Acer has unveiled its first Chromebook to feature the Arm-based Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c processor.
The Acer Chromebook Spin 513 benefits from a number of exciting features thanks to the Arm architecture, including an astonishingly thin 15.55mm chassis, reported 14-hour battery life and optional 4G support for the on-the-go connectivity.
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Arm-based laptops are becoming more and more common, but compatibility issues with Windows has arguably held such devices back from success, with the Samsung Galaxy Book S and Surface Pro X the most notable examples.
However, the Acer Chromebook Spin 513 uses ChromeOS instead, with Acer suggesting there shouldn’t be any software issues with the laptop’s app library given Google’s extensive experience with Arm architecture via Android.
James Lin, General Manager of Notebooks, IT Products Business at Acer, says, “Acer is excited to bring to market our first Chromebook powered by the Snapdragon 7c compute platform, with all the performance and efficiencies necessary to maximise the vast benefits of Chrome.”
Along with the Snapdragon 7c, the laptop features up to 8GB RAM and up to 128GB of storage. That doesn’t seem a lot on paper, but should be enough for the casual user that this Chromebook is aimed at.
Related: What is an Arm processor?
The Acer Chromebook Spin 513 sees a convertible design, allowing you to easily flip the laptop into tablet or tent mode. A 13.3-inch Full HD IPS touchscreen display should also provide adequate picture quality for the likes of Netflix and YouTube.
Two USB-C ports are onboard, supporting both display output and USB charging. A standard USB-A is also included for those who want to connect peripherals or USB sticks that still use the old format.
The Acer Chromebook 513 will be available in the UK from Nov/ Dec with a starting price of £399. It will arrive in the US in February 2021 with a base price of $399.99.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.