http://www.techradar.com/pro/linux December 2019 LXF257 19Indeed, it was the Google Pixelbook’s high-res, high
quality screen – complete with an unusual but arguably
more ergonomic 3:2 aspect ratio – that helped smooth
acceptance of what was then a new proposition: the
premium Chromebook. Still, there’s better news when
it comes to battery life, with the 715 delivering over 13
hours of video playback. The caveat is that our testing
was completed at 50 per cent screen brightness, a level
that’s probably unrealistically low given this laptop’s
dingy screen. But even with a few hours shaved off, this
laptop offers true all-day battery life.
Justifying a near four-figure price is a tough ask with
any Chromebook – and we’re not convinced Acer has
entirely pulled it off. The biggest problem is the
disappointing screen: it’s just not good enough at this
cost. All of which means the Acer Chromebook 715 is
tough to recommend.remium Chromebooks aren’t a new notion.
It was Google itself that defenestrated the
assumption that laptops running its Chrome
OS were automatically budget devices. The Google
Pixelbook was a $1,000 system with build quality
and features to match.
So what makes this Acer premium? Highlights
include all-metal construction, a powerful Intel quad-
core CPU, 16GB of RAM, a 15.6-inch IPS touchscreen,
a fairly beefy battery and a fingerprint reader.
With UK pricing of £899 for this configuration, the
Acer Chromebook 715 puts itself against a wide range
of fairly premium laptops. On the Chromebook side,
there’s the Google Pixelbook which kicks off at £800,
albeit with a lower specification in areas like the CPU.
The Acer Chromebook 715’s chassis is indeed all-
alloy, for instance, and feels robust. The broad
keyboard complete with a full numberpad is a nice
feature, too. But it’s a pretty anonymous and has the
air of a mid-market rather than truly premium device.
The Intel CPU is likewise the powerful quad-core
Core i7-8650U that turbos up to fully 4.2GHz and is
paired with a very healthy 16GB of DDR memory – just
what you’d expect at this price. What you might not be
so impressed by is a mere 128GB of local storage, and
in low-performing eMMC format at that.
Admittedly, local storage is of much lower priority
for a Chromebook, where the emphasis is on using
Google’s various cloud-based services for storage. But
if you’re going to have a lump of flash memory, having it
hooked up via a faster interface would be welcome,
especially at this price.
Connectivity is pretty good. Both of the USB-C ports,
one either side of the chassis, support charging and
display output, for instance. Similarly, the 56Wh battery
bodes well for battery life given it’s supporting a low-
voltage Intel CPU. The fingerprint reader is another
plus, especially for business users, and remains a
relative rarity on Chromebooks at any price. There’s
also a fairly generously proportioned trackpad with a
Gorilla Glass surface for a slick, smooth feel.
It’s not normally part of our laptop test routine, but
we extracted some synthetic numbers from the drive
and found read speeds of around 250MB/s and writes
of 190MB/s. That’s pretty poor when the latest M.
SSDs are knocking out multiple GB/s of performance.
The biggest disappointment is the Acer Chromebook
715’s screen. If the core 1080p specs are merely OK, the
reality isn’t even that good. The backlighting is weak, the
colours dull, the pixel density relatively coarse. It’s not
nearly good enough at this price.Is Acer’s premium Chromebook too pricey
even for Lord Jeremy Laird?
CPU: 1.9GHz
Intel Core
i7-8650U (quad-
core, 8MB
cache, up to
4.2GHz boost)
GPU: Intel
UHD Graphics
620(^) RAM: 16GB
DDR
Display: 15.6-
inch, 1920 x
1080, IPS
HDD: 128GB
SSD (eMMC)
Ports: 2x USB-
C, 1x USB
Comms:
802.11ac Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth, HD
webcam
Weight:
1.95 kg
Size: 36.6 x
24.9 x 1.8 cm
(W x D x H)
REVIEWS
P
Acer’s powerful new Chromebook can’t quite justify its
premium pricing, despite a quad-core Intel CPU.
SPECS
FEATURES 7/
PERFORMANCE 6/
EASE OF USE 9/
VALUE 6/
Rating 6/
MAN.: Acer PRICE: £899 (4GB, Core-i3 £499)
WEB: http://www.acer.co.uk
VERDICT
Don’t ever do
this with your
laptop, especially
at this price.
Acer Chromebook 715
DDDecmbr 202 eb19Is 1IA’piu December 2019 LXF257 19
Indeed,itwastheGooglePixelbook’shigh-res,high
qualityscreen–completewithanunusualbutarguably
moreergonomic3:2aspectratio–thathelpedsmooth
acceptanceofwhatwasthenanewproposition:the
premiumChromebook.Still,there’sbetternewswhen
itcomestobatterylife,withthe 715 deliveringover 13
hoursofvideoplayback.Thecaveatisthatourtesting
wascompletedat 50 percentscreenbrightness,alevel
that’sprobablyunrealisticallylowgiventhislaptop’s
dingyscreen.Butevenwithafewhoursshavedoff,this
laptopofferstrueall-daybatterylife.
Justifyinganearfour-figurepriceisatoughaskwith
anyChromebook–andwe’renotconvincedAcerhas
entirelypulleditoff.Thebiggestproblemisthe
disappointingscreen:it’sjustnotgoodenoughatthis
cost.AllofwhichmeanstheAcerChromebook 715 is
toughtorecommend.
remium Chromebooks aren’t a new notion.
It was Google itself that defenestrated the
assumption that laptops running its Chrome
OSwereautomatically budget devices. The Google
Pixelbook was a $1,000 system with build quality
and features to match.
So what makes this Acer premium? Highlights
include all-metal construction, a powerful Intel quad-
core CPU, 16GB of RAM, a 15.6-inch IPS touchscreen,
a fairly beefy battery and a fingerprint reader.
With UK pricing of £899 for this configuration, the
Acer Chromebook 715 puts itself against a wide range
of fairly premium laptops. On the Chromebook side,
there’s the Google Pixelbook which kicks off at £800,
albeit with a lower specification in areas like the CPU.
The Acer Chromebook 715’s chassis is indeed all-
alloy, for instance, and feels robust. The broad
keyboard complete with a full numberpad is a nice
feature, too. But it’s a pretty anonymous and has the
air of a mid-market rather than truly premium device.
The Intel CPU is likewise the powerful quad-core
Core i7-8650U that turbos up to fully 4.2GHz and is
paired with a very healthy 16GB of DDR memory – just
what you’d expect at this price. What you might not be
so impressed by is a mere 128GB of local storage, and
in low-performing eMMC format at that.
Admittedly, local storage is of much lower priority
for a Chromebook, where the emphasis is on using
Google’s various cloud-based services for storage. But
if you’re going to have a lump of flash memory, having it
hooked up via a faster interface would be welcome,
especially at this price.
Connectivity is pretty good. Both of the USB-C ports,
one either side of the chassis, support charging and
display output, for instance. Similarly, the 56Wh battery
bodes well for battery life given it’s supporting a low-
voltage Intel CPU. The fingerprint reader is another
plus, especially for business users, and remains a
relative rarity on Chromebooks at any price. There’s
also a fairly generously proportioned trackpad with a
Gorilla Glass surface for a slick, smooth feel.
It’s not normally part of our laptop test routine, but
we extracted some synthetic numbers from the drive
and found read speeds of around 250MB/s and writes
of 190MB/s. That’s pretty poor when the latest M.
SSDs are knocking out multiple GB/s of performance.
The biggest disappointment is the Acer Chromebook
715’s screen. If the core 1080p specs are merely OK, the
reality isn’t even that good. The backlighting is weak, the
colours dull, the pixel density relatively coarse. It’s not
nearly good enough at this price.
IsAcer’spremiumChromebooktoopricey
even for Lord Jeremy Laird?
CPU:1.9GHz
Intel Core
i7-8650U (quad-
core, 8MB
cache,upto
4.2GHzboost)
GPU: Intel
UHDGraphics
620
(^) RAM:16GB
DDR
Display: 15.6-
inch, 1920 x
1080,IPS
HDD:128GB
SSD(eMMC)
Ports:2xUSB-
C,1xUSB
Comms:
802.11ac Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth,HD
webcam
Weight:
1.95kg
Size: 36.6 x
24.9 x 1.8 cm
(W x D x H)
REVIEWS
P
Acer’spowerfulnewChromebookcan’tquitejustifyits
premiumpricing,despitea quad-coreIntelCPU.
SPECS
FEATURES 7/
PERFORMANCE 6/
EASEOFUSE 9/
VALUE 6/
Rating 6/
MAN.:Acer PRICE:£899(4GB,Core-i3£499)
WEB: http://www.acer.co.uk
VERDICT
Don’t ever do
this with your
laptop, especially
at this price.
Acer Chromebook 715