Acer C7 Chromebook review

The components used by the C710 match the Chromebook’s low price, and it uses a 1.1GHz Intel Celeron 847 processor that’s paired with 2GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive. We couldn’t run our usual benchmarks on the C710, so we instead used the JavaScript-based SunSpider online benchmark, which completed in 508.5ms. It’s still a long way off our 3GHz Intel Core i3-540, which completed the test in 297ms, but this is nearly 200ms faster than Samsung’s Series 3 Chromebook.

It’s perfectly capable of running multiple browser windows and playing Full HD video, albeit downscaled. It can also run browser-based games such as Bastion and Cut the Rope, but you’re limited to what’s available through the Chrome web store.

Of course, the C710 isn’t just about hardware. There’s also Chrome OS, the Google operating system based on the Chrome internet browser. This means you often have to be online to get the most out of it as most of your documents will be stored in the cloud, and you also can’t use any third-party programs outside of Google’s own services. You can still transfer documents, music and video files, though, and this is where the C710’s 320GB hard disk really comes in handy. All other Chromebooks have a 16GB SSD, which makes them poor companions for those who like their media collections available on the move. Its integrated speakers are some of the worst we’ve ever heard on a laptop, however, so you should use it with headphones to get the best out of it.

It also has a few offline features that mean you can still use it on the go without losing access to all your files. We had no trouble editing word-processed documents offline or using the preinstalled Google Play Books app, and we could read and write emails in the Offline Gmail app as well. Chrome OS is still limited compared to Windows, but at this price we have few complaints.

Its primary flaw is its poor battery life. We couldn’t run our normal light-use tests, but we only managed four hours and eight minutes of looped audio playback with the screen set to half-brightness. This falls quite short of the Samsung Series 3’s impressive seven hours, but it’s still long enough to get you through a long train journey.

The Acer C710 Chromebook is a vast improvement over its predecessor and it’s finally a worthy rival to Samsung’s Series 3 Chromebook. It’s cheaper, has a bigger hard disk, but falls short on battery life. If you’re not planning on using it on the move, the C7 Chromebook is for you.