Linen White Acer Chromebook 15 15.6 Inches Laptop Review

*** INTRO ***
The Chromebook 15 is a HUGE jump from the previous Acer Chromebook offerings, even from the Chromebook 13 which was just released less than 6 months ago! I'm going to go into details below but here is the super quick summary:

PROS:
* This Chromebook is big which has pros and cons although I'm absolutely loving the big screen.
* The processor is lightening fast (so glad they ditched the Tegra K-1 processor and went back to Intel.)
* There is absolutely no lag with the 4 GB RAM version.
* The screen is FINALLY nice and clear, bright, and vibrant, especially being a matte, anti-glare screen. It is much brighter than your standard matte screen and the viewing angle is literally almost 180 degrees while still getting good colors, brightness, and readability.
* The keyboard is more natural feeling and the track pad is bigger and easier to use.
*The speakers are right on top of the keyboard and the sound is better than I've heard on... Read more

I absolutely love this Chromebook. I will start by saying that this was a replacement for my MacBook Pro, which was going on 5 years old (it was ancient, I know). I have never owned a Chromebook and haven't played around with any. I am a grad student, so the price point is what steered me toward Chromebooks. The main criteria I was looking for in a Chromebook was a processor that can hold up under my heavy multitasking (having 10 tabs open, 2 word documents worked on, and 5 pdfs up, while listening to music), a keyboard and track pad that is sturdy and adequately sized for heavy used, and a decent screen so my eyes aren't sore from working on it all day and at night it's good enough to watch some videos on. Portability wasn't top of my list of criteria - any laptop device is going to have some degree of portability.

I was torn between the Toshiba Chromebook 2, and this Acer. I went with the Acer, and I am so glad I did. The speakers are amazing. Such a full bodied... Read more

(See accompanying pictures). For traveling, I may end up bringing the smaller 13" Toshiba because it's so small and light. But for home use, especially when the big Acer 15.6" is perched on my lap, it's FANTASTIC! The dual speakers on the front to the left and right of the keyboard are AWESOME! The sound quality is absolutely INCREDIBLE-- best sound I've ever heard from a laptop-- the stereo separation sounds ESPECIALLY good when it's on your lap. I envision this Acer Chromebook providing many years of great service.
Update after a few days use-- The speed and the quality of the Acer 15 are STUNNING. Paging through web pages is SO smooth and fast, especially as compared to doing the same on my 2009 MacBook Pro (which I upgraded to 8gig and a 1TB SSD drive). Also, the keyboard on the Acer 15 is much more comfortable than the one on my MacBook Pro.
UPDATE-- After using this for several months, I consider this the finest Chromebook ever made. It is perfect. I... Read more