What do you need to know
- Acer, ASUS and HP announced a total of six new Chromebooks.
- These include five Chromebook Plus models and even a ChromeOS tablet.
- Pricing across devices starts at $299 for the ASUS Chromebook CM30 and goes up to $699 for the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714.
We’ve been wondering where all the new Chromebooks have gone since not many new devices have hit store shelves. The wait is now over as Acer, ASUS and HP announce six new options.
Starting with Acer, the company is updating two of its best offerings, including the Chromebook Plus moniker. The Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 features the same great 2-in-1 design and build quality we’ve come to know and love. However, along with a slight name change, it’s also one of the first Chromebooks to be powered by an Intel Core Ultra processor.
Last year’s Spin 714 has largely remained at the top of the list of best Chromebooks, and we hope that trend continues. Along with an Intel Core Ultra 5, the Chromebook Plus Spin 714 has a 14-inch touchscreen display, a 1440p QHD webcam, and plenty of ports.
When it comes to large-screen Chromebooks, the Acer Chromebook 516 GE was easily one of our favorites. Even with the gaming aesthetic, it was a powerful machine, and now the Chromebook Plus 516 GE is here. It continues to feature many of the same design options and features that helped make its predecessor so popular.
It’s still the perfect Chromebook for cloud gaming thanks to its beautiful 16-inch 2560 x 1600 120Hz display. While Acer opted against using the latest Intel Core Ultra series of chips, the Chromebook Plus 516 GE is no slouch as it is powered by 13th generation Intel. Both of these Chromebooks will be available this month for either $699 or $749.
ASUS is next up with two new Chromebooks of its own. The Chromebook Plus CX34 is the company’s flagship for those who want a traditional 14-inch Chromebook. It is powered by a 13th generation Intel Core i5 processor and can be configured with or without a touchscreen.
Some might argue that the star of the show is the Chromebook CM30, which brings us the first consumer ChromeOS tablet since the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 3. The CM30 comes with a magnetic stand cover and keyboard, making it easy to send emails to play games in a jiffy . There’s also a garaged USI pen, which is great for taking notes or using the CM30 as a drawing tablet.
Another post comes from the ASUS camp as the ExpertBook CX54 Chromebook Plus is finally available. It debuted at the beginning of the year as it was the first Chromebook to be announced with Intel Core Ultra processors. However, it still wasn’t available for purchase, but that’s not a problem anymore.
Currently, only one configuration is available, which includes an Intel Core Ultra 5 SoC, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. You can get the CX54 Chromebook Plus for $799 directly from ASUS. We hope to not only get our hands on one, but also to make it to more retailers.
Rounding out the package are several Chromebooks from HP. While we don’t yet have a successor to the Chromebook Dragonfly Pro, HP isn’t sitting around and has nothing new to show off. The company’s popular 2-in-1 is now called the HP Chromebook Plus x360, while still featuring a 14-inch touchscreen display. And while it doesn’t blow your socks off in the performance department, the x360 makes up for it with a long-lasting battery and HP Fast Charge.
Last but not least is the HP Chromebook 14, which we already expect to be one of the best $249 student Chromebooks. As the name suggests, it has a 14-inch display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 and a 1080p webcam “enhanced by temporal noise reduction”. This is expected to be a battery champ too, as HP estimates it will last more than 12 hours on a single charge.