Acer intros first Chromebook with Core i3 processor

The US branch of the Taiwanese hardware maker Acer has introduced the industry’s first Chromebook based on an Intel Core i3 Haswell processor. The new company product, known as Acer C720, is now available in two models that provide better performance and a longer battery life that now reaches 8.5 hours.

“This is an incredibly exciting time to be a leader in the Chromebook market, since customers are responding with tremendous enthusiasm for the product’s performance, capabilities and value,” said Eric Ackerson, senior product marketing and brand manager, Acer America. “We’ve been breaking new ground with our Chromebooks since 2011, and our new Intel Core i3 model will deliver more of what our customers love about our Chromebooks, including excellent performance and all-day battery life.”

The new Acer C720 comes with decent hardware that will provide all the power you need for Internet browsing, office work, multimedia and even some games. The two models come with the same Intel Core i3-4005U dual-core processor (1.7 GHz, 3 MB L3 cache), a vibrant 11.6-inch ComfyView HD display at 1366 x 768 pixels, 802.11n Wi-Fi, an integrated HD web camera and a microphone. There also are HDMI, USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports. A 32 GB SSD provides storage for your OS and files.

The only place where the new Acer Chromebook models differ is in the memory department – the Acer C720-3404 comes with 4 GB of memory while the Acer C720-3871 comes with 2 GB of RAM. Quite naturally this has an effect on pricing – the former model costs USD 379.99 while the latter one asks for USD 349.99.

Source: Acer