Acer's first flexible Snapdragon 7c Chromebook debuts for under $400

Acer introduced a slew of new additions to its product portfolio, chief of which is a new Chromebook and the Halo smart speaker.

The Acer Chromebook Spin 513 is the firm’s first machine sporting Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7c chipset. Announced late last year, the silicon employs an octa-core Kyro 468 CPU alongside the Adreno 618 GPU. Users have an option for LTE connectivity, too, while Acer adds 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage to the mix. Although this hardware cocktail isn’t intended for heavy computing, it does give the Chromebook up to 14 hours of use per charge, Acer claims.

This adds to the Chromebook Spin 513’s focus on portability. The machine weighs less than 1.2kg (2.6 pounds) with a 360-degree hinge enabling four usage modes. The display comes in at 13.3-inches with 1,920 x 1,080 resolution. As for I/O, Two USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 ports — that allow users to charge or connect to an external display — join a single USB-A 3.2 port.

Acer’s Chromebook Spin 513 will be available in North America from February 2021. The standard model will start at $399.99 in the US and CA$599.99 up north. Snapdragon power seemingly means a higher premium compared to the Celeron and MediaTek Chromebooks in the sub-$300 range. For company rollouts, there’s an Enterprise model that starts at $699.99 and CA$949.99 in Canada.

Acer Halo Smart Speaker

Acer also jumps into the Google Assistant smart speaker plunge pool with the Halo.

Although it makes extensive use of fabric mesh-like its contemporaries, the Acer Halo’s design stands out somewhat from current market offerings. A set of LEDs shine through a transparent base and can be synced with the music or used as a night-light. An optional LED display is hidden within the mesh itself and can display the time, weather conditions, or other personal messages. Physical buttons, including a mic mute, volume control, and play/pause combo, are positioned at the top of the speaker.

Like the Xiaomi Mi Smart Speaker, the Halo promises 360 degrees of sound coverage and sports DTS support, too. Two far-field mics are also included, so users shouldn’t have to throw their voices too far across a room to talk to Google.

As for price and availability, the Acer Halo is coming to EMEA markets in December, priced from €119 (~$141). North America will get a taste from Q1 2021 with prices starting at $109 in the States. That makes it slightly pricier than the Google Nest Audio, but those who love RGB may be tempted.

Read more: What’s the best smart speaker you can buy?

Acer also made additions to its Windows-based Swift, Spin, Aspire, and TravelMate lines.

The new Swift 3 series and budget Aspire 5 line can now be had with Intel’s Iris X Max graphics chips and 11th Gen Core CPUs. Acer’s Spin 3 line now employs a 13.3-inch 16:10 aspect ratio display, while Spin 5 buyers can add an optional coating of antimicrobial Gorilla Glass to their machine. Finally, fans of the hardy TravelMate series get three new models all with eSIM LTE support, MIL-STD-810G durability, and a Thunderbolt 4 port.