Acer - Chromebook 311 - 11.6" HD Laptop - Intel Celeron N4500 - 4GB Memory - 64GB eMMC - Star Black

I love it! Can't leave it alone, my dog is jealous! Maybe it's cuz I got 3 yrs practice with the Samsung Chromebook that broke (after I abused it in frustration), but I think this one was a lot easier to set up and use. It hasn't made me frustrated not even once, I hope it'll last a long time. I just use it for doing simple stuff online, and for sharing files with my camera and phone. If you're online for hours, like me, just keep an eye on your power use. I've not run out of juice but it appears to go down fast at first.

This is a basic Chromebook, without any frills. But if your needs are limited, it does get the job done. == Build Quality == The packaging is minimal and without frills, but that is OK as I would rather the money go towards the computer than something that will be thrown away. Once you open up the machine itself, it seems to be decently built. It is all plastic construction, but you expect that for this price. The bottom features no air vents at all, and this machine has no moving parts; not even a single fan. But given the limited power, this is perfectly acceptable, and means that there is less to break in the future. == Peripherals == Being a budget device, the name of the game is giving you basic functionality for as little money as possible, and this has been done well. Obviously some corners were cut, but nothing was cut back in such a way that caused any problems. Everything here falls squarely in the “usable but not impressive” category. The keyboard is acceptable. It works and feels good, but it is not backlit at all. The trackpad is also well done, despite having a plastic surface. Multi-touch gestures also work well, but it is not especially smooth or gigantic. But it is adequate, and that is enough for this type of machine. There is a camera above the display that is more than good enough for Zoom or Teams meetings, and although it lacks a privacy shutter, Acer thought to include a slim self-adhesive shutter in the package that you can apply if you desire. The display itself is perhaps a little disappointing, being only 1366 by 768, and the contrast and brightness are nothing special. Of note is that the color seems to shift a little bit as you move your head from side to side, but once again, higher quality brings higher prices, and this display is certainly usable. But the largest surprise is that the speakers are surprisingly good given the size and price. There is actually more bass and volume than I expected. As to the included IO, other than the expected BlueTooth and WiFi, it features a single USB-A rated for up to 5Mbps, one 3.5mm audio jack, and a single USB-C port that is used for charging, adding external devices, and can do video out. This computer had no problems driving an external 3440 by 1440 display, if that is the sort of thing that you need. A USB-C power supply is included, but this can use any USB-C charger large enough to drive a laptop. Note that there is nothing inside that is upgradable. Everything is soldered down to the main board. == Performance == They say that it is what is inside that counts, and this does not have much inside, but for many it will be enough. This Chromebook uses a dual-core x86 processor backed up by 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of flash storage. Note that there is no way to expand anything; neither RAM nor SSD. The performance is perfectly OK for light office tasks. Google Docs and Google Sheets both work well, as do the Chrome and Firefox browsers. Sometimes the Firefox browser seemed a little sluggish when starting up or trying to type in a new URL, but they got the job done, even though I had to wait a second or two longer than I was accustomed to. Also inside is a 33 WH battery, which gives around seven hours of life away from a charger with light usage. == Software == The thing about a Chromebook is that it is a Chromebook. You are limited in the apps that you can run. But with that being understood, it can run most Android apps. I had no problems installing Google Docs and Sheets, and Microsoft Teams installed easily, as well as BitWarden password manager. The only issues that I encountered were that I could not install Microsoft Outlook, and the Amazon shopping app (but Amazon Prime Video was not a problem). There is also an option to get a Linux terminal window up, but I am not sure how useful that will be to most people in the market for this type of computer. == Summary == This is a machine with several compromises, but it is built to hit an affordable price point. If you need a Chromebook, and this is a machine that you can afford, then it is worthy of consideration. All of the compromises are acceptable, and none of them are deal-breakers.

Octane score 28490. Multi core score 128841. 7 years ago celerons were under 10,000