An Acer Chromebook R 11 was sent for my review. There is an affiliate link in this post. All opinions are my own. 

9 years ago my computer died. I remember standing in a store trying to decide whether to replace it with a laptop or a desktop. I was 16 and thought that going with a laptop might be a good idea so I could take it to college. A few years later I was surprised at how few kids brought laptops into class. While laptops were great for traveling (when compared to a desktop) they weren’t practical for taking on the go very regularly because they were still thick and heavy. Now modern-day students are debating between laptops and tablets. I was recently sent the Acer Chromebook R 11 and it strikes me as the perfect option for high school and college students.

The Acer Chromebook R 11 has an 11 inch screen which means it’s big enough to feel natural as a laptop. However, it has a 360 degree dual-torque hinge so the keyboard can lay flat against the screen, essentially turning it into a tablet. It has a touchscreen so you can simply use the screen to scroll so you have no need for a traditional mouse. When you need to type, simply tap a text input box and a virtual keyboard will display in the lower portion of the screen. Then if I decide I want the full keyboard to type out a longer message I can just pull the physical keyboard down and type way. It’s so much nicer than using one of those add-on keyboards that you can buy for tablets because it’s larger in size so it fits my fingers nicely. I don’t struggle with having my fingers on the wrong buttons like I do on most tablet keyboards that are compact and have the keys all crammed together.

I was an early adopter of Google Chrome but I had never used a chrome operating system before. I was happy with how quickly I took to it. It doesn’t feel like it’s lacking any of the essentials that I rely on for browsing the web, playing around online, or blogging. In fact, the only aspect of the Chromebook R 11 that I had to adapt to was the one-button mouse. However, I quickly found myself relying on the touchscreen more than the mouse anyway.

My Chromebook looks and feels so sleek. I love the bright white color, the vibrant screen and how small it folds up in. It’s small enough and light enough that it’s practical for traveling with on a regular basis. It would be ideal for using for college, or to take back and forth to work. The speed has been great, I haven’t experienced any freezing or lags.

Have you ever purchased a computer that ran great at first, but slowed down over time? The Chromebook operates off of Chrome OS, which doesn’t allow for programs to be installed. Installing programs is often the cause of getting a virus or malware which slows down your computer. As a result, the odds of getting a virus or malware on a machine that uses Chrome OS is almost zero, so your odds of your device slowing down are much less as well.

I am a typical millennial in the sense that I use social media a lot. I rely on the internet for my TV service, to keep me connected with friends, and for my job as a blogger and social media influencer. Having the convenience of a lightweight and portable Chromebook makes it easy for me to multitask while on the go. I can edit photos from the car or a doctor’s waiting room. I wish I had the Acer Chromebook R 11 for the blogging conference that I attended in June. The conference rooms were quite a distance from my hotel room, so I kept switching back and forth between choosing to carry my laptop which doesn’t fit well in a tote bag, or my tablet which is hard to type on. The Chromebook would have been perfect because it’s the best of both worlds and it would fit in a tote sized bag or even mid to large-sized purse. It also would have been perfect for my plane ride. The Chromebook fits across my lap almost perfectly, without hanging over.

You can fold the Chromebook into “tent” mode, with the screen facing you and the keyboard portion pointing away from you. This would be ideal for watching a movie on a plane or other small space. The screen is vibrant regardless of what angle you view it from! You don’t get that grayed out look when glancing at the screen from an angle like you do with most laptop screens. This is also a nice benefit for working on a project as a group because everyone can huddle around and see the screen with a clear and bright view.

The Acer Chromebook R 11 has a suggested retail price of $279.99. If you visit the product page on the Acer website they will show you the current prices available from a variety of retailers so you can find the best deal. At the moment of this posting the best deal is $253.99 from Amazon.

Emily

Hi there! I am Emily Evert, the owner of Emily Reviews. I am 28 and live in a small town in Michigan with my boyfriend Ryan and our two pugs. I have a large family and I adore my nieces and nephews. I love reading memoirs, and learning about child development and psychology. I love watching The Game of Thrones, Teen Mom, Sister Wives and Veep. I like listening to Jason Isbell, John Prine, and other alt-country or Americana music. I created Emily Reviews as a creative outlet to share my life and the products that I love with others.

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