'Excellent product': This versatile and affordable laptop is on sale on Amazon for less than $300
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Let's face it: laptops are an essential piece of technology for any home — but they can be incredibly expensive.
After COVID forced many of us to be separated from loved ones, our laptops and mobile devices became our sources of entertainment and connection — allowing us to stream our favourite shows and video chat with loved ones.
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If you're looking for an affordable solution to perform your basic day-to-day online tasks and stay in touch with those nearest and dearest, check out the Acer Chromebook Spin 311, on sale for 34 per cent off on Amazon.
Acer Chromebook Spin 311
SHOP IT: Amazon, $290 (originally $443)
What is it?
The Acer Chromebook Spin 311 is a versatile, lightweight laptop with HD display that utilizes Google Chrome's operating system, hence the name, Chromebook.
The Spin 311 is made with a 360 degree hinge that allows you to rotate the Chromebook to a traditional notebook style, stand-up display, tent and tablet mode with up to 15 hours of battery life. The Spin311 includes 4GB of onboard LPDDR4X Memory and 32GB eMMC, MediaTek MT8183C core pilot Octa-core ARM Cortex-A73/A53 heterogeneous multi-processor and 11.6 “ screen with 1366x 768 resolution, that supports Gorilla Glass touch screen capabilities and features a wide-angle view webcam in HDR.
It should be noted that Chromebooks are not the same as most laptops or MacBooks. If you’re a gamer or looking for something with video editing capabilities or the full Windows Office suite, this isn’t the machine for you. Chromebooks are a more streamlined, minimalist laptop, perfect if you’re looking to complete simple functions in a Chrome web browser or use android apps.
That being said, Chromebooks are perfect if you’re looking for a separate laptop to keep in the home or looking for simple, easy-to-use and affordable.
What people are saying
If you're interested in the Chromebook Spin 311 but aren't sure about making a purchase sight unseen, you'll definitely want to check out the customer reviews on Amazon. The Spin 311 has a solid 4.7-star rating with a ton of in-depth reviews from Amazon shoppers to choose from.
Shoppers call the Chromebook Spin 311 an affordable find for someone who wants the basics plus a good camera for video-calls.
"I can't think of anything negative to say about this product," one shopper wrote. "We've only had it for about a week but so far, it's works great. My son is using it primarily for online learning and it works very well. The camera quality is great. We don't really use the touchscreen feature so I can't comment on that - we prefer to use a mouse. Excellent product. Highly recommend!"
"Perfect for remote school, fun for games and movies, the flip-screen is great for watchIng school or movies, and I love the touchscreen," another wrote. "I hope that’s the way of the future! My seven-year-old navigates it with ease, and has barely let me have a turn!"
Despite it's convenience for day-to-day tasks, Chromebooks don't have the same amount of storage as other laptops and not accommodating for Microsoft and Mac software and may have limitations for certain apps and programs.
"I am writing this review from this Chromebook. We are surprised by how many features you get for the money. If you are trying to figure out what model is what, let me help. This is the new Acer Spin 311 that is made with a newer low-power ARM chip - which mostly gives you awesome battery life compared to the previous Intel version (50 per cent more)," one Amazon shopper wrote. "This newer model though also has far fewer ports than the older model (just 2 ports compared to 4 on the previous model) and the screen is Gorilla Glass, like on the iPhones, making it somewhat kid and life-proof. I got this for work, as a functional laptop and tablet for entering data into web apps, and it will be perfect for that. If I wanted to work on a Chromebook daily, I would spend twice as much for twice as much computer. But this get the basic jobs done and it's great for kids (my kids love it for online stuff)."
Verdict
The Chromebook Spin 311 is a great option for anyone looking to access the basics of emails, social media and more, without spending thousands of dollars. If you have a tablet, but don't like not having access to a keyboard, the versatility of the Spin 311 might be for you!
The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
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