Acer just unveiled a new $399 2-in-1 Chromebook — it's so thin, it's compared to paper

Acer Chromebook Spin 513 (Image credit: Acer)

If you're in the market for an affordable Chromebook, you should keep an eye out for the new budget-friendly Chrome OS device that Acer just announced.

Acer unveiled the new Acer Chromebook Spin 513 and the Chromebook Enterprise Spin 513 — two convertible laptops packed with an octa-core Qualcomm Kyro 468 CPU and the Snapdragon 7c compute platform.

The Acer Chromebook Spin 513

The Acer Chromebook Spin 513 has a stylish aluminum top cover with modern narrow bezels that offer a 78% screen-to-body ratio. The 13.3-inch display sports Corning Gorilla Glass to prevent scratches and damage.

The Chromebook Spin 513 is also super sleek and svelte; it's only 0.6 inches thin. It's also super lightweight at 2.6 pounds. Acer claims that the Chromebook Spin 513 is so slim, it could be compared to a sheet of paper.

The convertible sports a pair of 360-degree hinges that allow users to transform the Chromebook into several modes: clamshell for traditional keyboard input, tablet mode for easy touchscreen gestures, tent mode for media consumption and more. The Chromebook Spin 13 also has two built-in microphones for better reception, providing better clarity of sound during important video calls.

The Chromebook Spin 513 comes with two USB Type-C ports that support USB 3.2 Gen 1, DisplayPort over USB-C and USB charging. The Chromebook also features a USB 3.2 Type-A port. The Spin 3 comes with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

Acer also offers a business-oriented version of the Chromebook Spin 513 that offers security, enterprise capabilities and cost savings. The Chromebook Enterprise Spin 513 helps businesses manage devices at scale. Featuring Chromebook Enterprise, IT departments will be pleased with the comprehensive security perks integrated with this software. IT admins will find it easy to control updates, configure applications and more.

The Acer Chromebook Spin 513 will be available in February 2021 with an affordable starting price of $399. Its enterprise version will launch in March 2021 with a starting price of $699.

Kimberly Gedeon, holding a Master's degree in International Journalism, launched her career as a journalist for MadameNoire's business beat in 2013. She loved translating stuffy stories about the economy, personal finance and investing into digestible, easy-to-understand, entertaining stories for young women of color. During her time on the business beat, she discovered her passion for tech as she dove into articles about tech entrepreneurship, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and the latest tablets. After eight years of freelancing, dabbling in a myriad of beats, she's finally found a home at Laptop Mag that accepts her as the crypto-addicted, virtual reality-loving, investing-focused, tech-fascinated nerd she is. Woot!