Acer arrived at this year’s BETT 2020 with a brand new Chromebook in tow dubbed the Acer Chromebook 871 (Chromebook 712). The company says the devices tailor-made from the ground up and perfectly suited for the education or business segment. Branded commercially as the Acer Chromebook 871 and at retail as the Chromebook 712, this Acer packs in a number of great features while not skimping too much on the specs.
Externally, Acer built the 12-inch Chromebook 871 around an IPS panel with an HD+ resolution of 1366 x 912. That’s a high-brightness Acer ComfyView screen, making it easier to read and see over longer periods. It’s also set with an aspect ratio of 3:2 so that more of the screen can be seen without scrolling.
Above the screen, the company packs in a super high dynamic range webcam. That records at 720p. A built-in mic and high definition stereo speakers are included to make conferencing and learning better.
The frame is ruggedized too but one of the biggest features to be found here is in the networking technology. Not only is Bluetooth 5.0 a part of the package. Acer also incorporated dual-band Wi-Fi 6 via an Intel Wireless Wi-Fi 6 AX201 component. That features 2×2 MU-MIMO, meaning that connections with the Acer Chromebook 871 should be among the most solid around — either in the Chrome OS world or elsewhere.
10th-Gen Intel chips are in place too, alongside DDR4 RAM and reasonable storage depending on the configuration chosen.
Despite being rated at 12-hours of life on a single charge, buyers can get that with up to an Intel Core i3-10110U processor. That’s packed with 4 MB Smart Cache and clocked at up to 2.1 GHz with Turbo Boost.
Built to serve every education need and to last
For ports, the company includes two USB-C plugs. Those are USB 3.2 Gen 1 plugs, supporting up to 5 Gbps, with charging, and DisplayPort over USB-C. There’s a Standard USB 3.0 plug, a MicroSD Card reader, and a 3.5mm audio combo jack too.
The biggest features worth talking about, aside from the fairly standard school-ready design in a neat Shale Black coloration, are in how protected this device is against damage. Not only has Acer included a spill-through keyboard that can withstand up to 11 fluid ounces of spillage. The touchpad is moisture-resistant too.
This device can withstand drops of up to 48-inches, mechanical shock, and up to 132 pounds of downward force. Thanks to its MIL-STD 810G rating, it’s made to withstand both low and high temperatures, rain, humidity, vibration, and sand or dust as well.
On the software side, a Discrete TPM solution keeps things safe.
Finally, for safety sake, there’s an anchored key design built-into the keyboard to keep those in place and improve repairability. Acer engineered the Chromebook 871 to meet ASTM F963-16 and UL/IEC60950-1 toy safety standards as well.
Specs
In terms of pure specs available, you’ll find those laid out below as provided by Acer.
| Display | 12.0″ display with IPS (In-Plane Switching) technology High-brightness Acer ComfyView™ LED-backlit TFT LCD 3:2 aspect ratio Integrated multi-touch (C871T) or non-touch (C871) display Wide viewing angle up to 170 degrees Mercury-free, environment-friendly |
| Screen resolution | HD+ 1366 x 912 |
| CPU | Intel Core i3-10110U processor (4 MB Smart Cache, 2.1 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 4.1 GHz, DDR4 or LPDDR3, 15W) Intel Pentium Gold 6405U Processor (2 MB Smart Cache, 2.4 GHz, DDR4 or LPDDR3) Intel Celeron processor 5205U (2 MB Smart Cache, 1.9 GHz, DDR4 or LPDDR3) |
| RAM | 4GB of Single-Channel DDR4 SDRAM system memory 8GB of Dual-Channel DDR4 DRAM system memory |
| Storage | eMMC: 32GB or 64GB |
| Cameras | HD webcam with 1280 x 720 resolution, 720p video recording, super high dynamic range imaging (SHDR) |
| Audio | High-definition audio support Two built-in stereo speakers Built-in microphone |
| Ports | USB Type-C™ port supporting: USB 3.2 Gen 1 (up to 5 Gbps) DisplayPort over USB-C USB charging 5 V; 3 A DC-in port 5 or 9 or 15 or 20 V; 45 W Two USB Type-C™ ports USB 3.0 port microSD™ Card reader 3.5 mm headphone/speaker jack, supporting headsets with a built-in microphone |
| Battery | 48 Wh 3-cell Li-ion battery Up to 12 hours of battery life |
| Keyboard & Touchpad | 330 ml (11 fluid ounces) keyboard spill protection, moisture-resistant touchpad mechanically anchored keys |
| Quality and Reliability Tests | High Temperature (MIL-STD 810G) Low Temperature (MIL-STD 810G) Rain (MIL-STD 810G) Humidity (MIL-STD 810G) Vibration (MIL-STD 810G) Mechanical Shock, Transit Drop 122 cm (MIL-STD 810G) Sand and Dust (MIL-STD-810F) |
| Security | Discrete Trusted Platform Module (TPM) solution |
| Dimensions | Width: 11.65 (296mm) Depth: 9.02 inches (229mm) Height: 0.85 (21.5mm) |
| Weight | 3.09 lbs. (1.4 kg) with 3-cell battery pack |
| OS | Chrome OS |
| Colors | Shale Black |
Pricing and availability for the Acer Chromebook 871
The latest batch of Chromebook devices from the world’s most prolific Chrome OS OEM isn’t going to cost too much to buy either, where available. In March, the Acer Chromebook 871 (Chromebook 712) will land in North America. That will be at a starting cost of $329.99 and be available for commercial and education customers.
For Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, buyers can expect pricing to start out for €299.
The starting price will undoubtedly apply to the less-powerful variants of the device shipping with an Intel Celeron 5205U processor. That will likely apply only to the 4GB RAM and 32GB storage configuration. Acer plans to sell up to an Intel Core i3 processor with 8GB dual-channel DDR4 RAM and 64GB of eMMC storage too.
Acer has not provided any details about pricing on more powerful configurations.
