List Price: $249.99
Sale Price: $249.00
Today's Bonus: $0.99 Off
To give some background, this is my first Chromebook. I own a PC which I use for gaming and editing video files; and I've owned an '08 MacBook (recently died, which prompted this purchase) and a '12 MacBook Air (donated to Mom), both of which I primarily used to surf the web, check email, watch youtube, and play music and video files.
I needed to replace my MacBook so I researched my options, and based on my needs I narrowed my choices down to the Acer C720 and HP Chromebook11. I read through the limited reviews available at the time, and the overall theme was that the C720 offered greater performance over build/screen quality while the HP11 offered better build/screen quality over performance. I've always valued function over form so the C720 it was.
I'm glad to report that, IMO, the claims against the C720's screen some of which made it sound like it was a total POS are unfounded as I feel it's as good as my Macbook Air's screen. Of course, the build quality isn't the best, but it's not like it feels like a flimsy toy by any means. The keys and touchpad feel thinner, lighter, and of lesser quality than my MacBook but still adequate; and for $250 it's a solidly built machine that meets or exceeds all of my expectations.
At the time of purchase the available reviews had not covered whether this machine could meet my main criteria (detailed below in order of importance), and I am pleased to report that the C720 passes with flying colors on all counts! (Note, my '08 MacBook could not play 1080p video from my Sony Action Cam or GoPro (without the help of Plex Software), a limitation of the CPU/GPU.)
1. smooth playback of raw 1080p video files from my Sony ActionCam and GoPro 3 (1080p HDMI output to HDTV also works great!)
2. efficiently browse the web no realistic limitation on open tabs/windows (thanks to the 4gb of ram)
3. compact size (the C720 feels just slightly heavier than my Macbook Air and a hair larger in all dimensions)
4. great battery life (based on a full charge and screen at 70% brightness, the battery indicator esimates 7 hours of use)
5. ability to continue using all of my external HD's (some laptops I've used before don't play nice)
Overall, I am super impressed with the C720, and IMO at $250 it's an outstanding bargain for a very capable machine. Assuming your primary use is similar to mine surfing the web while on the couch / in bed, and playing music and videos this laptop will surprisingly meet most if not all of your needs. The Intel Celeron Haswell chip, while dumbed-down, enables this Chromebook to match the performance of my MacBook Air for all my intents and purposes and even surpasses my older MacBook in video playback. I'm officially a Chromebook convert, and I don't see myself missing my MacBook anymore! I'll update this review as I develop further impressions but so far I am very happy with my decision to go with the C720.
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==UPDATES==10/27/13 Added in some additional side notes
This review is going to assume that you're OK with the idea of a Chromebook that you're OK with using pretty much nothing but the Chrome browser. You won't be able to use Skype or Microsoft Office here, neither will you be able to use things like Final Cut Pro or Photoshop. However, you'd be surprised at how powerful some of the things you find online have become: there are substitutes for programs like Skype and Microsoft Office, found in the form of Google's Hangouts and their productivity suite. More complex programs like Photoshop have yet to be replicated online, but there are basic photo and video editing software now as well. If you're OK with this idea cloud computing which some have named the "next generation of computing", then I encourage you to buy a Chromebook. They're optimized for the web and only the web. You won't have to deal with viruses and updates are automatic. It's simple, it's fast, and it's efficient. But only if you can handle the limitations.
The Acer C720
With the C720, Acer has fixed the most glaring issues of its previous generation of Chromebooks most noticeably replacing the HDD with a SSD, decreasing the boot time to a mere 7 seconds, and upgrading the processor to a 4th generation power efficient Haswell processor, improving the battery life to an impressive 8 hours. With a $249 price tag, these specifications alone makes this a tempting buy, but let's look at some of the other factors first.
The Externals
To keep a long story short, it's not great. Compared to the catchy design of the HP 11, Acer's Chromebook looks kind of ugly, It's all gray color scheme is pretty boring, and the bottom of the Chromebook is filled with vents (see picture above). That being said, it's not a bad design either. It's thin with a slightly tapered finish, and it's light and easy to hold. Looks aside, this Chromebook is perfectly functional and definitely an upgrade if you're coming from the previous generation. It's actually pretty sturdy it doesn't bend easily and it seems like it can take a light beating. I've been traveling around with it and I don't feel it at all in my backpack.
The screen has a 1366x768 resolution with a matte finish. It has poor viewing angles, but it's perfectly fine if you're using the Chromebook alone. The keyboard works pretty well if you're used to previous Chromebook keyboards or Apple keyboards, you'll be used to this one. Keep in mind that the caps lock key has been replaced by a `search' button, though you can always remap it in the settings if you miss it. The clickable touchpad also works well it's surprisingly responsive and the 2 finger scrolling works well. You use a 2 finger click for right clicking, and you can also do a 3 finger swipe to switch tabs. The smoothness of the multi-touch capabilities really surprised me here. Also, regarding the webcam, it's exactly what you'd expect from a $250 laptop. It'll work well enough for Google Hangouts, but don't expect to look like a supermodel. However, it's definitely a bit better than the HP 11's webcam it's not as grainy and it works a little bit better under low light situations. Speakers are also pretty loud for such a small notebook, but the sound quality is average.
This Chromebook also comes with a variety of input/output ports (1 USB 3.0, 1 USB 2.0, 1 HDMI, 1 SD, 1 Kensington lock, 1 Mic/Headphone), much more than the HP 11, and I've found the abundance of ports to be quite useful. Finally, note that there is a fan in this Chromebook, but it's barely noticeable: you have to lean in close and be in a quiet room before you can hear it.
The Internals
This is where this Chromebook really shines. For $249, we're used to getting a sluggish computer, but that is not the case with this Chromebook. The Intel processor and a generous 4GB of RAM really shines here, and it shows in the performance. It can handle multiple tabs with no problem and runs 1080p videos and graphically heavy websites smoothly. Unlike the ARM based Chromebooks, there are no stutters or pauses which might distract you from your work and research. Once I used this Chromebook, it was really hard to go back to the HP 11. The battery life lasted around 8 hours for me, but the best part is that it only takes around 2 hours to fully charge, which is pretty fast in my opinion.
All in all, I love Chromebooks because of their simplicity and speed. It works so well for those who just need to surf the web and do some basic writing or note taking and I'd recommend everyone to give it a try before dismissing the idea. You'd be surprised at how much we depend on the web these days. Personally, I've been waiting for a Chromebook which combines good battery life and performance with a decent design, and I think this model does just that (even if it falls a bit short on design). This would be the perfect model for those who prefer function over form, and for $249, it's an absolute bargain.
Some side notes regarding the other models:
I've used the Samsung Series 3, the Acer C7, and the HP 11, and this model trumps all of them in terms of performance.
The screen on the Hp 11 is the best out of all 3, with the best contrast, brightness and viewing angles.
This model has the best battery life for an 11 inch chromebook, though I think the 14 inch Hp chromebook is supposed to have 9.5 hours.
Also, for those interested, this Chromebook comes with the standard perks of 100GB of Google Drive for 2 years, 60 days of Google play music, and 12 sessions of GoGo in-flight internet.
Feel free to ask any questions below in the comment section!
Best Deals for Acer C720 Chromebook (11.6-Inch, Haswell micro-architecture, 4GB)
I got Samsung Chromebook last year and have been using it for about a year. As soon as Haswell Chromebook was announced I ordered it because the ARM chip in Chromebook sucks. Its extremely slow. Enter Intel Haswell. Its freaking awesome. Pages load quickly, and no matter how many tabs you have open, this chromebook keeps going blazing fast. I am sure 4 gig ram also helps. So to summarize:1) Superfast. Orders of magnitude faster than Samsung Chromebook (and HP Chromebook-11 because it also uses the same crappy ARM chip)
2) Awesome battery life. I got close to 9 hours
3) Screen is better than what I had in Samsung Chromebook. Same resolution, but more bright and colors are not as washed out as with Samsung.
4) Super thin and light.
5) Both Keyboard and trackpad are good
Best $250 I spend
Honest reviews on Acer C720 Chromebook (11.6-Inch, Haswell micro-architecture, 4GB)
This model replaced the old model C710. I want to do a brief review on the hardware.CPU.
I am happy with the update because it comes with the newest Intel Haswell generation Celeron 2955U dual core 1.4GHz CPU. The older model only clock at 1.0GHz. But still keep in mind Celeron is low-end cpu from intel so don't expect too much for performance. This chromebook is about easy functionality such as web based things, emails at a very minimal cost.
The build quality.
This machine is made of plastic. It is very well built, feels good in my hand. Also I noticed it is pretty resist fingerprints.
Boot speed.
Boots very quickly from sleep, I personally never shut down this machine I always let it go to sleep mode, so the instant on from sleep mode is a very good feature for me.
Display.
1366 x 768 resolution on a 11.6" matte TN display. Not a very bad resolution on a 11.6 inch display, however you do need to do some angling back and forth to get the best viewing angle. This display is not too bad for me, I know you cannot compare this display with IPS but for this price there is nothing to complain about.
Keyboard and trackpad.
Nice and large, giving the fact this is a very small device. I like the rigid feeling. When I press the keyboard, I do not get much movement with all of my hand so that is a good thing.
Trackpad is standard chrombook trackpad and it behaves pretty well for me. It supports two fingers scrolling also.
RAM and Storage
4gb of DDR3 ram. It is pretty standard for laptops nowadays, but for chromebooks this is a change. Most chromebooks today still come with 2gb of ram.
16gb of SSD, you don't get too much space but it is not a big deal for me. This chromebook is web based so I do not see why I need the extra storage.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Acer C720 Chromebook (11.6-Inch, Haswell micro-architecture, 4GB)
This is my 2nd chromebook (also own a Samsung ARM Chromebook). This is the exact combination of speed, quality and price I've been looking for. It's slightly bulkier but is still really small and feels great to use. I'm running Ubuntu with a window manager alongside Chrome OS and have about 40 tabs open (and a bunch of other apps) and haven't noticed any performance issues. This is the chromebook I've been waiting for.Differences from the Samsung ARM Chromebook:
The keys are less wiggly, this keyboard is nicer to type on and better protects from small amounts of liquid spilling on it
The trackpad is much more sensitive
The screen is a bit nicer
This thing has a fan which runs nearly silent but makes it slightly bulkier (still only 2-3 lbs). Because of this, there are vents across the bottom and rear, and the rear footpads are slightly raised (facilitating heat exchange). All this differentiates the feel of it from the Sammy ARM (which is literally just a board and no moving parts).
The footpads are rounded which makes it less grippy to the surface below. To fix this, drag the laptop around a bit to wear off a tiny amount of the rubber coating.
The Acer is MUCH faster. Even with swap enabled on the Samsung, it doesn't come anywhere near the Acer in speed. I'm more productive on it.
The battery lasts about 2 hours longer (running the same apps, doing the same tasks) despite the fan(s), etc.
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