Acer Chromebook 11 C740

NewHopeTech · July 23, 2015

So this is my first review so I'll do my best. NOTE: This isn't a review of Chrome OS. This is a review of purely the C740.

This is my first chromebook, although I've used different chromebooks in school.

Keyboard: Solid construction, well spaced keys. I didn't have many typing errors on the chromebook. The travel distance for the keys is low but it didn't bother me as much as I expected it to. I like the replacement of the function keys and I have no clue why they made the enter key the way they did. Only major complaint is the half sized arrow keys.

Touchpad: Not as good as a Macbook's but better than my oldish toshiba laptop and other chromebooks. Best touchpad I have ever used extensively.

Overall construction: Sturdy build with very little flex. It is light and easy to hold at 2.9 lbs. This would be a great high school laptop (which is why I bought it). The brushed plastic look from the lid shows fingerprints but it isn't too bad. It looks a lot nicer than the solid color of the C720. The glossy plastic around the screen is a finerprint magnet and should burn in the firey depths of hell. The hinges seem sturdy and overall I would be fine bringing the device to school. It has a charging LED and a power LED. It has one USB 3.0, one USB 2, an SD card slot, a kensington lock, an HDMI port, a 4 pole headset jack and a chrging port.

Upgradability: This is one of the few chromebooks were you can upgrade the ssd. It uses a standard m.2 ssd so go ahead and throw 512gb at this chromebook. RAM isn't upgradable. There are no stickers that say removing the bottom voids the warranty - on the same note I can't find a warranty from Acer.

Speed: "Fast enough" doesn't do it justice. I'd say this is a fast chromebook. Boot time is "7 seconds" but I'm getting more like 5 seconds. Web pages boot fast and it gets a score of 13679 on the Octane 2 test.

Battery life: Acer claims 9 hours but I get between 8.5 and 9.5 hours, and if I turn brightness down I can easily get 10 hours, maybe 11.

Screen: Okay. Good horizontal viewing angles but the verticle angles are horrible. Much better than the C720's screen. Color is a little dull compared to IPS monitors.

Speakers: They are on the bottom. They're stupid good (at low volumes). They don't get super quiet, but they do get very loud. Anything above 50% (which is really loud) is quite muddy.

Webcam: I'd say it's usable. While it is fine for video chat I woudn't call home about it.

Price: Depending on where you get it it's usually $260 for the 2gb and $280 for the 4gb.

Overall: It isn't the best designed chromebook, it isn't the fastest, it doesn't have the longest battery life or the best screen and it sure isn't the cheapest. This might have the best speakers, the second fastest cpu in chromebooks and overall it is the most well rounded chromebook out there. If you enjoy chrome os and can accept the compromises you will make, this may just be your next chromebook.

Pictures on Imgur

http://imgur.com/a/KmadS