It’s Saturday night and US-based PR and marketing teams are working hard which can only mean one thing – CES is about to kick off. Acer is in the ring and have already delivered a one-two punch by announcing the Chromebook 15 (CB5-571) with, you guessed it, a 15.6-inch screen. It’s also the first Chromebook to run on 5th-generation Intel Core architecture. With a Full HD screen option and upward-facing speakers this could at least be one for the Netflix fans.
Acer are offering the Chromebook 15 with a 5th-generation Core i3 or Celeron 3205U processor based on the same architecture.
A standard set of ports (HDMI, USB 2.0, USB3.0, SD card, BT4.0 and ACD WiFi) is included but there’s no Ethernet port which one might expect on a device that could work as a desktop.
The sleek design of the Acer Chromebook 15 features a white fabric-like surface that gives the case a sophisticated look that is comfortable and ensures a secure grip. The Chromebook 15 has been reinforced to handle more bumps and drops; the case can withstand up to 60kg of force, while the corners can tolerate up to 45cm drops without damage. Also, the new Chromebook can endure more twisting and stress on the case and hinges. To ensure a great user experience, the new Acer Chromebook 15 features the largest touchpad of any Chromebook today, so customers have greater freedom when navigating, zooming and scrolling. [PR]
At an entry price of $250 brings you a model with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and the 1366 x 768 pixel display. 4GB RAM and 32GB storage will be an option. The weight of the Acer Chromebook 15 is 2.2KG making it the heaviest Chromebook on the market but until another 15-inch option comes along (we’re expecting more than one competitor to appear over the next months, if not the next few days) there’s no real comparison.
In terms of performance over the 4th-generation processors we’re not expecting a huge leap. The move to a 14nm process saves energy and allows Turbo Boost (where available) to operate for longer and there could be an improvement in the GPU, but don’t expect massive changes. Video playback battery life might get a boost through the new on-board audio decoder that’s in the Core i3 at least. We’re expecting to find out more about the 5th generation (codename Broadwell) over the next few days at CES.
The Acer Chromebook 15 will be appearing at CES Pepcom in Las Vegas in just over 48 hours (Monday 5pm local time in Las Vegas) so expect some hands-on videos to start flowing. We also expect to answer the questions about fans, battery life/capacity, pricing and availability then too. [Unfortunately we’re not at CES this year but we’re working closely with Mobilegeeks.com who will be so if you have any specific questions, let us know in the comments and we’ll work on getting them answered for you.]
Hat-tip: Liliputing.