Acer's Spin 2-in-1 Just Dropped to $299

The Acer Spin 1 is a rare breed of budget laptop. While most bargain bin machines top out at 1366 x 768 screen resolution, the 3.3-pound Spin 1 packs a 1080p IPS LCD.

The Spin 1 is also noteworthy because it can be used in notebook, tent, display, or tablet mode. Its screen supports 10-finger multi-touch and it comes with an Acer stylus. The laptop's battery is also rated for up to 9 hours of use.

For a limited time, the Spin 1 is on sale for $299.99, which makes this an excellent 2-in-1 for school or as a secondary home laptop.

Powering the Acer Spin 1 is a 1.1GHz Celeron N3350 processor coupled with 4GB of RAM and a 32GB eMMC, which can be expanded via the the laptop's SD card slot.

Buy Acer Spin 1 on Amazon.com

For connectivity, you have all the basics including USB 3.0 and HDMI.

It's worth noting that Acer will release a new Spin 1 in July. We went hands-on with that version and found its all-metal chassis was sturdy and attractive for such an affordable machine. There's no official release date and the new machine will cost slightly more at $329, so if you can't wait, the current Spin 1 remains an excellent value-driven notebook.