Acer unveils 1080p Chromebook 15 ahead of CES

Acer has been doing very well for themselves with their line of Chrome OS powered Chromebook devices, and they are continuing to expand their offerings with their new Chromebook 15.

The Acer Chromebook 15, as the name implies, is a 15-inch class laptop with a 15.6-inch display, making it the first Chromebook of this size to hit the market.

Chromebooks have been doing very well in the market, with most sales going to education centers. However, the web-centric computing needs of the average consumer make the Chrome browser focused Chrome OS offerings very appealing, especially when you can put a solid unit in hand for under $200.

Acer’s new Chromebook 15 is a bit of a step up for those accustomed to seeing 11 inch devices. Not that there are not larger Chromebooks out there, in-fact, this very article is being written on a 14-inch Chromebook, built by HP. Where the new Acer Chromebook 15 truly differs is in the use of an Intel Core i3 processor.

Getting down to it then, there will be multiple variants of the Acer Chromebook 15. A base model will start around $250, offering a 1366 x 768 resolution display, an Intel Celeron processor, 2GB of RAM and a 16GB SSD for storage. Prices are not given for the high end of things, but a fully decked out Chromebook 15 will score you full 1080p resolution, that Intel Core i3 processor, 4GB of RAM and a 32GB SSD for storage.

All options come with the standard set of USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports, HDMI port, SD card reader and a battery that Acer says provides “impressive” performance, whatever that is supposed to mean.

If this size of display is more than you are looking for, be sure to also check out the Tegra K1 powered 13-inch Acer offering, aptly named the Chromebook 13. Hidden in this press release, Acer says that touchscreen versions of the 13-inch Chromebook are coming soon as well.

What do you think, is a 15.6-inch Chromebook the right way to go, or does this blur the lines with normal laptops more than it should?