Acer C720-3404 11.6 inch Chromebook- Intel Core i3 Review

11.6 inch Acer C720-3404 Chromebook
via Amazon

Granite Gray Acer C720-3404 is the new 11.6 inch Chromebook by Acer presented as the fastest and the most powerful 11.6 inch Chromebook with the 4th generation Intel Core i3 processor (instead of Intel Celeron or Atom) offering built-in security features that are automatically updated, good performance, speed and long battery life in a simplistic package for a great internet experience by loading pages very quickly, editing documents, working on spreadsheets and light multimedia.

Acer Chromebook has the Haswell Intel Core i3-4005U processor (3 MB L3 Cache) at 1.7 GHz speed with hyperthreading but no turbo boost, 4 GB DDR3L SDRAM for effortless multitasking to use many browser tabs at once, 32 GB SSD that makes sure system wakes up from sleep instantly and boots up in less than 7 seconds and Google Chrome operating system that is constantly updated- including software and security updates and stays free from viruses without interrupting your work. You get 100GB of Cloud based Google Drive storage for free for 2 years so you can save and access your files wherever there is internet access. You can comfortably share your Chromebook with others as each person has their own login details and everything is kept private.

11.6-Inch anti-glare HD widescreen CineCrystal Active Matrix TFT Color LED-backlit ComfyView display with 1366 x 768 pixel max screen resolution and Intel HD Graphics 4400 offers OK picture quality with crisp resolution (small screen advantage despite not being a Full HD but still a bit dim) and giving you the opportunity to work or play outdoors comfortably with its anti-glare display. It has an HDMI port so you can easily connect it to your HDTV and do everything on the big screen.

You get 8.5 hours battery life from its 3-Cell Li-Polymer battery so you can be away from a power outlet and work on the computer all day anywhere. It comes with two integrated stereo speakers, HD Webcam with built-in microphone, a full-size FineTip keyboard and a touchpad that supports multiple gestures, Acer InviLinkTM NplifyTM dual band 802.11a/b/g/n wireless and 12 Gogo Inflight1 passes of $150 value free of charge for internet access on a flight, Bluetooth 4.0, 1 x USB 2.0 port, 1 x USB 3.0 port, Secure Digital (SD) Card, Headphone Jack and a Kensington lock slot.

This third generation rich matte granite grey and black bottom Acer Chromebook weighs just 2.76 pounds with dimensions of 11.34 x 8.03 x 0.75 inches so it is light, slim and portable- it is 30% thinner than the previous model, being held with one hand when lid is closed and fitting easily into a small bag giving you the convenience of taking it wherever you go easily so that you can keep up with things online and offline.

It comes with popular Google products installed, such as Google Mail- Gmail, Google+ Hangouts for live video chats with up to 9 people, Youtube video sharing, Google Docs for word processing and spreadsheets etc., Zoho Office Suite and SlideRocket to create and share presentations as well as thousands of applications that are free of charge on Chrome Web Store and with everything automatically updated. While you can’t download and use programs like Microsoft Office, Adobe Suite or Skype on Chromebook, you have the alternatives and this keeps the system safer and virus-free.

Conclusion: Acer Chromebook C720-3404 seems to have quite a lot going for it considering the price it is offered, including responsive and fast performance with an i3 CPU- it is actually the first Chromebook with a Haswell Intel i3 processor, more memory and SSD than before and better on-board graphics card. It doesn’t have a physical Ethernet port or a DVD drive but a good range of connectivity options even though it is so slim and compact. It is suitable for students and families and for those that want the compact size but more computing performance and power than a tablet and that will not need to use OS X or Windows.

The display quality probably is not the best- a little dim and the speakers are not great but it is super portable, has a durable build with solid hinges, looks good with a decent design, offers very long battery life, power and snappy performance at a very affordable price and it comes with a 12 month limited parts and labor warranty by Acer. And Chromebooks are no longer just about browsing the net and doing everything online, you’ll find many more apps and capabilities for working offline- to watch and edit videos and create documents as well.

Click here for a closer look on Amazon