Acer Chromebook C720, an Honest Review 2017
When it comes to laptops...we've come a long way baby!
After hunching over a desktop PC for too many years, I have become an avid fan of today's lightweight laptops and tablets. Of course, these days smaller is better. Everything from cellphones to smartcars are engineered to be smaller, so it is with laptops. Back in the "old' days I had a Sharp something-or-other that I used to show presentations to clients in my business. That old beast of a laptop seemed slow and clunky even for that day and time...In truth it may have been cutting edge, but I doubt it.
Later on, I grabbed a "deal" on a Dell laptop from Craigslist. It was several years newer than the Sharp machine, but still was very heavy (maybe solid is a better term) and none too great in the speed category either. It sat and collected dust for a couple of years and dumped it for what I had in it.
Fast forward a bit to the day I bought a sleek Acer Aspire and happily realized that laptops could be affordable, lightweight, sleek, and fast...wow, what a revelation. I have never looked back. Now the desktop PC is collecting lots of dust, except for times when the kiddos jump on it.
I just have to say it, I LOVE A GOOD LAPTOP! Throw me a wireless mouse to over-ride the touchy touchpad and I'm a happy camper. Who says you can't stretch out in your recliner (with a cool mouse that you can use on any surface) and still be Mr. super-productive overachiever.
So, sit back in your recliner and mouse your way with me as I review one of the best-priced, top-performing laptops in its class. Be sure to scroll on down and leave me a comment or two if you have found this info helpful or just want to add your two cents.
First, lets take a peek inside at some of this laptop's specs
HARDWARE SPECIFICATIONS
The Acer C720 is plastic but, still surprisingly, has a solid feel. Sadly for the Acer C720, there are fewer ports. It still has the traditional laptop slots which are HDMI, USB 3.0 and a 3.5 mm earphone jack. It has a battery that promises long lasting power.
The C720's underneath speakers produce decent quality sound when watching video or listening to music.
DISPLAY
The C720 has an 11.6 inch screen. It has a screen resolution of 1366 x 768. Its maximum screen resolution is 720 pixels and the screen offers an aspect ratio of 16:9
SOFTWARE
The C720 runs with the Chrome Operating System. The C720 also has a Haswell Processor that has a dual-core Intel Celeron 2955U. The processor has a speed of 1.4GHz paired with a 4GB of DDR3 RAM. This provides excellent speed for the majority of casual users.
OTHER SPECIFICATIONS
It has a dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n/ WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 for connectivity.
The Acer C720 is no heavy-weight as it only weighs in at 2.8 pounds.
It also provides ample storage at 16GB.
The laptop's body is 0.75 inches thick.
The average battery life is about 8.5 hours and, if the screen is at mid brightness when watching movies, it can last you up to 6 hours.
There are many reasons this is a solid BESTSELLER - Thanks to user C249 for this insight
I've owned several chromebooks. I've owned the original CR-48 prototype, the Samsung Series 5, and the Samsung Series 3. I can honestly say this is the best chromebook so far. The build quality is what I would expect for the price, but it is solid and light. Many reviewers complain about the screen, but it is fine (on par with the Samsung series 3). It is a matte finish and you have to appreciate the anti-glare viewing you will get outside.
The major selling points for me regarding this chromebook are the battery and the processing power. I have many computers, but nothing browses the web and renders web pages faster than this chromebook. It does boot in 7 seconds or less and you can have many tabs open and still browse with great speed.
Some of the pros of this machine...in a nutshell
It has a very fast boot-up.
It is cheap compared to other laptops in its class (with the same specifications).
The Celeron 2955U does not use a lot of power which gives the battery a good bit of life.
The keyboard has been redesigned. The Page Up and Pg Down keys have been removed next to the arrow keys so as to avoid unnecessary confusion for the user. The Caps Lock key has been removed and replaced with Google's dedicated search button (you can access Caps Lock command by hitting the Alt + Search buttons)
The touch pad is highly responsive and it has multi-touch sensitivity such as two finger scrolling.
Its sleekness and lightness make it easier to carry when you are on the go.
Pop the box on this sweet laptop...right here
Some of the cons of the Acer C720 Chromebook
The touch pad is small thus making it hard for scrolling.
The keyboard feels a little too cramped when typing but that does not greatly affect the typing.
The underside speakers are not that appealing.
The Chrome OS is limited.
There are fewer ports than previous Chromebook laptops. It does not possess the Ethernet port. This is a disadvantage because in case you are not in a WiFi zone, you cannot go online.
It also lacks the Micro USB charging port and the VGA output.
My final thoughts
Overall, this machine gets pretty high marks from me. With its fast boot up and quick speed, the tight keyboard is easy to forgive. With its sleek light-weight design and low price-point, I can see it working well for students as well as casual users. I hope you found this info helpful and would appreciate some feedback in the comments below.
Are you an Acer fan? If not, why not?
Is Acer the way to go?
