**Acer Chromebook 13 Review: A Surprisingly Exceptional Productivity Tool**
The Acer Chromebook 13 is a powerhouse of a laptop that packs a punch at an outstanding price point. With its impressive specs, excellent build quality, and slim profile, it's no wonder why this Chromebook has garnered attention from tech enthusiasts and professionals alike.
**Design and Build Quality**
Upon taking a physical tour of the Chromebook, one can notice a single USB 3.0 port along with an SD card slot on the left side, a power jack, and a headphone SL microphone Jack on the right. The back of the laptop features two LED notification lights below the screen that indicate when the system is on or off, and if the battery is fully charged. The keyboard layout is excellent, satisfying any functionality required by Chrome OS. The top row boasts dedicated shortcuts for return, forward, refresh page, maximize your window, a multitask button that expands open apps, brightness, volume control, and finally, the power button. However, I couldn't help but feel that the single USB 3.0 port at the rear might be a nuisance for most users.
**Keyboard and Touchpad**
I personally enjoyed typing on this laptop's keyboard, with key bounce and travel distance feeling extremely satisfying. The palm rest offers plenty of room for comfort, allowing me to type without any hiccups. In contrast, the touchpad is pretty responsive for day-to-day tasks but would require an external mouse for applications that demand pinpoint accuracy.
**Display**
The 1080p display on this Chromebook is sharp enough to view content on, and while color reproduction wasn't as accurate as premium IPS panels or ML displays, I couldn't help but appreciate the resolution at this price point. What caught my attention was an option in the settings to set the display to scale all the way up to 2400 by 1350 – a feature that seemed advertised but ultimately useful for those who want to work with extra pixel density.
**Audio and Speakers**
The audio on this Chromebook surprised me, considering its price point. The speakers were clear, with no distortion noticed at maximum volume. However, the base was non-existent, and the audio tended to get muffled when listening to music with the Chromebook on the lap.
**Battery Life**
Unfortunately, my experience with battery life was a bit of a letdown. When the Chromebook 13 was released, marketing materials claimed it would last all day under heavy use due to the power efficiency of the Tegra K1 chip. However, in reality, I found that under heavy usage (running a web page and YouTube video on loop), the battery lasted only 5 hours and 47 minutes. In contrast, with casual usage, the Chromebook easily lasted into the next day – an astonishing eight plus hours.
**Performance**
The Tegra K1 chip kept up pretty well in terms of performance when streaming HD content and music on the web. However, I noticed occasional freezing with 15 tabs open on Chrome, which made series multitasking a bit of a challenge.
**Chrome OS Experience**
My experience with Chrome OS was surprisingly good. I quickly learned the basics and spent most of my time browsing the web and using Google services. All my settings and preferences synced perfectly, and I could use the Chromebook offline without any issues. Most of Google's productivity apps – like Google Docs, Google Slides, and Google Forms – worked fine and synced up when going back online.
**Conclusion**
In conclusion, Acer truly stepped up their game with the Chromebook 13 at that outstanding price point. With its excellent build quality and slim profile, this laptop turns into an exceptional productivity tool. The included HDMI output could come in handy, and the Tegra K1 chip is an excellent choice for day-to-day tasks. While colors aren't the best for viewing content on the 1080p display, considering the price point was a major plus. Finally, the battery life – although not ideal under heavy usage – was outstanding from what I've seen so far compared to regular PC laptops.
**Recommendation**
Personally, I would recommend the Chromebook 13 for students and individuals who can get away using Google Apps and are content with the simplicity of Chrome OS. This laptop offers a great balance of performance, features, and price point, making it an excellent choice for those seeking a reliable productivity tool without breaking the bank.