Acer Chromebook R11 (CB5-132T) Review: Outstanding Value & Versatility

[Sim8]

Product: Acer Chromebook R11 (CB5-132T)
Purchased: in UK for 240 GBP new

Can a cheap Chromebook hold its own against high-end expensive Apple and Microsoft laptops? Probably not. But it comes astonishingly close.

This R11 from Acer has an 11.6" screen, which just about scrapes the minimum most people can live with for play and work. I'd generally recommend 12" plus, really, depending on usage need and desires. But this touch screen flips back up to 360 degrees to double as laptop and Android tablet.

So, yes, load it with well chosen free Apps, and you can work in Word, Excel, Powerpoint, PDFs... or watch films or play your favourite tablet and phone games. It's quick enough and high spec enough and supports the connectivity I need for my work as a writer, researcher and data analyst. AND it's a staggeringly uplifting device to just muck about with and have a giggle. Matched with a second-hand old high-spec Android Smartphone, this is my go to machine I place infeasible demands on to do everything else in my life.

Technically, I find it loaded for the price with a bonkers level of high versatility. But this particular model comes with a white, plasticky chassis and a chunky form factor. It could be slimmer and slicker and lighter and sexier, and the screen border could be pushed closer to the edges. But if you value substance over style and value for money be your quest, then it's well worth looking into from your own perspective.

Any which way, may whatever technology you choose satisfy you well.

Si

 

[B. Diddy]

Thanks for the review! How heavy does it feel when holding it like a tablet? I find that my Pixelbook is still too heavy to hold comfortably for long periods of time, and on top of that, the edges are relatively sharp angles rather than rounded, which adds to the discomfort.

 

[Sim8]

@B. Diddy: It does feel too heavy in full tablet flip-back, and I think its chunkiness adds to that, at least in the mind. OK if you're sitting with it in your lap, but then you can put it in 'tent' mode or find your perfect angle (keyboard is deactivated beyond a reflex angle; hinges are quite stiff, but that gives me hope for the long-term durability.) Standing around with it for any length of time holding it one hand is a no-no, unless you're a zen master with yogic guru muscle endurance.

The edges are vaguely rounded, but more like half-hexagon rounding, so still a little sharp. But the casing material is good from the point of view of grip. It feels like you've got it under control, and it's not constantly making a bid to slip from your grip. Unless you've lubed your hands up to practise your soon-to-be world renowned tech party extreme tablet juggling routine.

How is your Pixelbook overall? Any disappointing technical limitations or unexpected great features?

 

[B. Diddy]

Unless you've lubed your hands up to practise your soon-to-be world renowned tech party extreme tablet juggling routine.

Hmm, maybe I'll work on that for America's Got Talent!

Overall, the Pixelbook is friggin awesome. The only nitpicks I have are:
1. The abovementioned sharp edges.
2. The silicone padding on the underside of the unit (in laptop mode) has developed an orangeish discoloration which doesn't go away with rubbing alcohol, as others have suggested trying.
3. The keyboard, although quite good for this ultra-thin form factor, could use a tiny bit more travel for my taste.

Otherwise, the device simply screams performance-wise, battery life is excellent, the screen is beautiful and bright, and the speakers are impressive. It's currently on sale for $750 at Best Buy, a full 25% off usual price -- still clearly not for every budget, but well worth considering for people who would otherwise spend around the same amount or more for a Macbook or Windows laptop.

 

[Sim8]

Brilliant - cheers for your perspective on the Pixelbook. Sounds like a very pleasing winner. And you have minded me of one of my favourite lines from a TV Programme called Black Books: 'My keyboard has lost its plink.'

 

[Sim8]

How rarely people come back and talk about new purchases at the end of their life-cycle. Bought this R11 (CB5-132T) Acer Chromebook 4 years ago. Has done a very good job, and still get full battery life out of it. The stupidity is that Google/Android stopped supporting it in June - I presume it is a Google department to blame? I'd very much like to know who to contact to tell them that their deliberate 'built-in' obsolescence is a disgrace. Acer did not build this Chromebook to fail, so if Google can't keep up their end of the bargain then they need telling that they have the long-term perspective of a mayfly.

After much fanfare and an avalanche of alerts and warnings, all updates including security updates stopped. In my opinion, Google should be supporting devices for several more years. 4 is pathetic, especially given how they are currently advertised.

Well done to Acer, though, for producing a device which has been my sole laptop/computer workhorse in that time. I am a satirical writer and have used the **** out of it every day for work and pleasure, and have not had a single technical fault with it. Touch screen still peachy, everything working like new. Just the 'n' key a bit worn. Does that mean I am a negative person? Always typing no, not, and never?

Nonnyninnynun is not a word.

 

[B. Diddy]

Thanks for coming back! The update limitation has been one of the only downsides to Chromebooks -- especially earlier ones. Newer Chromebooks get 8 years of updates, which is a lot more reasonable. It has to do with the hardware platforms these devices use. Since ChromeOS is constantly updating, there's a point where the updates outpace the hardware capability (just like with Android devices). In the old days, Google limited updates to 4 years, but as the OS and its hardware have progressed, they've been able to stretch it out.

I'm still holding out hope that we'll be able to install ChromeOS Flex on older Chromebooks to get them more up to date (I still have my awesome 2013 Chromebook Pixel in a box somewhere with that pipe dream in mind). Flex is something you can install on Windows PCs or Macs to convert them in to ChromeOS machines, but there's been no word if this can ever be done on old Chromebooks.

 

[Sim8]

Thanks for the response and all of the extra info, B. Diddy. It's like you could see into my mind and answer everything I have been considering. Now it's up to 8 years, that's a much more acceptable time frame. Batteries - even the outstanding Acer one - might be struggling by then, and if you haven't damaged the full flip screen in 8 years, then you're not using it properly - haha.

I will back down on my 'grrrrs' with Google.

Your information has directly prompted me into getting the Acer Chromebook Spin 513 (CP513-1H) which I have been able to source for an amazing price of under 240 Euros.

Everything which was lacking on the R11 (CB5-132T) has been addressed very well.

1. The battery life is insanely long.
2. The screen is brighter and larger and sharper and is so good it can even be used in direct sunlight.
3. Back-lit keyboard.
4. Much faster.
5. More memory.
6. Much lighter.
7. Much thinner.
8. The case is less toy-like (the R11 had chunky white plastic) the 513 is a slick dark grey colour and much more pleasing.

As yet unable to fault. I literally can't find one thing I'd improve on it. Maybe one more USB port (1 instead of the R11's 2)?

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge

Si

Incidentally, if you were wondering what four letter word was auto-asterisked out of my previous post, it was p-o-o-p. Which really made me laugh.

 

[B. Diddy]

Glad you found an excellent replacement! According to Google's site, that model will get updates through June 2029: https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/6220366?hl=en#zippy=,acer

And hey, this is a family site -- you can only say caca.