Features:
- Generous screen size
- Larger than usual keyboard makes input a breeze
- Faster than average processor
Don’t let the close numbers fool you, this is an entirely different kind of Chromebook. The 715’s target audience is accountants, spreadsheet mavens, and anyone else who spends their day pounding in numbers on a ten-key. This Chromebook is one of the few that comes with a ten-key dedicated numeric keypad. Or, as my significant other CPA says, “This, this is what I need.”
The first thing you’ll notice when you unbox this bad boy is it’s a big Chromebook. There are bigger ones, but weighing in at 3.8 pounds and with dimensions of 14.4 x 9.8 x 0.7 inches, this notebook is a laptop bag filler.
That’s to make room for its larger-than-usual keyboard. This keyboard also comes with an embedded fingerprint reader. The keyboard, as you’d expect for its intended users, has good play and a clicky feeling I quite liked. The Corning glass touchpad was always comfortable to use.
Under the keyboard, on the Acer Chromebook 715 I tested, you’ll find an 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8350U processor running at 1.7GHz. On the CrXPRT benchmark, it registered a zippy score of 90.
This model includes 16GB of RAM, 64GB of flash storage, and an Intel UHD Graphics 620 GPU.
The 620 GPU backs up a 15.6-inch, 1920 x 1080 display. While the screen real estate is ample for spreadsheets, like its 714 brother, the display’s rather dull. The 720p webcam comes with a wide-angle lens, but it didn’t work that well for me. This is not a Chromebook for video; it’s for number-crunching.
By Chromebook standards, it has a decent number of ports. Once more, on the left, there’s a USB 3.1 Type-C port, a USB 3.1 Type-A port, and a headphone jack. The right side has a microSD card reader and another USB 3.1 Type-C port. Again, though, one of those Type-C ports must be used to power the laptop.
The 715’s 56 watt-hour (Wh) 4-cell Lithium-ion battery proved good for just over ten hours. More than enough time to get that spreadsheet into the boss.
This Chromebook is dedicated to those who make their living from mastering numbers whether you’re an Excel expert or a master of Quickbooks. For those users, it’s worth its list price of $749.99. It’s hard to find, but you may be able to find it for less. For serious number crunchers, it’s worth the search.
Article source: https://www.zdnet.com/article/best-work-chromebook/#ftag=RSSbaffb68