustworthy review first. Review the C423, please!
I personally dont see what the big deal about the price. People spend 1000 or more dollars on a smartphone. If you are going to use it for business it will pay for itself. It can do android apps and Linux. I think its worth it.
IDK about the Acer, but I just got a Pixelbook and I don't really use the track pad all that much... With a touchscreen and not enormous body, there just isn't a whole lot of reason to use it.
As nice as this looks, the price just makes me want to wait for a new Pixelbook or at least see if Asus comes out with an upgraded Flip next month. Btw, your videos are getting more popular, because you've finally attracted the "Why not just buy a Windows laptop" crowd. ;)
I just got an i5 refurb and I am BLOWN AWAY on the quality of hardware here, I can't believe you guys didn't give this a stronger recommendation in your review. I feel like I'm late to the party now
So what will be the benefits of going with the 16 gigs model if any at all vs going with the i3 processor? If processing power caps out at the i3 w/ 8 gigs what benefits will the 16 gigs bring far is RAM on the i5?
Any way you could do a best of video for 2018 with different categories such as price points, processors, performance, features like stylus and ports, etc
but why not buy a windows laptop? can get one for a little beat cheaper with a ryzen 7 2700x and 8GB of ram. at this price point i think a chromebook does not make sense
It's sad but Chromebooks should never cost more than $600, in fact it doesn't make sense buying a Chromebook with an i5 or i7... ARM processors was the whole point but as usual Intel had to stick their nose in the game, for a cash grab.
I tend to agree. I love Chrome OS but here in the UK Chromebooks are really overpriced. For instance, the HP x2 is £799. Also, Acer is terrible getting its Chromebooks to market. Where are these laptops?!?! We've been waiting for close to half a year! So I am looking at an Acer Swift 3 8th gen i3 with 128gb ssd 4gb ram (upgradeable to 12gb), backlit keys, 14in ips screen, aluminium build...for £399. It makes absolutely no sense to buy a Chromebook with a price like that. And I LOVE Chrome OS! Very frustrating but its all about value for money.
@@TomUK7 can you kindly provide your exact model, please? I did try to look through few models of swift 3 but each I've reviewed were with soldered memory
It seems like a review of a chromebook this powerful should include how it runs ubuntu using crouton. IDK how else you'd use a core i5 on a chromebook.
*Battery Life* = 9 hours and 15 minutes of video playback, tested by Forbes. That is best in class for intel laptops, without question. I would still get the i5 as it may be more efficient than the i3 in real world usage of bursty loads. I came hear to hear your take on battery life... I was disappointed. Do better. I'm cross shopping the Windows/Snapdragon 8cx Samsung Galaxy Book S $900 and this i5 Acer Chromebook Spin 13 $600. I need more than 14h of quoted battery... That degrades over time, and I'm a heavy user. Update: i bought a refurbished unit. Chromebook refurbish are usually better than windows counterparts as the baseboards are certified and the utilities for the firmware are made by Google. Instead of letting the OEM's sell bricks to customers like Microsoft.... yes, I'm bitter about a bad lenovo that died on me and the recovery process was painful and futile. I was willing to give Samsung a try though... that thing is infinitely sexy
The core i5 would be better for Linux. In 2020, on Amazon right now, with 8 GB and the i5, it's $739. This thing checks major boxes, at this point. Video editing on Linux, for one thing.
a chrome book uses cloud storage, it comes with 100GB free, for two years,, and $15 a year thereafter Google ONE can sell you 2TB online for $80 a year,, and its wifi is FAST with 802.11ac
Downfireing in the front. Nothing special and not super loud. But it's just fine for normal use. Headset out on the other hand is really greater than most laptops I have used in a while.
It's now the year 2020, we're in the prime of CV pandemic and yet strangely enough we have a price hike for the 8th gen top end 13 spin. Spec out with i5 w/ 16GB for $1070 - $1130. 🤯
Sorry, my Acer 15 Spin with 4 gig ram and 64 emmc storage does just fine and cost $349. Chromebook that cost $800+ are for stupid rich people, or those who are paid by Google to push their Pixel Chromebook.
@@noncustody I haven't used the touch screen a whole lot, but it has always been responsive. I am typing this response in tablet mode to see if I run into any issues using the touch screen. It's ok to type on, but it sucks compared to the keyboard. I use a wireless mouse too which makes this chromebook even better.
I appreciate your satisfaction with the Acer 15 Spin. I've had 15" laptops and almost invariably they are just too big and bulky to be consistently good mobile devices. I'm not stupid rich, but I got the Google Pixelbook i5 128 GB from Best Buy when Google and several retail outlets slashed the price to $750. With the exception of the speakers, which are somewhat muffled when they are switched to a position facing down, this device has been excellent for me. It has beautiful screen which is big enough for most applications, lots of memory for storage, and a fast enough processor, yet remains relatively light. I'm also especially fond of its design. I'm certainly not paid by Google. In fact, with the exception of this Pixelbook and my Chromecast, I've rid myself of their products in light of their political activism.
It, like all Chromebooks, has eMMC. The assumption is that you'll use the free Cloud storage. And, in actual use, nothing performs perceptibly better than eMMC.
I'm not sure why your so in love with Google's products. I mean your review of the pixel slate you did not mention the price once and that thing is $1000 without the keyboard. Also you would recommend the pixel book but not this and the pixel book is $100 more then this is.
@@ickna2002 Fair enough, but if you're getting the pixel slate, you're probably looking for a tablet device. The screen is improved with better visuals and touch (for the pen) If you want something that you're going to type on then you'd get the pixel book, if you want something for day to day browsing and media consumption them you'd get the slate. I completely understand Google selling this for this $1000 without the keyboard
dude straight up said he does not want a tablet. i dont think that is a favorable review...this one on hand he said its good but the price is up to you. guess what he said for the pixelbook as well? same thing..its great but the price could be to much for many.
Honestly. I don't understand what manufacturers are doing... The whole point was to get a nice machine that isn't expensive and does everything for most people
no chromebook I mean not even pixel book is worth over 500$ , chromebook should have intel m3 , ryzen 3 . something with 4 cores high enough clock 25k~35k octane performance and 8gb ram, just kill the 4gb ones
I work for a local authority and most of the software we use only runs on Windows. If you only need office programs for your business it will be fine, other than that you need a Windows laptop.
Respectfully, you talk too much and do not show the device. How about showing it being used! The stylus is what I am interested in, so maybe show a drawing app. being used. I have as many questions now as I did before.
Great specs and hardware, but kind of a lazy design. Some may consider this a nit pick, but I find it looks like every other business laptop. One of the things I love about the Pixelbook is the unique design, and that's one reason I was willing to pay more for it. The generic design of the Acer is disappointing.
Had this model exactly for 6 days and just got issued my refund from Amazon-- Yes, even had a chance to price match it to the daily deal price of $699, and I still chose to return it. Robby mentions the fan noise coming on a bit, but my unit must have been defective or not cooled right, because literally watching netflix alone, one tab/task and nothing else, that fan would be heard over this laptop at max volume (speakers are pretty good too) and it was the worst thing about this device. Total deal breaker for me. Also, in tablet mode, the bottom portion sticks out much further than the top making it very hard to hold in tablet mode. DIsplay/tent mode non issue, the screen really is that good. But too many shortcomings in design and that fan made me not even want this power house at $200 off.
the same here. after switching from the R13 to the SPIN 13, it was the biggest downside for me. the fans are quite loud, I had the same experience when watching netflix.
waayyyy too big and heavy for a tablet, so that's a non issue. ive had all sorts of chromebooks. this thing is a speed demon, and yes, it was expensive, but it's going to last. my other is a 13 chromebook pixel that i love too. want an LS!!
