Acer introduced its new Chromebook 13 and Chromebook Spin 13 back in May, leaving us in suspense for the price and availability information. Now we have it. Both models will be available starting in September in the US and Canada. These are high-end devices so they won’t be inexpensive. The Chromebook 13 starts at $649.99 while the base Chromebook Spin 13 is $749.99
Both devices have 13.5-inch IPS displays with a 3:2 aspect ratio and 2256×1504 resolution. Each shares an aluminum chassis, Gorilla Glass touchpad, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2., a microSD card slot, full-sized USB port and two USB Type-C ports.The main difference between the two is that the Spin model has a touchscreen that rotates completely over for a large tablet-like experience. It also comes with an EMR stylus that fits inside the Chromebook.
You’ll be able to choose between two Chromebook 13 and three Chromebook Spin 13 configuration models come September:
Chromebook 13
- CB713-1W-36XR: 8th Generation Intel Core i3-8130U processor, 8GB LPDDR3 memory and 32GB eMMC storage for $649.99 USD and $899.99 CAD.
- CB713-1W-56VY: 8th Generation Intel Core i5-8250U processor, 8GB LPDDR3 memory and 32GB eMMC storage for $749.99 USD and $1029.99 CAD.
Chromebook Spin 13
- CP713-1WN-385L: 8th Generation Intel Core i3-8130U processor, 8GB LPDDR3 memory and 64GB eMMC storage for $749.99 USD and $1,029.99 CAD.
- CP713-1WN-55HT: 8th Generation Intel Core i5-8250U processor, 8GB LPDDR3 memory and 64GB eMMC storage for $849.99 USD and $1,149.99 CAD.
- CP713-1WN-59KY has an 8th Generation Intel Core i5-8250U processor, 16GB LPDDR3 memory and 128GB eMMC storage for $949.99 USD and $1,299.99 CAD.
Clearly, this is high-end Chromebook pricing. Then again, these are high-end Chromebooks based on the internals and build materials used. Yes, the display resolution is lower than the $599 HP Chromebook X2 and $999 Google Pixelbook, for example, but there’s no Core m series chips here. And these are the latest generation Intel processors.
Acer already has Chromebooks in the less expensive segments, so it’s good to see them jump into the high end with devices for power users and enterprises.
Did we hope for slightly lower prices? Sure, we all want more for less. Based on the configurations though — and assuming these perform as well as expected when we take them for spin next month — I think the costs are reasonable.
