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Most of the best Chromebooks on the market today have a few things in common. Touch screens are common, as are long battery lives and a low price, which has been the most important thing for a number of years. The new Chromebook Spin 513 from Acer has everything a good Chromebook should have. If the Chromebook logo wasn’t on the lid, you might think this was one of the company’s latest Windows 10 Ultrabooks.
But what’s on the front of this Chromebook isn’t really the point. Inside, it has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c processor. This makes it an ARM-based Chromebook, and it offers much better performance than, say, the much-loved but definitely underpowered Lenovo Chromebook Duet. It also means that it runs quietly, so there are no loud fans to ruin your day.
Acer Chromebook Spin 513 Specifications
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Display | 13.3-inch Full HD IPS Touchscreen |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c |
| RAM | 4GB or 8GB LPDDR4X |
| Internal Storage | 64GB or 128GB eMMC |
| Operating System | Chrome OS |
Design and build quality
The interior is a little bit different in colour, looking more like silver and grey. I don’t think the difference in colour is on purpose; I think it’s just because Acer uses different kinds of materials. The seams of the 2-in-1 do a good job of hiding this, so I don’t think most users will notice.
This is a two-in-one device with a tablet and a hinge that can bend 360 degrees. The screen can be turned around until it touches the “bottom” of the laptop, turning it into a tablet. Tablet mode is good for short runs, but it can’t really replace an iPad or Android tablet. The Chromebook Spin 513 is.64 inches thick and weighs 2.82 pounds. Because of both of its features, it is a bit hard to handle. You can buy this laptop from its official website
Acer Chromebook Spin 513: Display
Having used Windows 2-in-1s and Chromebooks for years, I’ve noticed two big business trends. Bezels around screens are getting thinner, and computers are getting screens with either a 16:10 or 3:2 aspect ratio. The 3:2 aspect ratio is the only thing this Chromebook has going for it, which is a shame. Even though it costs less than $600, the Chromebook Spin 513 still has an ugly bottom edge.
We do think that this Chromebook’s screen is good for the price. This device has a 13.5-inch screen with a resolution of 2256 x 1504 and a brightness of up to 360 nits. On ChromeOS, though, the tools I usually use to review computers don’t work, so I have to be a bit more subjective to back up my claims.
Keyboard and touchpad
The top and bottom covers of the laptop’s chassis are made of sandblasted and anodized aluminium, while the keyboard deck is made of plastic. This combination creates a laptop that is designed to be lightweight but sturdy on the outside. We discovered that the lid could be bent in very tiny ways, that the keyboard deck had some flex to it, but that the underlying chassis was very robust.
Acer Chromebook Spin 513: Connectivity
Along with that SoC, we have 8GB of RAM, 128GB of eMMC storage, and good connection with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. The result is the most powerful speed we’ve ever seen in an ARM-based Chromebook, and we love it. We were even able to connect two more QHD screens on top of the built-in screen, so work isn’t a problem either.
Acer Chromebook Spin 513: Performance
Other than that, the price is very good for the image quality. The Chromebook Spin 513 does a good job with colours and has good clarity. The movies and games don’t have enough depth, and dark scenes look hazy. Still, the screen is sharper and has more colours than most other gadgets of this type. A normal Windows alternative, like the Acer Spin 5 or Lenovo Yoga 6, will have a lower display resolution. Many also have a 16:9 viewing ratio, which makes the screen look smaller.
Acer Chromebook Spin 513: Battery Life
ChromeOS devices often have good battery life, and the Chromebook Spin 513 is no different. In the CrXPRT 2 battery life test, it was able to last for almost 12 hours and 34 minutes. The Intel Pentium chip in the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 made it last 8 hours and 22 minutes in the same test.
Lenovo’s ThinkPad X13s, a Windows laptop with an ARM-based Qualcomm processor, went a little longer at 12 hours and 53 minutes (but was tested with video loop, not CrXPRT 2). But the ThinkPad X13s costs more, with a starting MSRP of about $1,000. Most Windows computers and 2-in-1s that are priced similarly will last between six and eight hours on a single charge.
Pricing and availability
The Acer Chromebook Spin 513 doesn’t have a very unique look, but for a laptop that costs less than $500, it’s very well made. The Chromebook Spin 513 costs only £399/$399/AU$560, and for that price you get a lot. It’s mostly plastic, but it doesn’t look like plastic because it has a metal lid. It looks like one of Acer’s mid-range Ultrabooks. It has a thin body and a 13-inch Full HD touch screen with thin bars on the sides.
Final words
The display is what makes the Chromebook Spin 513 from Acer stand out. The unusual 3:2 aspect ratio and sharp resolution of the 13.5-inch screen make for a surprising amount of screen area that can be used. It’s great for surfing the web and editing papers, which are the two things Chromebooks do best.
The great battery life and fun keyboard are great additions to the great screen, but it’s not all good news. The audio quality isn’t great, the touchpad isn’t great, and the performance isn’t great either (though it’s good for games).
Acer Chromebook Spin 513 review: The good and The bad
The Good
- Strong battery life
- 2-in-1 design
The Bad
- No memory card slot
FAQS
Google’s power load test shows that the battery can last up to 10 hours, according to Acer. During our test of live video, it took 13 hours and 51 minutes, which was way longer than we expected. In tablet mode, the Spin 513 is a bit big, but it’s fine to use on your lap or at a desk.
Again, Acer put one USB-C port on each side instead of putting them both on the left side like they did on the Spin 713. Instead of an HDMI port, Acer put a microSD card slot next to the USB-A and headphone jacks. You might not need it, though, since this laptop has 128GB of storage already.