Acer is one of the most dominating manufacturers out there when it comes to laptops, PCs, and even Chromebooks. It has even made our list of the best Chrome OS makers out there, and with top guns like the Acer Chromebook 715, it’s simple and easy to see why. This unit packs a promising punch with an affordable price tag, but does that really make it a worthwhile purchase when we have so many other options to look forward to?
Combine that confusion with 715’s predecessor, the 714, an all-rounding powerhouse that costs a bit over $650. Putting all that in the equation, you’ll be surprised to know where the Acer Chromebook 715 makes its stance.
In this article, we’ll go through the technical specifications of the 715, list down its pros and cons, and review it under fundamental factors. Stick around to know our thoughts on this device.
Acer Chromebook 715 Specs
- CPU: Intel 8th Gen i3 Processor
- Display: 15.6″ Full-HD (1920 x 1080) Touchscreen
- Hard Drive Size: 128 GB
- RAM: 4 GB
- Camera: Wide Angle HDR Webcam
- Ports: 2x USB 3.1 Type-C Port, USB 3.1 Type-A Port, Headphone Jack, microSD Card Slot
- Weight: 3.8 pounds/1.8 kgs
- Price: $450
Acer Chromebook 715 Review
1. Design
The Acer 715 is a large device and trust us when we say it’s “large.” In fact, it’s one of the biggest Chromebooks out there, measuring up to 14.4 x 9.8 x 0.7 inches (LxWxH). By those figures, you can gauge this unit’s enormity, making it on par with traditional laptops. What’s unique here is that one would obviously expect a bit of extra weight with this kind of size, but that’s another aspect where the 715 pleasantly surprises. It weighs about 3.8 pounds that roughly converts to 1.7 kgs. Now, this, of course, doesn’t lend ultra-portability to this Chromebook, but given its form structure, the device is still fairly portable.
That said, the build quality of this Chrome OS is something to vouch for. We’re talking all-aluminum chassis with a sleek matte finish that does nothing but impresses right off the bat. Along with it being astonishingly lightweight, the 715 is quite thin, too, making it not much of a fat blob as we were expecting. Moving on to this product’s durability, it’s no surprise that Acer is quite popular for making sturdy and strong machines, may those be laptops or Chromebooks. Borrowing that recipe, you can expect zero flimsiness from the 715, and the device is durable enough to withstand regular workday in day out. Features like these make this Chromebook a top gun for office, home, and student use.
Furthermore, there’s quite an eerie thing to be discussed with this device’s keyboard. No matter if you’re buying from Walmart or Amazon, the product description mentions that this Chromebook has a backlit keyboard, which it truly does not. Several have tried to contact the relevant authorities to correct this listing, but this misleading information remains on order pages to date. Anyhow, to talk about the keyboard quality, it’s fun and enjoyable to type on, but it’s surely not on the level of the Google Pixelbook Go. Nevertheless, Acer has done a great job with this Chromebook’s keyboard to promote user experience.
The trackpad is full glass and makes scrolling undemanding. To talk about one special addition to this Chromebook, we have the number pad. It’s great to use, especially if you’re used to working with one. This goes on to increase this device’s multi-faceted functionality. Next up, you have the 715’s I/O, which is fairly reasonable. You’ll observe two 3.1 USB-C ports for fast data transfer and a single 3.0 USB-A port for common use. There’s a microSD card slot that you can utilize, and the 3.5 mm headphone jack ensures that you have your music and audio sorted out for you.
Next, you have a Full-HD (1920 x 1080) touchscreen. The latter weighs in a lot when you picture this Chromebook in schools and classrooms, even more, when you think about your children running around with this durable machine being offering a method of accessibility to which they’re naturally used to – screen tapping. Nevertheless, to talk about the display, this is a place where the 715 takes a beating. Users reported an okay display, quite below their expectations, and weren’t very impressed with its overall offerings. The size of it—15.6 inches—does add some compensation here, though.
Shifting down to more of this Chromebook’s lackluster aspects, we would’ve really loved a fingerprint sensor. On top of that, the absence of LED illumination on the keyboard is downright disappointing as well. However, what we get at this price vs. what we don’t have an obvious winner.
2. Performance Specs
An aspect where the Acer Chromebook 715 genuinely excels and takes the cake is performance. With 4 GBs of RAM and an 8th Gen Intel Core i3 processor, this device is blistering fast and can accommodate heavy loads like a prized champion. You can power through up to 20 Chrome tabs if you want and add a bit of graphic-intensive videos in them too, but you will see to it that the 715 will not disappoint. Get going and install Steam on it and watch how top games of this immense platform run like a charm.
Take your productivity up a notch with the 715 because the said device only lives life in the fast lane. Except for all its performance splendor, you’d normally find a combination of 64 GB eMMC flash storage with 4 GB RAM, but this solid unit boasts a massive 128 GB of internal storage. For student and office use alike, those numbers are more than enough, considering how Chromebooks are efficient with cloud storage and cloud-based applications such as Google Drive. If that still does not convince you, you’ll have to make do anyway because the memory and storage of the 715 are soldered on and cannot be changed. A bummer, we know.
To mention this Chromebook’s other variants, you’ll find one that costs quite a lot comparatively. This is a “special order” Acer 715 that is yet to be released. It packs a whopping 16 GB of memory, consists of UHD integrated graphics, a Full-HD IPS display, and a power-hungry Intel Core i5 Quad-Core processor. This model also costs accordingly, which brings us back to our main focus – the budget-friendly 715.
If you’re using a Chromebook that lacks speed and feels slow and sluggish at times, getting the Acer 715 will make that terrible experience call it a day, period. All you can expect from this Chrome OS is lightning-fast computing, fast boot times, and amazing overall performance – everything that will attract the average user any day of the week.
3. Battery Life
You cannot go wrong with the 715 if you’re looking to buy a high-performance workhorse that sails through the whole day with effect. This Chromebook is known to dish out more than 12 hours of usage on a full charge, and this is another facet that puts well-grounded respect to this device’s name. Therefore, stop worrying about plugging in your Chrome OS anymore, and start doing more instead.
With a USB-C port slapped on, the 715 charges fast too. You can get up to 6 hours of usage with a 20-minute charge, and plugging in for about 40 minutes takes the battery percentage to 100%. This Chromebook gives its users a lot of reasons to make a purchase straight away.
4. Final Verdict
There’s a lot to love and very little to hate about the Acer Chromebook 715. When you factor in this device’s cost, it’s hard to find a similar product out there that offers what this magnificent machine does – a fast processor, awesome storage, great keyboard, a dedicated Numpad, stellar battery life, and a somewhat okay touchscreen. Save for a backlit keyboard and biometric verification of some sort, this Chromebook brings amazing value for money and is a terrific option in the $450 price range.
