NEW YORK -- Acer just announced the Acer Chromebook 715 and Acer Chromebook 714 at the company’s Next@Acer event this morning. There’s no word on price and availability as of yet.
What’s most unique about both of these machines is that they have a fingerprint reader, which is a first for Chromebooks. On top of that, the Chromebook 715 is the first of its kind to have a dedicated number pad.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Acer Chromebook 715 | Acer Chromebook 714 |
| Starting Price | TBD | TBD |
| Display | 15.6-inch, 1920 x 1080 optional touchscreen | 14-inch, 1920 x 1080 optional touchscreen |
| CPU | Intel Pentium Gold 4417U, Celeron 3867U, Core i3-8130U, Core i5-8250U | |
| RAM | Up to 16GB | |
| Graphics | Intel HD 620 | |
| Storage | 32GB, 64GB, 128GB eMMC | |
| Ports | Two USB Type-C, one USB 3.0, a 3.5 mm audio jack, Kensington lock slot, microSD card slot | |
| Size | 14.42 x 9.79 x 0.7 inches | 12.72 x 9.39 x 0.7 inches |
| Weight | 3.97 pounds | 3.31 pounds |
The Acer Chromebook 715 and 714 can be configured up to an 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8250U processor, 16GB of RAM, 128GB of eMMC storage and an Intel HD 620 GPU. Both machines will also feature two USB Type-C ports, one USB 3.0 port, a 3.5 mm audio jack, a Kensington lock slot and a microSD card slot.
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These enterprise Chromebooks sport a sleek and sexy aluminum chassis, and because of their mil-spec tested durability, they can take the average wear and tear from business travel. However, the Acer Chromebook 715 alone has a fully back-lit keyboard as well as a 75 degree field-of-view camera that will make taking conference calls a breeze.
Thankfully, the 715 and 714 aren't going to be plagued with a 768p screen, and instead they get the benefit of a full 1920 x 1080, 15.6-inch and 14-inch display, respectively. From what I've seen so far, the panels are actually decently colorful, but still didn't look very bright. The 715 and 714 do offer an optional 10-finger touchscreen panel.
When I tested the keyboard on the Chromebook 715 and 714, the keys felt like they had some short travel, but were rather clicky, allowing for a comfortable typing experience.
Acer rates these Chromebooks for up to 12 hours of battery life, and while Chromebooks tend to get better battery life than your average Windows laptop, the number still seems a little high.
We're excited to get the Acer Chromebook 715 and 714 through our lab when they finally launch, so stay tuned to our full review and benchmarks.
