As if my Pixel LS review isn’t enough, another Chromebook demands attention. Last week, Acer offered its maxi-model for review. FedEx delivered yesterday but I only cracked open the box this afternoon. The screen is motherfraking huge. Everything is humongous, actually.
The other big thing about the display—maybe that should be plural: IPS and 1080p. It’s the first Chromebook that my aging eyes can handle at full, native resolution. I keep the Pixel jacked down to 1440 x 956, like Toshiba Chromebook 2. Acer smartly chose a matte rather than glossy screen, which works surprisingly well. Viewing angles aren’t exceptional, but they are surprisingly good. Very, very good. Colors and contrast please, too.
Chromebook 15 isn’t the first Acer to user a matte display, but the others tend to be dim TNs. I like the company’s approach of going back to move ahead. Matte should make the IPS screen viewable just about anywhere—even outdoors in the sunlight. Reflective screens arguably give greater contrast but are overrated and way overdone.
This thing is too monstrous for me, but there’s a market for a luggable built for creating and consuming content. Design is typical Acer, which means more industrial than pretty. That’s okay. The screen matters more,
In a quick test: Streaming is smooth—screenshot is Maroon 5 vid “Sugar” from YouTube. Viewing angles are huge and color and contrast vivid and consistent. Cord-cutters, meet your new TV. The screen is 15.6 inches.
That’s it until Chromebook 15 and I become better acquainted.