To date most Chromebooks have been powered by the smaller mobile processors – including Intel’s Atom and Celeron processors, and Samsung’s Exynos. With the exception of Google’s Pixel – which is powered by an Intel i5 chip –the Chromebook market has been the territory of smaller processors. Acer is looking to change that by putting out two Chromebook variations under the C720 model powered by 4th gen Intel i3 processors.
The two iterations of the C720 will be powered by an Intel Core i3-4005U Haswell processor, turning 2 cores at 1.7GHz. The variation will be in the RAM allocation, with either 4GB or 2GB RAM available for the model. The C720 also hopes to impress with faster boot-up times, sporting 32GB solid state hard drives.
The C720 has an 11.6-inch screen, clearly this model is in the netbook/small laptop realm. The small screen nevertheless provides HD visual at 1366×768 native resolution. The visuals of this Chromebook will be powered by the Haswell chip’s internal Intel HD 4000 graphics unit. Ample expansion is provided, as there will be both USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports, plus an HDMI output port for videos.
The Chroomebook DNA will mean that the design of the device will be leaning heavily toward internet usage – with embedded Google and Chrome apps that Android users should be very familiar with. Gmail and Google Drive services are integrated into the system, making your documents available in the cloud. The 4GB RAM model will retail at USD$380 while the 2GB model will retail at USD$350. Both models will be available in North America this month. Check out the official product page here.
Cool. Touch screen coming soon?
Probably not on this series
An i3 will absolutely scream in a Chromebook. Can’t wait to try one out.
why not increase the screen resolution?