Acer R13 Touchscreen 2-in-1 Chromebook Good for School Review

What's the best Chromebook? Information technology'south a question that nosotros are always request. Which is why we are looking at the model beneath. Convertible Chromebooks are aught new, with year-old models like the ASUS Flip C100P leading the market on devices that tin double every bit a laptop and tablet at the same fourth dimension. Now, however, the Acer Chromebook R 13 is here to change the perception that these devices are more than a i fox pony, thanks in due part to the add-on of full Google Play Store/Android app compatibility.

Simply volition that one feature lonely exist enough to bear this convertible Chromebook to greatness? Notice out my Acer Chromebook R thirteen  review!

Acer Chrombook R 13 Overview

Price: $399.99 on Amazon (32GB model)
Available: Now
Model: CB5-312T-K40U

Summary:The Acer R xiii is the first in line of what's sure to be many convertible Chromebooks that incorporate full Android app compatibility into their software matrix, and the endeavor pays off in spades.

What We Liked

  • Chrome Bone performed well on touchscreen
  • Compatibile with Android apps
  • Long-lasting battery

What We Didn't

  • Onboard speakers weren't cracking
  • Single USB-C port for charging/use is abrasive

Acer Chromebook R 13 Specs

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Acer Chromebook R 13
Processor MediaTek MT8173C Core Pilot Quad-Cadre ARM Cortex-A72/A53 processor
RAM 4GB LPDDR3 RAM
Display Type IPS
Brandish Resolution 1920 10 1080
Storage 64GB
WiFi 802.11ac
Bluetooth iv.0
Keyboard Standard
Battery xi hours 54 minutes (at load)
Price $399.99
Buy Now

Hardware and Design

Acer Chromebook R 13 review
The design of the Acer Chromebook R 13 is Macbook-esque in all the correct ways

In my review of the similarly-skewed ASUS Flip C100P, I wrote nigh how both Chromebook manufacturers and Apple follow very similar design principles, with the former emulating many aesthetic notes from the latter each year a new generation of Macbooks is released. If y'all want another option for a well-built and durable Chromebook, accept a expect at our Acer Chromebook R 13 Convertible Review.

The reason I bring this upwardly in the case of the Acer Chromebook R thirteen is that like the C100P, many of the blueprint accents on the on the R 13 would wait right at dwelling house on a Macbook – or any other Apple tree product for that matter – merely that's not a bad thing. The aluminum chassis houses a full blackness flatkey keyboard, which hides backside the screen when the swivel is flipped over and the laptop is shifted into convertible mode. The keyboard is also ever-and then recessed beneath the surface of the trackpad and the torso, so it's more than obvious when you're accidentally resting your palm in the wrong identify.

At a picayune less than thirteen″ across and only 15mm deep this is ane of the larger Chromebook convertibles you lot'll find, just it had no problem plumbing fixtures into a sidebag without weighing me down at just 3.3lbs (if you lot prefer something that weighs a little less, the Acer Chromebook R11 is right upwards your alley at 2.76 pounds). Overall the R 13 feels extremely sturdy in the mitt when being used in tablet mode, and could probably take a beating over time while in laptop mode besides.

One pocket-size annoyance to note is the hinge did feel a footling flimsy when picked up by the spine. The plastic would come loose from the metal chassis and hold on, but for a brief second it felt like I'd broken everything altogether.

Software

Acer Chromebook R 13
The biggest addition to )and master selling signal of) the R xiii is Google Play/Android compatibility

But even though the R 13 is ane of the largest convertible Chromebooks yet, its main selling point lies in the software. Unlike all other Chromebooks we've reviewed thus far, the Acer R thirteen is 1 of the very showtime to offer limited back up for Android apps and the Google Play Store.

Read More than: Best Chromebook Apps

Virtually every app yous can run on an Android tablet can now be used seamlessly on your Chromebook, which is a huge pace forward for the brand and could once more spur sales in a demographic that'due south started to grow colder to the idea of ownership a laptop that until now could only perform ane task on its own (scan the spider web).

The ability to download and utilise whatsoever Android app you want and utilise it without result is far and away the biggest selling point of the Acer R 13, and although you tin can only access this characteristic through the Beta channel of the Chrome Os development stream for now, it's expected to brand it to Standard builds in the next few months.

Hardware

Acer Chromebook R 13
The hardware specs on the Acer Chromebook R 13 may not blow you away, but they go the job done

Every bit tested, our Acer Chromebook R 13 comes with a MediaTek MT8173C Cadre Pilot Quad-Core ARM Cortex-A72/A53 processor, a 13.iii-inch Full Hd 1920 ten 1080 resolution, high-brightness LED IPS 10-way multitouch display, 4GB of LPDDR3 RAM, integrated Imagination PowerVR GX6250 graphics, 64GB of storage, one microSD card reader, a 720p webcam with High Dynamic Range (HDR), i USB 3.1 (Type C) Port supporting USB 3.ane Gen ane (up to 5 Gbps) DisplayPort over USB-C (which doubles as the charging port, a'la the new Macbook 13), ane USB 3.0, and one 3.5mm headphone/mic philharmonic jack.

Both the keyboard and trackpad were surprisingly comfortable to use because the R thirteen's smaller stature, and although I've got large easily with what many people would phone call "sausage fingers" (myself included), I was able to type this review at a comfortable 65 wpm with only a few mistakes in between (compared to the fourscore wpm I can slam out on on a full-sized Mac keyboard at my desk).

Performance

Somewhat expectedly given its smaller size and mid-tier cost betoken, the performance of the Acer Chromebook R 13 was striking or miss, depending on the application.

Web browsing was fine for the almost office, though things did get-go to get a fleck choppy around the fifteen tab marker with multiple YouTube videos open as well as Facebook and one WebGL experiment running in the groundwork. Where the Chromebook shined, nevertheless, was in games that we played via the Google Play Store.

Heavier resource titles similar Minecraft and Lego Star Wars both ran without whatsoever hiccups in full 1080p, and the touchscreen was the perfect way to bridge the gap between mobile and laptop gaming. Less graphically intensive games like Fruit Ninja and Cut the Rope also performed beautifully, while standard apps like Spotify and Pandora experienced few (if any) stutters during use.

The onboard speakers were fine, merely nothing substantial. If you lot're planning on watching a movie with friends it's definitely not going to exist loud or boomy enough to satisfy everyone'southward tastes, but will nonetheless get the chore done if you're laying in bed lonely and don't experience like scrounging effectually for your headphones.

Display

Acer Chromebook R 13
The x-way multitouch 1080p display was as accurate and responsive as they come

The 13.3″, 1920 x 1080 FHD IPS display on the Acer R thirteen Chromebook makes information technology one of the largest that whatsoever Chromebook convertible has carried to engagement, and information technology also happens to be i of the most beautiful to boot.

Colors were rich and vibrant enough that I actually institute myself preferring movies

The multitouch touchscreen was highly responsive and felt just like a tablet when flipped to that mode, and was accurate enough that we only hit a few false positives during testing that required the states to go dorsum and tap what we wanted again.

My only complaint here is the huge bezel at the bottom of the screen, which in my opinion could have been used better to either add together on some more real manor or at the very least give a little more punch and ability to the onboard sound by including a third row of speakers merely below the hinge.

Battery

The battery on the Acer Chromebook R 13 was definitely 1 of the standout points, lasting a solid 11hrs and 54min during our various testing procedures. With a build this light and small information technology's rare that you can go a touchscreen model that pushes by the 10hr marking, but in all our tests the battery held strong whether we were watching movies, playing games, or just lightly browsing the spider web.

Wrap Up

At $429 the Acer R 13 is a bit more expensive than what you might expect to pay for similarly spec'd Chromebooks in this category, yet when you lot add together in the Google Play compatibility, it'southward like y'all're getting an Android tablet and Chromebook in i!

The solid build quality, gorgeous touchscreen, long-lasting battery and decent gaming performance brand this a top pick for any prospective Chromebook possessor. And although we could never recommend a Chromebook as a strictly gaming-axial auto on its ain, now with Google Play available, the the R 13 is still a cracking option for anyone who wants the all-time of both worlds in a single, sleek package.

Related Articles:

  • Dell Chromebook 13 Review
  • Acer Chromebook R 13 Reviews
  • Samsung Chromebook 2 Review

Photo of Chris Stobing

Chris Stobing

Chris Stobing is a writer and blogger from the heart of Silicon Valley. Raised around tech from birth, he'south had an interest in PC hardware and networking technology for years, and has come to Gadget Review to contribute his cognition on both.

hernandezkneand1992.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.gadgetreview.com/acer-chromebook-r-13

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