What you need to know
- Acer has announced a total of four new Chromebooks.
- All four of these Chromebooks are designed for "education customers" and will arrive later this year.
- The Acer Chromebook Vero 712 is the most interesting of the bunch, combining power with portability and sustainability.
Acer is wasting no time when it comes to announcing another new lineup of Chromebooks. This time around, the company has introduced a total of four new options, all of which are designed for the classroom. This means that while they might be the most powerful solutions, each of these is designed to withstand the daily rigors of the classroom.
Kicking things off, the Acer Chromebook Vero 712 is the company's first "Vero" Chromebook to be launched for students. It derives much of its design from the Chromebook Vero 514, such as including the chassis being made from 30% post-consumer recycled plastic along with using "100% recycled paper pulp" for the packaging.
Because portability is king when it comes to student Chromebooks, the Vero 712 sports a 12-inch display. This offers an HD+ (1366 x 912) resolution, along with our favorite 3:2 aspect ratio.
In terms of power, the Vero 712 will be available in three different configurations, starting with the Intel Celeron 7305 at the low-end and Intel's 12th Gen Core i3-1215U at the high end. The Vero 712 can also be spec'ed out with up to 8GB of LDDR4X RAM and up to 128GB of eMMC storage.
Some of the other features you'll find here include dual USB-C Gen 3.2 Gen 2 ports, a single USB-A port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Battery life is rated for up to 10 hours on a single charge, courtesy of the 50Wh cell packed into the chassis.
| Specs | Acer Chromebook Vero 712 | Acer Chromebook 511 | Acer Chromebook Spin 511 | Acer Chromebook Spin 512 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display / Resolution | 12-inch HD+ (1366 x 912) | 11.6-inch HD (1366 x 768) | 11.6-inch HD (1366 x 768) | 12-inch HD+ (1366 x 912) |
| Aspect Ratio | 3:2 | 16:9 | 16:9 | 3:2 |
| Touchscreen | Optional | Optional | Yes | Yes |
| Processor | Intel Core i3-1215U / Intel Pentium Gold 8505 / Intel Celeron 7305 | Intel Processor N200 / N100 | Intel Processor N200 / N100 | Intel Processor N200 / N100 |
| RAM | 4GB / 8GB LPDDR4X | 4GB / 8GB LPDDR5 | 4GB / 8GB LPDDR5 | 4GB / 8GB LPDDR5 |
| Storage | 32GB / 64GB / 128GB eMMC | 32GB / 64GB eMMC | 32GB / 64GB / 128GB eMMC | 32GB / 64GB / 128GB eMMC |
| Battery | Up to 10 hours (50Wh) | Up to 12 hours (50Wh) | Up to 12 hours (50Wh) | Up to 12 hours (50Wh) |
| Connectivity | WiFI 6E / Bluetooth 5.2 | WiFI 6E / Bluetooth 5.2 | WiFI 6E / Bluetooth 5.2 | WiFI 6E / Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Webcam | 720p w/ Blue Glass Lens | 720p w/ Blue Glass Lens | 720p w/ Blue Glass Lens (Optional 5MP "world-facing" webcam) | 720p w/ Blue Glass Lens (Optional 8MP "world-facing" webcam) |
| Ports | 2x USB-C Gen 3.2 / 1x USB-A Gen 3.2 / 3.5mm audio combo | 2x USB-C Gen 3.2 / 1x USB-A Gen 3.2 / 3.5mm audio combo / microSD card | 2x USB-C Gen 3.2 / 1x USB-A Gen 3.2 / 3.5mm audio combo / microSD card | 2x USB-C Gen 3.2 / 1x USB-A Gen 3.2 / 3.5mm audio combo / microSD card |
| Durability | MIL-STD 810H | MIL-STD 810H | MIL-STD 810H | MIL-STD 810H |
| Starting price | $429.99 | $379.99 | $449.99 | $499.99 |
Rather unsurprisingly, there aren't very many differences between the other three options announced by Acer in the Chromebook 511, Chromebook Spin 511, and Chromebook Spin 512. The Chromebook 511 and Spin 511 in every metric except for the storage configurations, touchscreen, and convertible design offered by the Spin 511. The standard Chromebook 511 ships with a non-touchscreen, but Acer does plan to offer a configuration that includes a touchscreen.
And the only thing separating the Spin 512 from this trio is the larger 12-inch HD+ display, matching the one offered by the Vero 712. Powering these Chromebooks is either the Intel Processor N200 or N100 while being configurable with up to 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and up to 128GB of eMMC storage. The only exception is the Chromebook 511 is limited to a maximum of 64GB of eMMC storage.
All of these Chromebooks are rated to last up to 12 hours on a single charge, while also supporting Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6E for connectivity. Port selection is exactly the same as the Vero 712, with the exception of a microSD card slot being available on the 511, Spin 511, and Spin 512.
By now, you might be wondering about pricing and availability, and Acer has us covered on that front. All four of these Chromebooks will be available in North America starting in April. Pricing for the Vero 712 starts at $429, the Chromebook 511 comes in at $379, the Chromebook Spin 511 bumps up to $449, and the Spin 512 rounds out the pack at $499.
Eco-friendly Chromebook
If you want to see what Acer is doing to be more eco-friendly, then you'll want to check out the Vero 514. This Chromebook has more than enough power, and incredible battery life to handle pretty much anything you throw at it.
