Research Center:
Acer Chromebook Spin 11
Although more and more premium options continue to pop up, Chromebooks have always been designed to be a cheap alternative to Windows and Mac. So, if your budget is less than $ 500 for a laptop, it's a great place to start.
The new Acer Acer Chromebook Spin 11 is a 2-in-1 discount that costs only $ 350. For this price, you get an Intel Celeron N3350 dual-core processor, 4GB RAM and 32GB eMMC storage. It's a smaller 2-in-1 convertible, with an 11.6-inch IPS display at 1.366 x 768 (140 DPI) and a Wacom stylus provided for drawing and making notes on the touch panel and pen.
Chrome OS is an increasingly popular platform for users with relatively light computing needs, but does the Chromebook Spin 11 bring enough 2-in-1 features to the table?
A completely plastic, indefinable design
While the commercial versions of the Chromebook Spin 11 are designed to meet MIL-SPEC 810G certification requirements, our evaluation unit was a mainstream model with a thinner, lighter and less rugged construction. That's not to say that it's poorly built, and in fact, that's not the case – aside from some minor flex on the bottom of the chassis, the Spin 11 is pretty solid for the price. But some competitors, like the Asus Chromebook Flip C101PA, offer metal frames that offer a little more money.
At the same time, the 2-in-1 have hinges that, in our tests, have reliably enabled the displays to return to tablet format. The hinge of the Spin 11, in particular, was firm enough to hold the screen in place, no matter the mode, that it was a skip, a tent , a support or a tablet.
Typically, the Spin 11 Chromebook is more than rugged for a casual user looking for a cheap 2-in-1, and its lightweight plastic chassis (2.76 pounds) is quite easy to carry. This is not the thinnest notebook at around .79 inches, which, given its small size, gives the impression of being a rather chunky little machine. Again, we will compare to the Flip Chromebook, which sports a 10.1-inch screen and is therefore smaller, thinner at 0.6 inches, and lighter at just two pounds.
Regarding its aesthetics, the Chromebook Spin 11 is not going to win any prize, but it's also not an embarrassment. The new version has a silver cross pattern on the lid that gives it a slightly more premium texture and appearance, but otherwise it is a simple silver gray design that is rather banal.
In terms of connectivity, there is a lot to do. Two USB-C 3.1 ports that support data, DisplayPort, and charging provide some durability, while two USB-A 3.0 ports provide legacy support. There is also a micro-SD card reader and a 3.5mm combo audio jack to accompany the MU-MIMO 802.11ac 2X2 and Bluetooth 4.2 Wi-Fi radios.
Perfectly competent 2-in-1 capture options
The Chromebook Spin 11 serves the typical keyboard of the island with black keys and white characters. As mentioned above, it resists splashing and can withstand occasional splashing of water. The key mechanism offers a lot of movement with a gentle action, but there is less tactile feedback than we like, which gives a feeling a little spongy. This is typical for the class of the machine, with the Asus Chromebook Flip C302C slightly more expensive offering a similar feel.
The touchpad is large compared to the original. space available on the small keyboard table, and it provides a soft and precise feel. The overall cursor control was perfect, with support for Chrome OS gestures and good control over the platform's most important environment, the Chrome browser.
Next, there is a Wacom EMR stylus included that allows you to take notes, create sketches and generally perform all the inking supported by Chrome OS. It's not an experience as complete as the one you'll find with Windows 10 Ink, but it's still a nice added value. In addition, the performance of Chrome OS applications was correct, but there was some delay when inking in Android applications such as Microsoft's OneNote. The stylus is unpowered and durable.
Notably, there is no biometric login support, so you'll be relegated to typing your Google Account password. The touch screen is responsive and provides a satisfying experience while running Android apps, which can now be downloaded on all new Chromebooks.
A small display not too bright
The Chromebook Spin 11 takes its name from the 11.6-inch IPS panel that runs at a native resolution of 1366 x 768, or 135 PPIs. This means that you will see some pixels in the text and the graphics will not be sharper, and you will not be able to enjoy Netflix in full HD quality. And the extremely large glasses mean that the display looks even smaller than it is. In the end, this is what you are going to get at this price level, as evidenced by the very similar display on the Asus Flip C101.
The audio was equally disappointing, with just enough volume but some distortion and a troubled experience when things turn out to the max. Sound quality is ideal for fast YouTube video, but you will need to remove headphones for music, movies, and television.
Slow performance slows down the experiment
The Chromebook Spin 11 uses a Celeron N3350 processor, a low-end dual-core processor operating at a base frequency of 1.1 GHz and rising at 2.4 GHz. We can not run our usual battery of reference tasks on Chrome OS machines, so it is difficult to compare with similarly equipped Windows machines.
But comparing the Spin 11 to the Asus Flip C101 at the same price, not to mention the slightly more expensive options like the Asus Flip C302, we remained decidedly unimpressed. Chrome navigation was pretty fast with a handful of open tabs, but despite the generous 4GB of RAM, things slowed down considerably when we hit 10 or more tabs. Chrome OS apps like Google Docs were sometimes a little lethargic, with intermittent shifting when typing and editing.
In addition, Android apps were particularly slow. This is not the native platform of Spin 11, of course, but we have seen better performance on many other Chromebooks. While the Asus Flip C101 was a similar artist, the Samsung Chromebook Pro $ 550 with its Intel Core M3-6Y30 processor was significantly faster when running Android apps.
To confirm our subjective experience, we ran Geekbench 4 for Android to compare to the Acer Chromebook 15 which uses a quad-core Pentium N4200. Spin 11 obtained 1,500 in the single-core test and 1,1358 surprisingly low in the multicore test. The Chromebook 15 recorded 1,559 in the single-core test and 4,884 in the multi-core test, and even the Asus Flip C101 with its Rockchip processor was faster in the multicore test at 3,200.
The Spin 11 was equipped with 32GB eMMC storage, which is not as fast as the solid state drives you find on Windows and MacOS laptops. However, it is very fast for Chrome OS, and we did not find that access to the files was a bottleneck. 19.7 GB are available after taking into account Chrome OS and users can expand storage via the micro SD card reader.
Given the generally slow performance of 2-in-1, do not plan to run more graphic-intensive Android games. The built-in Intel HD Graphics 500 processor solution works for some casual games, but we recommend you avoid something more than the occasional game of Solitaire or Angry Birds .
Pretty decent productivity battery life
Although we were disappointed with the performance of the Spin 11, the combination of the Celeron processor and the small low-resolution display gave more mixed results in terms of battery life. According to Acer, the 37 watt hours of battery capacity should go for about eight hours while browsing the web and around 13.5 hours when playing video.
When performing general productivity tasks, the Spin 11 has mostly met Acer's expectations. On our most demanding Basemark reference test, for example, it lasted nearly four hours, which is considerably less than the almost six and a half hours marked by the Asus Flip C101 but about equal to the Acer Chromebook 15 .
In our web browsing test, the Spin 11 exceeded Acer's expectations, flipping through a variety of sites for more than nine hours before running out. The Flip C101 managed only eight hours while the Chromebook 15 was more impressive at half past eleven.
Finally, on our video test that runs through a trailer of Avengers with the display set to 100 lux until the death of the battery, the Spin 11 was less impressive at a little under 10 hours. That's less than Acer's estimate, and he beat the Flip C101 around nine o'clock, but fell flat against the Chromebook 15 by almost 12 hours.
Overall, we found that the battery life was very good for productivity tasks, which allowed to perform a full day of work or school far away of a charge. The Spin 11 was not as durable for watching a video, but almost 10 hours of binging are not really a terrific result – as long as you can live with poor display, of course.
Our take
The Acer Chromebook Spin 11 is a cheap and reasonably sound Chrome OS laptop with decent battery life and competent input options. However, its performance and display have been disappointing, and there are better options for the same or just a little more money.
Is there a better alternative?
The Asus Chromebook Flip C101 is a bit cheaper than the Flip 11, at $ 300 for a configuration with a six-core Rockchip processor, 4GB of RAM and 16GB of eMMC storage. You'll get slightly better performance and less battery life with the Flip 11, but you will not get stylus support.
If your budget is not so tight, you can consider the Samsung Chromebook Pro at $ 550 for an Intel Core M3-6Y30 processor, 4GB RAM, 32GB eMMC storage and a much higher resolution (2,560 x 1,600) display. The performance will be much better and the life of the battery will be similar. Again, however, you will give up the ability to write on the screen.
Finally, you can allocate additional funds and opt for the next Acer Chromebook Spin 13 that will offer a crazy, fast Intel Core i5-8250U quad-core processor, up to 16GB of RAM, and a 2,256x 13.5-inch x resolution display of 1,504 in the aspect ratio 3: 2 productive. The price on this machine is not yet available and is guaranteed to be higher, but it is probably worth investing if you can do it.
How long will it last?
The Chromebook Spin 11 is a solid 2-in-1 build with a warranty of one year warranty and connectivity to the test of time. However, its performance is insufficient, which means that you may run out of space sooner than you like.
Should you buy it?
No. The performance is just too dull to make it useful for anything other than just browsing the web, and it's not even worth it, even the $ 350 you spend on this 2-in-1.
we need a comparison with another Chromebook of the same price
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Research Center:
Acer Chromebook Spin 11
Although more and more premium options continue to pop up, Chromebooks have always been designed to be a cheap alternative to Windows and Mac. So, if your budget is less than $ 500 for a laptop, it's a great place to start.
The new Acer Acer Chromebook Spin 11 is a 2-in-1 discount that costs only $ 350. For this price, you get an Intel Celeron N3350 dual-core processor, 4GB RAM and 32GB eMMC storage. It's a smaller 2-in-1 convertible, with an 11.6-inch IPS display at 1.366 x 768 (140 DPI) and a Wacom stylus provided for drawing and making notes on the touch panel and pen.
Chrome OS is an increasingly popular platform for users with relatively light computing needs, but does the Chromebook Spin 11 bring enough 2-in-1 features to the table?
A completely plastic, indefinable design
While the commercial versions of the Chromebook Spin 11 are designed to meet MIL-SPEC 810G certification requirements, our evaluation unit was a mainstream model with a thinner, lighter and less rugged construction. That's not to say that it's poorly built, and in fact, that's not the case – aside from some minor flex on the bottom of the chassis, the Spin 11 is pretty solid for the price. But some competitors, like the Asus Chromebook Flip C101PA, offer metal frames that offer a little more money.
At the same time, the 2-in-1 have hinges that, in our tests, have reliably enabled the displays to return to tablet format. The hinge of the Spin 11, in particular, was firm enough to hold the screen in place, no matter the mode, that it was a skip, a tent , a support or a tablet.
Typically, the Spin 11 Chromebook is more than rugged for a casual user looking for a cheap 2-in-1, and its lightweight plastic chassis (2.76 pounds) is quite easy to carry. This is not the thinnest notebook at around .79 inches, which, given its small size, gives the impression of being a rather chunky little machine. Again, we will compare to the Flip Chromebook, which sports a 10.1-inch screen and is therefore smaller, thinner at 0.6 inches, and lighter at just two pounds.
Regarding its aesthetics, the Chromebook Spin 11 is not going to win any prize, but it's also not an embarrassment. The new version has a silver cross pattern on the lid that gives it a slightly more premium texture and appearance, but otherwise it is a simple silver gray design that is rather banal.
In terms of connectivity, there is a lot to do. Two USB-C 3.1 ports that support data, DisplayPort, and charging provide some durability, while two USB-A 3.0 ports provide legacy support. There is also a micro-SD card reader and a 3.5mm combo audio jack to accompany the MU-MIMO 802.11ac 2X2 and Bluetooth 4.2 Wi-Fi radios.
Perfectly competent 2-in-1 capture options
The Chromebook Spin 11 serves the typical keyboard of the island with black keys and white characters. As mentioned above, it resists splashing and can withstand occasional splashing of water. The key mechanism offers a lot of movement with a gentle action, but there is less tactile feedback than we like, which gives a feeling a little spongy. This is typical for the class of the machine, with the Asus Chromebook Flip C302C slightly more expensive offering a similar feel.
The touchpad is large compared to the original. space available on the small keyboard table, and it provides a soft and precise feel. The overall cursor control was perfect, with support for Chrome OS gestures and good control over the platform's most important environment, the Chrome browser.
Next, there is a Wacom EMR stylus included that allows you to take notes, create sketches and generally perform all the inking supported by Chrome OS. It's not an experience as complete as the one you'll find with Windows 10 Ink, but it's still a nice added value. In addition, the performance of Chrome OS applications was correct, but there was some delay when inking in Android applications such as Microsoft's OneNote. The stylus is unpowered and durable.
Notably, there is no biometric login support, so you'll be relegated to typing your Google Account password. The touch screen is responsive and provides a satisfying experience while running Android apps, which can now be downloaded on all new Chromebooks.
A small display not too bright
The Chromebook Spin 11 takes its name from the 11.6-inch IPS panel that runs at a native resolution of 1366 x 768, or 135 PPIs. This means that you will see some pixels in the text and the graphics will not be sharper, and you will not be able to enjoy Netflix in full HD quality. And the extremely large glasses mean that the display looks even smaller than it is. In the end, this is what you are going to get at this price level, as evidenced by the very similar display on the Asus Flip C101.
The audio was equally disappointing, with just enough volume but some distortion and a troubled experience when things turn out to the max. Sound quality is ideal for fast YouTube video, but you will need to remove headphones for music, movies, and television.
Slow performance slows down the experiment
The Chromebook Spin 11 uses a Celeron N3350 processor, a low-end dual-core processor operating at a base frequency of 1.1 GHz and rising at 2.4 GHz. We can not run our usual battery of reference tasks on Chrome OS machines, so it is difficult to compare with similarly equipped Windows machines.
But comparing the Spin 11 to the Asus Flip C101 at the same price, not to mention the slightly more expensive options like the Asus Flip C302, we remained decidedly unimpressed. Chrome navigation was pretty fast with a handful of open tabs, but despite the generous 4GB of RAM, things slowed down considerably when we hit 10 or more tabs. Chrome OS apps like Google Docs were sometimes a little lethargic, with intermittent shifting when typing and editing.
In addition, Android apps were particularly slow. This is not the native platform of Spin 11, of course, but we have seen better performance on many other Chromebooks. While the Asus Flip C101 was a similar artist, the Samsung Chromebook Pro $ 550 with its Intel Core M3-6Y30 processor was significantly faster when running Android apps.
To confirm our subjective experience, we ran Geekbench 4 for Android to compare to the Acer Chromebook 15 which uses a quad-core Pentium N4200. Spin 11 obtained 1,500 in the single-core test and 1,1358 surprisingly low in the multicore test. The Chromebook 15 recorded 1,559 in the single-core test and 4,884 in the multi-core test, and even the Asus Flip C101 with its Rockchip processor was faster in the multicore test at 3,200.
The Spin 11 was equipped with 32GB eMMC storage, which is not as fast as the solid state drives you find on Windows and MacOS laptops. However, it is very fast for Chrome OS, and we did not find that access to the files was a bottleneck. 19.7 GB are available after taking into account Chrome OS and users can expand storage via the micro SD card reader.
Given the generally slow performance of 2-in-1, do not plan to run more graphic-intensive Android games. The built-in Intel HD Graphics 500 processor solution works for some casual games, but we recommend you avoid something more than the occasional game of Solitaire or Angry Birds .
Pretty decent productivity battery life
Although we were disappointed with the performance of the Spin 11, the combination of the Celeron processor and the small low-resolution display gave more mixed results in terms of battery life. According to Acer, the 37 watt hours of battery capacity should go for about eight hours while browsing the web and around 13.5 hours when playing video.
When performing general productivity tasks, the Spin 11 has mostly met Acer's expectations. On our most demanding Basemark reference test, for example, it lasted nearly four hours, which is considerably less than the almost six and a half hours marked by the Asus Flip C101 but about equal to the Acer Chromebook 15 .
In our web browsing test, the Spin 11 exceeded Acer's expectations, flipping through a variety of sites for more than nine hours before running out. The Flip C101 managed only eight hours while the Chromebook 15 was more impressive at half past eleven.
Finally, on our video test that runs through a trailer of Avengers with the display set to 100 lux until the death of the battery, the Spin 11 was less impressive at a little under 10 hours. That's less than Acer's estimate, and he beat the Flip C101 around nine o'clock, but fell flat against the Chromebook 15 by almost 12 hours.
Overall, we found that the battery life was very good for productivity tasks, which allowed to perform a full day of work or school far away of a charge. The Spin 11 was not as durable for watching a video, but almost 10 hours of binging are not really a terrific result – as long as you can live with poor display, of course.
Our take
The Acer Chromebook Spin 11 is a cheap and reasonably sound Chrome OS laptop with decent battery life and competent input options. However, its performance and display have been disappointing, and there are better options for the same or just a little more money.
Is there a better alternative?
The Asus Chromebook Flip C101 is a bit cheaper than the Flip 11, at $ 300 for a configuration with a six-core Rockchip processor, 4GB of RAM and 16GB of eMMC storage. You'll get slightly better performance and less battery life with the Flip 11, but you will not get stylus support.
If your budget is not so tight, you can consider the Samsung Chromebook Pro at $ 550 for an Intel Core M3-6Y30 processor, 4GB RAM, 32GB eMMC storage and a much higher resolution (2,560 x 1,600) display. The performance will be much better and the life of the battery will be similar. Again, however, you will give up the ability to write on the screen.
Finally, you can allocate additional funds and opt for the next Acer Chromebook Spin 13 that will offer a crazy, fast Intel Core i5-8250U quad-core processor, up to 16GB of RAM, and a 2,256x 13.5-inch x resolution display of 1,504 in the aspect ratio 3: 2 productive. The price on this machine is not yet available and is guaranteed to be higher, but it is probably worth investing if you can do it.
How long will it last?
The Chromebook Spin 11 is a solid 2-in-1 build with a warranty of one year warranty and connectivity to the test of time. However, its performance is insufficient, which means that you may run out of space sooner than you like.
Should you buy it?
No. The performance is just too dull to make it useful for anything other than just browsing the web, and it's not even worth it, even the $ 350 you spend on this 2-in-1.
we need a comparison with another Chromebook of the same price
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The post The Acer Chromebook Spin 11 is dirt cheap, but you get what you pay for appeared first on News Doses.
