Acer Chromebook Spin 513: Review

While most Chromebooks are inexpensive, there are exceptions. The new Chromebook Spin 513-2H-K627 from Acer is one of these rare devices. Its sharper display and longer battery life set it apart from cheaper options, but are they enough to justify the higher price tag? Let’s investigate this further.

Acer Chromebook Spin 513 Specification

Pros

• The display size of 13.5″
• 3:2 aspect ratio.
• Excellent battery life
• Great performance in Android games.

Cons

• Poor construction quality
• Inadequate Touchpad.
• The CPU speed lags below AMD and Intel, and the speakers have low loudness.

Excellent design and construction

The Chromebook Spin 513 from Acer follows the same minimalist, practical design philosophy as other recent Chromebooks. Its metal top and lower chassis give it a functional, unpretentious, gunmetal look. In contrast, the inside has a more silver-charcoal tone. Colour variation appears accidental, brought on by Acer’s usage of different components. The seams of the 2-in-1 well conceal this. Thus I highly doubt that many owners would ever notice.

The touchscreen and the full rotation of the hinge make this gadget a true hybrid. The screen can be flipped around so that its edge meets the “bottom” of the laptop, transforming it into a tablet. Given the strain that a 360-degree design places on the hinges, I’m not confident in Acer’s build quality. The display cover is made of metal and feels lovely to the touch, although it does provide somewhat, and the hinges look like they’re covered in plastic (though I’d assume the internals are metal). There is some wiggle room on the keyboard for typing. While I have used less costly Chromebooks, the Chromebook Spin 513 is not one of them. A metal internal panel or additional display reinforcement is warranted at this pricing point.

Mechanical and optical mice

The Chromebook Spin 513’s keyboard is well-suited for touch typists. The layout is roomy, and the keys are big enough to provide some tactile sense when pressed for a while. The keyboard feels instantly familiar and comfy under my fingers. However, I do find the bottoming motion to be a little hazy. Less remarkable is the touchpad. It provides a respectable amount of storage at 3.5 inches across and 3 inches deep. It’s easy to use and has a nice, smooth surface. However, the touchpad is unreliable while doing multitouch actions. Overly sensitive scrolling that won’t stop where you want it to. The touchscreen may be used instead of the touchpad, and the 2-in-1 layout facilitates this. It has a giant, snappy, and silky touchscreen, as do other Windows and ChromeOS 2-in-1s.

Visuals and sound

The Acer Chromebook Spin 513’s screen is its most distinguishing feature. It has a 13.5-inch, 2,256 x 1,504 IPS display with around 200 PPI pixel density. Sure, that’s not as sharp as a 4K screen, but you probably won’t even notice the difference. There is no trace of aliasing at the edges of small letters, and the content is evident. The screen also supports the more square 3:2 aspect ratio instead of the typical 16:9 or 16:10 ratio. This makes the 13.5-inch display seem considerably taller than it is. Sites, documents, and spreadsheets benefit significantly from the ample vertical display space. Large black bars appear above and below the content, making streaming less desirable. At 359 nits maximum brightness, it’s not bad. That’s OK for most indoor use, but it could be too bright for usage close to a window on a sunny day. The shiny screen doesn’t help matters, too, by allowing excessive glare and reflections and quickly showing fingerprints. The internal speakers are a significant drawback. Ignore how loud they are.

Biometrics, audio/video input, and webcam

The Chromebook Spin 513’s thin top bezel conceals a primary 720p camera and microphone. It creates a decent image and performs relatively well in various lighting conditions. However, the idea is soft and grainy. Similar issues exist with the microphone, which is loud enough for a video conference or meeting but comes out hollow and distant.

Connectivity

The Chromebook Spin 513 only has two USB-C ports for peripherals. The one on the right supports DisplayPort Alternate mode, and both may supply power. A USB-A port, a 3.5mm audio connector, and a microSD card reader supplement the two USB-C ports. For a Chromebook, there is an adequate, if unremarkable, selection of ports. My only wish is for an HDMI port. The Chromebook Spin 513 is hampered by the need for an adaptor when connected to a display or television through HDMI. Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 support is standard for wireless communication. Understandably, a budget laptop like the Chromebook Spin 513 wouldn’t support the newest Wi-Fi 6E standard. While with the gadget, I experienced zero problems related to wifi connectivity.

Energy retention

The Chromebook Spin 513’s long battery life is typical of ChromeOS laptops. The CrXPRT 2 battery life test lasted an impressive 12 hours and 34 minutes. The Intel Pentium-powered Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 lasted 8 hours and 22 minutes in the same test. In conclusion, if you’re looking for a powerful and affordable laptop, go no further than the Chromebook Spin 513. It can endure through a transcontinental journey and a whole workday.

Conclusion

The screen is what makes the Acer Chromebook Spin 513 stand out. The unusual 3:2 aspect ratio and high quality of the 13.5-inch display provide a surprisingly large viewing area. As its name implies, Chromebooks excel in web browsing and document editing. While the brilliant display, long battery life, and pleasant keyboard are welcome additions, there is also some bad news. The audio and touchpad are terrible, and the overall performance is mediocre (albeit good for playing games).