The Acer Chromebook CB3-431 is a 14-inch laptop that has been praised for its stylish aluminum design, sturdy build, compact frame, long battery life, Full-HD IPS screen which has great viewing angles, and powerful speakers that are capable of driving a room filling sound. However, the keyboard is shallow and uncomfortable to type on. The storage space is also tiny, and while the display is a higher end IPS display, it is slightly dim and not great for overly bright areas. Some also noted that there is no SD card slot, which is slightly disappointing, especially since the storage space is very limited. Regardless, the Acer Chromebook is a reliable performer for simple day to day use, and it comes with a Full-HD display, which is rare at this price point. The keyboard is, however, its biggest drawback.
Pros
- Simplicity
- Compact
- Decent for performance for basic tasks
- Great battery life
- Price
Cons
- Tiny storage space
- Soft speakers
- May still be locked to previous owner’s account
Bottom Line
If you are on a low budget and you are looking for a stylish Chromebook that has been praised for its simplicity and reliability, then the Acer Chromebook 3 XE500C13-K04US should not be overlooked.
- Weight: 3.42 lbs
- Processor: Intel Celeron N3160 1.60GHz
- Display Size: 14 inch
- RAM: 4GB DDR3
- Operating System: Chrome OS
- Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 400 (Braswell)
Score Summary
Critic Reviews
- TrustedReviews April 5, 2017
The Acer Chromebook 14 is not a MacBook Air, even if it looks exactly like one. But once you look past the Apple-aping design, you’ll see that Acer has put together a great-value Chromebook that is sure to make buyers on a budget very happy indeed.
Read full review - PCMag July 15, 2016
The Acer Chromebook 14 gives you just about all the features and quality you need from a basic laptop, plus extra niceties like a metal body and almost 12 hours of battery life.
Read full review - PCWorld November 17, 2017
Chromebooks can be a crap shoot. It’s easy to get sucked in by a low price, only to find yourself with a disappointingly low-quality device on your hands. But you don’t have to step up into the higher-priced territory of the Dell Chromebook 13 or HP Chromebook 13 to find satisfaction. For a midrange price ($286 on Amazon), the Acer Chromebook 14 gives you an all-aluminum chassis and a very nice display, even if its performance and other attributes are less remarkable.
Read full review
Specifications
| Processor | Intel Celeron N3160 1.60GHz [View Benchmarks] |
|---|---|
| Graphics | Intel HD Graphics 400 (Braswell) [View Benchmarks] |
| Graphics Type | Integrated |
| Graphics Memory | Shared |
| RAM | 4GB DDR3 |
| Operating System | Google Chrome OS Chrome OS |
| Weight | 3.42 lbs |
| Battery Life | 12 hours |
| Hard Drive 1 | 32 SSD |
| Display Size | 14 inch |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 |
| Display Technology | LCD |
| Connectivity | 2x USB 3.0 | Wi-Fi | Bluetooth | HDMI |
| Webcam | HD |
| Additional Features | touchpad |
| Dimension (LxWxH) | 13.4 x 9.3 x 0.7 |