Acer’s new educational Chromebooks incorporate durable designs and arm-based processors

Acer announces five new laptops aimed at schools today, consisting of four Chromebooks and one Windows convertible. Two of the Chromebooks are Intel-based switches, with screens that rotate around to convert them into laptops, while the other two feature a more traditional design and are powered by Arm-based processors. All five laptops are designed to be durable, with spill-resistant keyboards and components tested to MIL-STD 810H durability military standard.

The two convertible Chromebooks are the Acer Spin 512 and Spin 511. They are powered by Intel processors (specifically the N4500 and N5100). The Spin 511 has an 11.6-inch HD 16: 9 screen, while the Spin 512 has a 12-inch HD + 3: 2 screen. Both come with 64GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, while the battery life is up to 10 hours.

The Spin 512 and Spin 511 both have anti-microbial scratch-resistant screens, but the Spin 512 also features a similar anti-microbial coating on the keyboard and touchpad. Chromebooks will be available in Europe in March and North America in April. The Spin 512 starts at $ 429.99 (€ 399), while the Spin 511 is slightly cheaper at $ 399.99 (€ 369).

Photo: Acer

Next up is the Arm-based Chromebook 511 and 11-inch Chromebook 311, which also features durable designs. The 511 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c processor, features 4G LTE connectivity and can last up to 20 hours when charged. Meanwhile, the 311 houses the Mediatek MT8183 processor and also works for up to 20 hours on a charge. The 311 launches this month in North America, starting at $ 299.99, while the 511 arrives in April starting at $ 399.99. It will be launched in Europe in March for 269 € and 399 €, respectively.

Photo: Acer

Finally, there’s a $ 329.99 (€ 409) Windows laptop, the TravelMate Spin B3. It also includes a durable keyboard that flips to turn the laptop into a tablet, and is powered by an Intel Pentium Silver processor with up to 12 hours of battery life. The Spin B3 comes with an anti-microbial display as standard, and the option to have a similar coating on the keyboard and touchpad. The laptop will be launched in North America in April, and Europe sometime in the second quarter.