Today, Acer announced two new business-class Chromebooks, one of which is a convertible form factor. The best news? Both feature 13.5-inch 3:2 displays.

“These new Chromebooks are ideally suited for business and education customers that are focused on security, manageability and ensuring a solid return on investment,” Acer’s Philip Burger said in a prepared statement. “The Acer Chromebook 13 and Chromebook Spin 13 are sure to inspire colleagues to share ideas, keep teams in touch and help co-workers collaborate on-the-go.”

I’ve had Acer’s previous generation Chromebook for Work 14 on a long-term loan, and it’s excellent. But the display lacks multi-touch, which would be useful for Android app compatibility. And it’s an old-school 16:9 design.

The new Acer Chromebook 13 and Chromebook Spin 13 fix both of these issues and offer a host of other improvements. Both feature all aluminum bodies and 13.5-inch displays with a 2256 x 1504 resolution and a 3:2 aspect ration. In other words, ideal.

“The display’s 3:2 aspect ratio adds 18 percent more vertical space compared to an equally wide 16:9 display, so customers will view more on their display,” Acer notes.

Both new Chromebooks provide a USB-C port on either side for charging and connectivity, plus a full-sized USB-A port and a microSD card reader. Both also feature 2×2 MIMO 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.2 for connectivity. Battery life is rated for up to 10 hours.

The Acer Chromebook 13 will start at $650, and that price nets you an 8th-generation Core i3-8130U processor, 8 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of eMMC storage. A $750 model has nearly identical specifications but with a quad-core 8th-generation Intel Core i5-8250U processor.

The Chromebook Spin 13 adds a 360-degree hinge and a Wacom EMR stylus. It will start at $750, providing an 8th-generation Intel Core i3-8130U processor, 8 GB of RAM, and 64 GB of eMMC storage. For $850, you can upgrade to an Intel Core i5-8250U processor. And for $950, you can get the Core i5-8250U processor, 16 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of eMMC storage.

Both Chromebooks will be available in September, Acer says. And I am hoping to review at least one of them.

Tagged with Acer, Acer Chromebook 13, Acer Chromebook Spin 13