Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Last year I pre-ordered the original Acer C720-2800 4GB Chromebook and received it the day after the release. I did have a minor issue with a rattle in the touchpad which was a simple fix that I addressed when I upgraded the SSD to a 128GB unit. The rattle aside, my C720, and all of our Chromebooks, Chromebox, and Chromebase , have been flawless performers. The C720 2GB has been perfect, I love the screen and keyboard on the HP 11, my Toshiba 13 is great, and the Chromebox and Chromebase have replaced our desktops. My son took over the 4GB C720 when I got the Toshiba, and he has pretty much retired his Samsung Series 3 that we purchased almost 2 years ago. It still runs well, but the battery life isn't what it used to be. I purchased this new i3 C720 4GB (my 4th C720) primarily because I wanted to see if the performance is worth the additional investment. However, because I'm a dedicated Chrome OS user who's looking ahead to what's in store for Chrome OS and it's evolving compatibility with Android (and my Nexus 5) I also wanted to make sure I had the fastest Chromebook available (with the exception of the Pixel) to take advantage of forthcoming features. For this review, I will primarily be comparing this C720 i3 4GB to my original C720 Haswell 4GB. With all the Chrome OS devices available today, it's impossible to reference them all. If you'd like my opinion on how this i3 stacks up against some of the popular models please feel free to ask. Again, our family has the Samsung Series 3, three C720's (2GB and 4GB Haswells and the i3), two HP-11s (the ones with the good screen), the 13" Toshiba, an Asus Chromebox, and an LG Chromebase. I am also well versed in the other models available or coming soon. FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Love it or hate it, it's still a C720. As I unboxed it, I again wished Acer would pack their Chromebooks better, but nothing was damaged or strewn around the box. I was a bit surprised that the battery was totally dead when I opened the lid as all my previous Chromebooks had a decent charge when I got them. I plugged it in, and from totally empty to full charge took just under 2 hours (I was at work and not using it during the charge). Log in was simple; all of my apps, extensions, and settings loaded incredibly fast, I did an update (it was still at version 31 and is now 36), and was up and running faster than with any of my other Chromebooks. The power brick is the same as my old C720, and at 9 feet long I still wish it was a bit longer (The Toshiba 13 charger totals 12 feet). A few other quick impressions that I will cover in detail below; the screen seems to be the same, but the keyboard has a distinctly different feel to it. I also noticed this on the C720 2GB I purchased last month for my sister. No touchpad rattle; which is good, and the overall fit and finish seems to have improved a bit over the past 10 months. But, the main reason to buy this i3 is....... PERFORMANCE: Yes... The i3 Chromebook is fast! The speed is immediately apparent with this machine. From power off to the login screen is around 3 to maybe 4 seconds, which is half the time it takes my Haswell start. Both machines are pretty much instant on from sleep, but that's really where the performance similarities stop. I will include some quick benchmarks I ran at the end of this section, but I have always felt that the best measure of performance is how the computer feels when you're using it for whatever it is you use your computer for. I have a monster Windows 7 XEON CPU CAD workstation I use at work and this i3 browses just as fast. One of my primary uses for my Chromebook/box at home is listening to music. I connect my Chromebook/box to an external DAC, via USB, which feeds my vacuum tube headphone amp with streaming music from Google Play Music Unlimited. This usually works well enough with the old Acer and the Haswell Chromebox until I start browsing other sites. Depending on the contents of a page, I sometimes get a very annoying skipping sound (like a machine gun) during loading that drives me crazy. Listening to music while browsing with my wireless mouse would also cause the cursor to skip or behave erratically sometimes as well. I connected my DAC up to this i3, started some music, opened some known problem sites, and had no issues. I was all over the web and everything ran very smoothly; even with the mouse connected. I have to say right now, that getting rid of that issue alone was worth the price I paid for this machine. My Google Play Music page has tons of songs, playlists, and radio stations, so it does take a bit of time to load, but with the i3 it loaded almost twice as fast as with the Haswell. HD shows on Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime Instant Video, YouTube, and several network sites started fast and played smoothly without interruption. The only issues I noticed were caused by the poor service I often get from my ISP (I pay for 50mbps and I expect 50mbps). I don't really tend to be a tab maniac, but it's nice to know that I was able to get this machine with 4GB of ram. My 2GB machines work fine for me, but the 4GB should help going forward with Chrome OS and the internet. I also observed that the i3 loaded some rather large Google Documents very quickly. My Gmail opens a lot quicker, as does the Google Plus Photo app; and the video previews in the photo app run much smoother as well. All of this speed does come with a small compromise though, and it's important to note that this system still uses a small fan. Like my old Acer, the fan is incredibly quiet, and with the activity happening around the house I never hear them running on either machine (as compared to the jet engine on our old HP laptop). It's only in the early morning or late evening that I even realize there is a fan coming on from time to time (sometimes for only a few seconds). So, does this mean that the Haswells are slow? Absolutely not. They just aren't as snappy as this i3. And that snap comes at a price. BENCHMARKS: This first set of benchmarks were completed as a logged in user and are an average of three tests. HTML5 Fishbowl (Around 495 fish at 60 FPS). Peacekeeper (3205 and 7/7 for HTML5 browsing). SunSpider (296ms). Octane (14374). This set of tests was done in guest mode and also averaged results of three tests. HTML5 Fishbowl (Up to 540 fish at 60 FPS). Peacekeeper (3246 and 7/7 for HTML5 browsing). SunSpider (282ms). Octane (14237). I had read comments by people who ran these tests saying the results were better in guest mode, but I would say that based on my results, guest mode isn't really a factor. While running the Peacekeeper test I was also impressed at how well the video tests performed with this i3 and the HD Graphics 4400. The test with the small spheres inside the big sphere looked incredibly smooth, as did the HD codec tests where you fly above the river. Much smoother than they look on any of our other Chrome machines. SCREEN: As I mentioned earlier, the screen looks pretty much the same as my old C720. I got myself an HP 11 about a month ago, and while the thing is slow, the IPS screen is wonderful. The colors on the i3 are a bit washed out, but decent, and the text is pretty clear, but the contrast is poor and the vertical viewing angles are very limited. Streaming shows with lots of night or dark scenes yield a pretty poor picture and you have to tilt the screen just right to be able to differentiate close colors (like dark browns and blacks). Still, this is unfortunately par for the course with Chromebooks, and many of us are still waiting for that fast machine with serious speed and a great display. On a positive note, this i3 performed a lot better while extending or mirroring the screen via HDMI than my old C720 did. Everything just seemed to run a lot smoother with 2 screens going, which is a testament to the improved graphics section in this model. And, the picture this thing put up on the 24" Asus IPS was impressive. For the record though, I would have to say that this display is certainly the biggest compromise with the Acer i3. KEYBOARD: Aside from the obvious speed boost, the keyboard on the newer C720's seems to have also been improved. It isn't as nice as the HP11's, but it is certainly quieter and more responsive that the old Acer. The keys feel a bit firmer/heavier (in a good way), and travel seems to have been slightly increased a bit as well. I would probably put this keyboard it as my second favorite, ahead of the Samsung Series 3 and my Toshiba 13. TOUCHPAD: The touchpad feels the same to me as my old C720, and I was glad to get one without a rattle (always a fear for me when buying a C720, though I only ever had the one). I still prefer the pad on the Toshiba for it's texture that never seems to feel like it's getting oily, and the pad on the HP 11 that just plain works well for me. I also need to add that I really enjoy using Chrome OS touchpads in general. Once you get the hang of them and learn ALL of the gestures (1, 2, and 3 fingers), reverting to a pad with left and right buttons and scrolling partitions seems very cumbersome. This i3 also worked perfectly with my little Logitech wireless mouse, though the low Logitech DPI rate really slows down the cursor. BATTERY LIFE: I'll address this mainly in perceived time and not actual hours, because that's the easiest way for me to rate the battery. The first charge did seem to run down pretty fast (less than 5 hours I'd say), but it was the first charge, I was all over the web, I had my uDAC-3 plugged in, and I had the screen all the way up most of that time. The screen is certainly the biggest battery killer, along with my Nuforce uDAC when I use it, and if you use the display as low as you can tolerate you will get the maximum usage times out of your battery. I also like that the Haswells and this i3 don't seem to drain a lot when they're sleeping. This is an issue with our ARM Chromebooks. They'll run down pretty quickly, even when they're in sleep mode. If you really want to save your battery power it's best to just turn the Chromebook off. After all, they start in just a few seconds. SPEAKERS: The speakers are pretty much the same also. As long as you're on a table or using a lap desk they can play plenty loud for their size. I never expected much from such tiny little things so I've never felt disappointed with their sound. The Toshiba's are a bit louder, and the HP's probably sound the best. I also have a Bose Soundlink Mini that paired up quickly using the Bluetooth and played without any problems. Running music out of the combo headphone/mic jack works really good too, and sounded nice with my Koss Porta Pros. GRAB BAG: The ports are exactly the same as the Haswells, the SD cards still stick out pretty far, and still just one USB 2, one USB 3, and the HDMI. The ports may feel a little tight at first, but they'll loosen up over a couple uses. I'm plugging and unplugging things all the time, and I've never had any problems with my Chromebooks. If you need more ports, you can always grab a USB hub. My cloud printer was available as soon as I logged on, and I love that this thing instantly became MY Chromebook just by logging in. I was able to connect my phone and my digital camera, and Chrome found the DCIM folders and uploaded my pictures (though the pics I take with my phone automatically sync to my cloud drive already). The webcam is still pretty bad in all but the best light, but I also have a Logitech USB webcam that works well with Chrome OS. The chassis of this C720 is pretty rigid as well, and only my HP 11 feels more solid when lifted by the corner. And please, NEVER handle ANY computer by the screen/lid! This Chromebook also worked well with my Plugable USB 2 to Ethernet adapter, which is handy to have. As to the SSD; I had put a 128GB unit in my first 4GB C720, but since that time I have also started using the cloud a lot more. The extra 16GB of space you get with this model is nice if you travel, because you can take along several movies (yes, you can download your Google Play videos for offline use now), plenty of music, and still have space left over. So is this the Chromebook for you? Aside from the inability to install software, any Chrome OS device you purchase will require a compromise on your part; even the incredible Pixel with its shorter battery life (that I could totally live with by the way). While this C720 i3 is really fast, and an overall improvement over my original C720, it still doesn't have the great IPS screen or keyboard of my original HP 11. But, the HP 11 has only adequate speed, short battery life, and long charge times. If you want serious battery life in a great all-around package then you should consider the new, and highly rated, Asus Bay Trail Chromebooks (C200 and C300), though you will sacrifice a small bit of performance and they do come with TN panels. The first Dell Chromebooks were praised for their great build quality, and now they are said to be coming out with an i3 Chromebook as well; no word though on whether or not they'll include an IPS display. The new Samsung Chromebook 2's are very well built as well, but again, you will be making a compromise in speed, battery life, and screen quality (based solely on my extensive research). The Toshiba 13 is a great value with very good performance, great battery life, and a decent build. The extra screen real estate is nice too, but the low resolution takes away some of the sharpness. The bottom line on the C720 i3 is simple. If you have to have the fastest Chromebook on the market (besides the Pixel) this is the machine for you. The improved music playback alone made this purchase totally worth it for me. Just remember though, you can get the exact same package with very good performance for just $179 with the Haswell C720 2GB and you'll still have $200 in your pocket. If you have to have this i3 you could also drop to the 2GB model and save $30 (Though I recommend the 4GB if you're getting the i3). In the end, all the Acer C720's are a great value, and the i3 models offer a great new addition to the line. If anyone has any questions or comments I would be more than happy to answer them as best I can. I will also update this review as I spend a few more hours with this Chromebook. Thanks for Reading. Update 7/29/2014: With a few more days under my belt, I really feel that the main benefit of the i3 chip in this Chromebook is multitasking speed (and the 4GB helps there as well). The thing just runs a lot smoother while you are opening and closing new tabs. Pages that used to make my music stutter while they were loading have no effect anymore. I've kept videos playing while adding a tab to look up something else and the video doesn't stumble or lose it's audio sync. The thinks I do with my Chromebook don't generally involve having a ton of things going at the same time, but when I do, everything just runs a whole lot better.