Editor’s Rating: 9/10
A Chromebook that gives decent performance along with excellent battery life.
The Good
The Acer Chromebook 15 provides a lot of good things to its buyers like reliable performances, improved speeds, and good battery life. But most importantly, the Chromebook is very affordable. You don’t need to spend a lot of money purchasing this Chromebook making it a very pragmatic choice for people who are under a budget.
The Bad
You’ll rarely see many negatives with The Acer Chromebook 15 since it is a solidly built Chromebook with a lot of useful features. However, it’s still a cheap low-end Chromebook so don’t expect high-levels of performance or power from this. Which makes it a bad choice if you’re planning to use more resource-intensive programs.
Detailed Review of Acer Chromebook 15 (2018, CB3-532)
The Acer Chromebook 15 is everything you could ever look for in a cheap, affordable, and functional Chromebook. Now just like with the best Chromebooks out there, the Acer Chromebook 15 has something more than its cheap price to offer. These additional features make it worth purchasing as well as worth trying out as well.
Acer Chromebook 15 Configuration In Review
Processor: Intel Celeron Dual-Core N3060 | RAM: 2 GB RAM | Storage: 16 GB eMMC | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 400 | Display: 15.6 Inches 1366 x 768 |Operating System: Chrome OS | Battery Life: 12 hours | Weight: 4.2 lbs| Other Features: 802. 11ac wireless connection , HD Webcam
Durable Design
The first thing worth mentioning about the Acer Chromebook 15 is its impressively tough design. You might notice after looking at it for a while that this Chromebook is just one sturdy metal or plastic slab thanks to its design.
To be honest, the design scheme for Acer Chromebook 15 is pretty lackluster especially since it looks like your generic run of the mill laptop, however, it sacrifices its appearances for durability. Its metal chassis is extremely durable and it will protect the Chromebook’s internal components like a slab of armor.
But the armor doesn’t stop there and by opening the lid you’ll see that it isn’t just the chassis that’s sturdy. The keyboard is pretty solid and durable and you can tell just from typing on it that it has a pretty durable base as well.
The Acer Chromebook 15 is a durable laptop both on the outside and on the inside which ensures you’ll be able to use it for a long time.
Lastly, for its durability, we have the side of the screen. This 15 inch Chromebook is surrounded by thick and tough bezels that protect the screen from bumps to the sides saving you the trouble of wasting your money and time on either buying a new Chromebook or asking for a replacement if it’s still under warranty.
Overall, the Acer Chromebook 15 is one sturdy piece of hardware that makes it ideal for crowded places where people might accidentally bump or hit your Chromebook while carrying around. We’re talking about a place like a high school hall or a busy intersection.
Dual Band 802. 11 ac Wireless Connection
Because of their lack of storage space, Chromebooks often rely more on the internet to store their data which can be quite the hassle especially if your Chromebook has a subpar wireless connection.
Luckily for you, the Acer Chromebook 15 since it features a better wireless connection with its 802. 11 ac wireless standards. You’ll now be able to catch signals you normally can’t with your older Chromebooks and of course expect faster speeds as well.
If you’re planning to do a lot of online meetings for your business or take online classes, then this feature is truly helpful since this wireless standard is more suited for high-performance networking.
HD Webcam
And speaking of internet connection and video streaming, the Acer Chromebook 15 has a pretty decent HD webcam for a cheap and affordable device. Its 1280 x 720-pixel webcam may not be the best in the market but it does its job well.
It can even capture the full colors of your striped and patterned shirt so you don’t have to worry about being blurry on camera. Combine these features with its 802. 11 ac wireless standard and you’ll be able to easily conduct a lot of online meetings and classes without having to spend a lot of money on external hardware like a USB webcam.
Long Battery Life
Last but not least is the Acer Chromebook 15’s battery life. What truly makes it a good Chromebook for college, business, and for traveling is its ability to last for a long time without needing to charge.
This Chromebook can be used up to 12 hours straight before needing to charge again. Now this is what it’s advertised battery life is, testing it out ourselves we’ve discovered that it did not reach the 12 hours mark and it averaged about 10 to 11 hours on mixed-use which isn’t pretty bad.
11 hours is a long time and you’ll be able to use it for an entire day or even multiple days depending on how you use it. You’ll probably also have a better overall battery life if you optimize the Chromebook properly as well, so you have its long battery life to look forward to.
Look forward to traveling the world or working at a coffee shop with this Chromebook since its battery life can hold up for hours upon hours.
Critic Reviews
LaptopMag: 3.5/5
The Acer Chromebook 15 should be your go-to choice if you can’t find anything better. The Chromebook isn’t bad but its performance is pretty average which doesn’t say a lot about it. It does have really good battery life and its very durable to boot, so at least you can expect it to shine in those categories. And it’s also affordable as well, so it’s still a pretty good choice.
PCMag: 4/5
The Acer Chromebook 15 may not be the prettiest or the most innovative Chromebook in the market design-wise but it’s still a pretty good choice. For a cheap and affordable price, you get a durable Chromebook that can take a beating. Its long battery life also makes it appealing as well for people on the go who may not have time to stop and charge their gadgets.
Buy It If…
You should buy the Acer Chromebook 15 if you’re looking for something that has a long battery life that falls within the cheap budget. This Chromebook is very affordable but it isn’t a pushover either since it has fairly reliable specs that can run most basic programs. It also has a more advanced wireless card which is really convenient for Chromebooks in general since they tend to rely more on the internet a lot more than other gadgets.
Its also good to know that the Acer Chromebook 15 works well with online meetings and classes as well. Its HD webcam is good enough to capture your clothing and face without being blurry and it’s 802. 11 ac wireless standard helps improve and stabilize your video streaming as well.
Overall, the Acer Chromebook 15 is a good pick for students who don’t have a lot of money and for frugal businessmen.
Don’t Buy It If…
The Acer Chromebook 15 has its ups and downs, and although its a pretty reliable computer that comes with long battery life, it still doesn’t make up for its low-end specs. It won’t be able to play resource-intensive programs and from our test, we’ve also discovered that it has a pretty subpar speaker as well.
Don’t buy the Acer Chromebook 15 if you’re looking for a Chromebook to run high-end programs like video editing software and video games. You’re better off saving that money to buy a more powerful Chromebook.
Acer Chromebook 15 Alternatives
If the Acer Chromebook 15 isn’t powerful enough for you then you might be interested in these Chromebooks:
- Google Pixelbook Go: A high-end Chromebook known for its impressively fast speeds. This one is expensive for a Chromebook but its really good if power and speed are what you’re looking for.
- Acer Chromebook 11: A smaller and more portable version of the Acer Chromebook 15. This one is also very cheap and affordable as well.
Verdict
The Acer Chromebook 15 is an amazing Chromebook that balances its cheap price with good features. Its most notable feature is its amazing 12-hour battery life which makes it really handy for long trips where finding a charging station might be difficult.
Tell us what you think of the Acer Chromebook 15 down on the comments below. Do you agree with us? Do you disagree? We’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions on this product.