The first Chrome convertible
Google’s Chrome OS software has created a whole new class of low-cost PCs. This is the first one we’ve seen that incorporates another trend: convertibles. The Chromebook R11’s touchscreen can fold all the way round until its back is flat against the keyboard, so you can hold it like a tablet. The 360-degree hinge is also handy to prop up the R11 to watch a film or play a game.
This doesn’t make quite as much sense as with laptops that run Windows 10, which has a special tablet mode. Chrome OS doesn’t, and not all of the apps and online services you might want to use are designed to work by touch. But most websites these days take touchscreens into account, and basic operations such as scrolling feel natural. The keyboard Is automatically disabled and, just like on a tablet, a virtual keyboard appears on the screen whenever you need to type text.
If the Chromebook R11 looks a little familiar, that’s because the hardware is similar to Acer’s Aspire R11, which runs Windows. This model’s all-white finish looks neater, though. There seems to be some variation in responsiveness between the touchpads on different samples of the R11, which might reflect the machine’s budget build quality, but we found this one smoother than the Aspire we tested previously.
Chromebooks aren’t intended for ambitious creative tasks, so they generally have bog-standard screens. The R11 is no exception. Its 11.6in LCD panel doesn’t go very bright or show particularly accurate or vivid colours. But with good contrast, the modest 1366x768-pixel resolution looks fairly clear. Decent speakers are built In, too, although a quirk of the design means that they get slightly muffled when the screen is folded back.
The Intel Celeron N3050 processor doesn’t draw much power, so the R11 can work without fans, making it silent in use. The battery lasted us eight hours and 45 minutes of video playback, shorter than many Chromebooks, but still not bad. It coped fine with word processing, emails, YouTube and even a bit of photo editing. Web pages loaded smoothly as long as we didn’t keep too many tabs open. With just 16GB of storage, less than two per cent of the average hard drive, you’ll need to embrace ‘the cloud’: only keeping a few Chrome-compatible apps and files on the laptop for when you can’t get an internet connection, and accessing everything else on the web.
We’ve seen the Chromebook R11 discounted to as little as £160, which is an absolute bargain. Even at its regular price of around £230, it’s good value.
VERDICT
It’s not without compromises. Including Chrome OS itself, but this is a well-designed budget laptop that's enjoyable to own.
SPECIFICATIONS
1.6GHz Intel Celeron N3050 processor • 2GB memory • 16GB flash storage • 11.6in 1366x768-pixel screen • Webcam • SD card slot • 1x USB 2.0 port • 1x USB 3.0 port • 802.11ac WI-FI • Bluetooth 4.0 • Chrome OS • 20x295x203mm (Hx WxD) • 12kg • One-year warranty