For the video review of this product, click here.
This is not the powerful and expensive "For Work" version, this is the cheaper variation with the Celeron processor. For listing of different variations of this model, go here. You will find this in the 2016 Chromebooks.
First impressions
The top cover looks gorgeous in that mirror finish black. Sides look ugly and disconnected from the rest of the design. Upon opening, it looks bland. The style reminds me of the Acer Chromebook C720. This almost feels like a reincarnated Acer C720 with improvements.
Features
Acer Certified Chromebook for Work is aimed at the enterprise market with business-class features. The shiny top cover can be customized with company logo. There is a business card holder on the bottom cover. There are weep holes under the laptop so water can drain in case you drop water on it. It also has “military grade protection” which means it can take a drop of up to 17 inches and can withstand 130 lbs on top of it.
Price
This Chromebook was released in 2016. It is currently priced at $214-229 new on Amazon. The model number is CP5-471, but this model number is also used for the more expensive variations of it. See Zipso website for the different variations of it. This one is easier to find by searching for “Acer 14 black”.
Build
It weighs 3.2lbs. Measures in at 13 inches wide from left to right, 8.9 in height from from the front to the back, and 0.9 inches thick. Materials are plastic all around with Vibrant Corning Gorilla Glass on top, which makes it a fingerprint magnet. It looks thicker on a table due to the rather large rubber feet underneath. The chassis feels solid in the hands.
Ports
It comes with the following ports: 2x USB Type A 3.0, 1x Kensington lock port, 1x SD memory card reader, 1x headphone jack, 1x USB Type C 3.1
WiFi supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac. Laptop also comes equipped with Bluetooth.
Speakers
The speakers are average, in a good way, they won’t blow you away but they are good compared to other Chromebooks.
Keyboard
I find it comfortable for me to type on it, but then again I am not too picky about key travel. I can adjust to typing on any keyboard. This one does not come with backlit keyboard, you’ll need to buy the more expensive variations if you want a backlit keyboard.
Trackpad
It is solid in place, relatively large, and smooth.
Webcam
The camera is average for a Chromebook. I personally never use a chromebook camera because the quality is generally low. The microphone works great, I have made a phone call using Google Hangouts extension and its good.
Storage
16 GB of eMMC Flash storage, which is NOT upgradeable. More expensive models with core i3 and core i5 have 32 GB of storage.
Screen
14 ich TFT LCD panel with narrow bezels. Quality is like any othe TN panel; matte finish, washed out colors, poor viewing angles, poor outdoor visibility, and below average color accuracy. Screen resolution is 1366x768 making it a 720p HD screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio. Screen is not touch screen. The more expensive variants of this model come with a IPS 1080p HD matte screen.
Performance
This Chromebook is equipped with the Celeron 3855U Dual Core processor @1.6Ghz. I has 4GB DDR3 RAM and Intel’s HD 510 shared graphics. Using the Octane Benchmark, it scores 15,000. This is a relatively fast processor and will take care of your multi-tab web surfing and video needs without a problem.
Battery Life
Battery life is rated at UP TO 12hrs. The size of the battery is 3720 mAh. It definitely is one of the longest lasting Chromebooks I have ever used.
Android Apps
This Chromebook comes with access to the Google Play Store and allows you to install Android Apps.
Repairability
Only things that are replaceable: WiFi card, Battery, CPU fan, speakers.
FINAL THOUGHTS
For the price, you get a lot of bang for your buck consider the process is relatively powerful compared to many other Chromebooks at a similar price. I think it’s a great daily-driver workhorse for web surfing, youtube watching, and any other basic tasks you do on a browser. This is definitely not for photo/video editing due to the screen quality. But then again you can’t do any professional video/photo editing on a Chromebook, I hope someday that changes. This product is easy for me to recommend.
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