Acer Chromebook 511 11.6", Intel N100, 8GB, 64GB eMMC, Shale Black

A tiny student Chromebook with a surprisingly sharp screen and enough RAM to actually multitask. Just don't expect to store anything or play anything.

The N100 quad-core chip surprised us. For a budget Chromebook, this thing handles a dozen Chrome tabs, Google Docs, and a YouTube video without breaking a sweat. The 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM is the real hero here, it's more memory than most Chromebooks in this class, and it shows. The 64GB eMMC storage is the bottleneck though. It's slow and cramped, and you'll feel it when loading bigger files or installing Android apps. The 1080p IPS display is a nice touch at this size, even if the 52% NTSC color coverage means it's not winning any color accuracy awards.

The Chromebook 511 isn't really competing with the ThinkPad X1 Carbon or MacBook Pro, those are in a completely different league. The real comparison is against other budget Chromebooks and small Windows laptops. Against a typical 11.6-inch Chromebook with 4GB of RAM and a 1366x768 screen, the 511 wins on RAM and display quality. But the HP OmniBook X Flip and ASUS Vivobook offer bigger screens and more storage for not much more money if you catch a sale. If you need a real laptop for work, skip this and look at the ThinkPad. If you need a homework machine, this is a contender.

At USD 233 to USD 299, this is a solid deal for a student Chromebook, but the spread matters. The USD 233 listing is the one to grab if you can find it. At USD 299, you're getting into territory where a used ThinkPad or a slightly larger Chromebook with more storage starts to look tempting. For the right price, it's a good buy. For the wrong price, it's a pass.

The Acer Chromebook 511 is a tiny workhorse built for one thing: getting schoolwork done without drama. The Intel N100 and 8GB of RAM are a surprisingly capable combo for a machine this small, and the 1080p IPS touchscreen is sharper than most budget Chromebooks. The one thing to know? It's a compact, no-nonsense student laptop that punches above its weight for basic tasks, but don't expect it to do anything beyond that.

If you're looking for a machine to edit photos, play games, or store a lot of files locally, this isn't it. Go grab a used ThinkPad or a Chromebook with at least 128GB of real SSD storage instead. The 64GB eMMC here is a hard limit, and the integrated graphics won't do you any favors.

The Acer Chromebook 511 is a great little student laptop if you can get it at the low end of the price range. The 8GB of RAM and 1080p screen make it feel more premium than it is, and the N100 handles schoolwork without complaint. Just don't expect to store much locally or play anything more demanding than a browser game. For USD 233, it's an easy recommendation. For USD 299, shop around first.