Back at CES 2017 last month, Acer announced a brand new Chromebook, the Chromebook 11 N7. This is their latest rugged Chromebook, which is really destined for classrooms. As children are typically a bit harder on laptops than adults are, so having a more rugged Chromebook available makes plenty of sense. This Chromebook is rated MIL-STD 810G, it has a spill-resistant keyboard and has recessed keys. Having recessed keys means that users won’t be able to remove the keys easily. Additionally, it has been drop tested up to 48 inches (so it can take a tumble off of a desk), and can withstand about 132 pounds of force.
Now as far as the specs of the actual Chromebook go, there’s an Intel Celeron N3060 under-the-hood along with 4GB of RAM. Acer will be selling this with either 16GB or 32GB of storage, and it has an 11.6-inch 1366×768 resolution display. Speaking of the display, there are two models, one with a touchscreen and one without. As far as ports go, we have 2 USB 3.0 ports (these are backwards compatible to USB 2.0 too) along with an HDMI port. Finally, there is a SD card reader available.
Currently, the touchscreen and non-touchscreen models are available on Amazon with 16GB of storage. It’s a bit strange though, seeing as Amazon doesn’t have any pictures of the device, and the prices aren’t really standardized, with the touchscreen costing $307.26. So it looks like Amazon may have a seller selling these prematurely. While Amazon says it will arrive by Thursday, February 16th if ordered today, that may not actually happen. It’s also not available elsewhere, at least in the US. And that includes Acer’s own website. So just be warned that even if you order it today from Amazon, it may not actually arrive at your doorstep this week.
The Acer Chromebook 11 N7 is definitely a great choice as far as Chromebooks go. Now it’s not the best looking Chromebook, or the highest specced one, but it’s not meant to be. It’s meant to be a Chromebook that can take a bit of abuse, and not cost a whole lot of cash. And it does that quite well, to be honest.
Buy the Acer Chromebook 11 N7 (Touchscreen)Buy the Acer Chromebook 11 N7 (Non-Touch)
