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Acer adds a powerful Core i3 processor to its Chromebook

More muscle for the stripped down Chrome OS in this 11-inch laptop

Dan Ackerman Editorial Director / Computers and Gaming
Dan Ackerman leads CNET's coverage of computers and gaming hardware. A New York native and former radio DJ, he's also a regular TV talking head and the author of "The Tetris Effect" (Hachette/PublicAffairs), a non-fiction gaming and business history book that has earned rave reviews from the New York Times, Fortune, LA Review of Books, and many other publications. "Upends the standard Silicon Valley, Steve Jobs/Mark Zuckerberg technology-creation myth... the story shines." -- The New York Times
Expertise I've been testing and reviewing computer and gaming hardware for over 20 years, covering every console launch since the Dreamcast and every MacBook...ever. Credentials
  • Author of the award-winning, NY Times-reviewed nonfiction book The Tetris Effect; Longtime consumer technology expert for CBS Mornings
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Dan Ackerman

The current generation of Chromebooks may shift a little in terms of price and features, but they're largely cut from the same cloth. Our current favorite is actually the 11-inch Acer C720p, which includes a reasonably priced touchscreen.

Briefly shown off by Acer is a new model that may reset Chromebook expectations. Instead of the Intel Celeron processor found in most models, this upcoming version will have an Intel Core i3 CPU. The only other model to offer a Core i-series CPU is the Google Chromebook Pixel, which costs $1,299.

Acer Chromebook Intel Core i3 (pictures)

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Few details on the upcoming Core i3 Chromebook are available, but the 11-inch model may be joined by larger midsize screens. In our brief hands-on time with the Core i3 Chromebook, it appeared to be built into the same chassis as current Acer Chromebooks, which is a decently sturdy, but not an especially upscale-feeling design.

There's no availability date or potential price for the Core i3 Chromebook yet, but we'd expect it to be priced in line with other Chromebooks and entry level laptops, with a reasonable premium for the more powerful CPU.