For the first few years, Chromebooks were merely an affordable solution for people to go online. With the ever-improving feature set of Chrome OS, manufacturers like Acer have seen more demand for premium Chromebook hardware. Last year, Acer released its successful Spin 713, which exceeded our expectations by packing speedy performance at a decent price. Now, the company offers a refreshed model that uses Intel’s latest 11th generation processor and Thunderbolt 4 to further refine the experience. The newest Spin 713 is a great follow-up to the older model who needs a powerful laptop for personal and business use, and its become one of the best Chromebooks you can buy

Acer's newest Chromebook Spin 713 (CP713-3W-5102) refreshes the best premium Chromebook of 2020 by upgrading the CPU and adding Thunderbolt 4 support, but it'll cost a little extra.

Specifications
  • CPU: 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7
  • Storage: 256GB SSD
  • Battery: 56Wh, Up to 10 hours of rated use, 45W fast-charging support via USB-C
  • Display (Size, Resolution): 13.5-inch IPS LCD touchscreen (2256x1504 pixels resolution), 3:2 aspect ratio
  • Camera: 720p front webcam
  • Speakers: 2x downward-firing stereo speakers
  • Memory: 8GB LPDDR4X
  • Ports: 2x USB-C (with Thunderbolt 4), HDMI, USB-A 3.0, 3.5mm combo audio, microSD card slot
  • Network: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.2
  • Dimensions: 299.7 x 236.2 x 17.0 mm
  • Weight: 1.45 kg
  • Auto Update Expiration (AUE): June 2029
  • Form: 2-in-1 convertible
  • Price: $700
  • Model: CP713-3W-5102
  • USI Compatibility: Yes
Pros
  • Performance: Pairing Intel’s latest 11th Gen Core i5 processor with NVME storage makes this Chromebook a speed demon, handling everything without a hitch.
  • Display: The 13.5-inch touchscreen IPS display is color-accurate and bright, and has a 3:2 aspect ratio to improve productivity.
  • Form factor: Acer’s Spin 713 is true to its moniker, allowing you to fold it as a tablet for added versatility.
  • Solid build quality: The Chromebook’s reinforced aluminum body feels very well assembled, giving me confidence that it’ll survive for a long period.
  • Quiet: While the Spin 713 isn’t noiseless like some low-to-midrange Chromebooks, the fan keeps the device cool while staying quiet.
  • Accurate trackpad: It’s quite large, and the Gorilla Glass is incredibly smooth and accurate.
  • Comfortable Keyboard: The keyboard feels comfortable to type on, feeling aptly springy with nice travel.
  • Ports: You get an ample selection of ports to escape dongle life: two USB-C slots, one HDMI, one USB-A, and a MicroSD reader.
Cons
  • Boring design: The bottom bezel makes the device look old, and the drab gray color doesn’t help.
  • Middling speakers: The downward-firing speakers aren’t loud and sound hollow.
  • Lack of fingerprint reader: The Chromebook Spin 713 should have one at its price.
  • Firmware issues: The CPU fans randomly speed up to 100% regardless of temperature or usage. Waking up the Chromebook will sometimes cause the trackpad to become slow to respond.
  • Webcam: The 720p camera leaves much to be desired.
  • Expensive: $700 is expensive for a Chromebook, especially when there are comparable Windows laptops around the same price.
Buy This Product
Acer Chromebook Spin 713 (2021)

Design, hardware, and what's in the box

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The Acer Chromebook Spin 713 is a modest-looking convertible laptop — it doesn’t stand out like the Asus’s CX9, but it doesn’t appear as cheap as Acer’s Chromebook 514. It uses the same boring design found from last year’s model, but at least Acer made it look a little more classy with the all-aluminium chassis. The hardware is totally competent despite its drab looks — its rigid body and solid construction will withstand a ton of punishment, which is perfect for students hauling it to class. There are stereo speakers underneath the laptop, and while they’re okay for video conferencing, don’t expect loud, high-quality audio.

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There’s no denying that Acer’s Spin 713 is a powerhouse — it’s equipped with an Intel Core i5-1135G7 Tiger Lake CPU, 8GB of RAM, and lightning-quick 256GB PCIe NVME storage. All this power means it needs a CPU fan to keep it cool while under load. Despite my preference for noiseless laptops, the fan is quiet enough that it doesn’t distract, even at full speed, which is an acceptable trade-off for its fast performance. The two outlet air vents next to the hinge and intake vent at the bottom dissipate heat well enough to cool the laptop and keep my lap from overheating.

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The updated Spin 713 keeps the impressive port selection found on the previous model. On the left side of the unit, you can find four ports: two USB-C with Thunderbolt 4 — both capable for 45W fast charging (cable included) and data transfers — one HDMI, and a headphone jack.

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The other side has one USB-A 3.0, a microSD card slot, and a Kensington lock. Sadly, you won’t be able to charge the Chromebook on either side — Google designed the Volteer reference board for one-side charging.

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Acer’s Chromebook Spin 713 is true to its moniker, allowing you to spin the screen back to use it as a tablet or prop it up as a stand. While the large top and bottom bezels look extremely dated, its 13.5-inch IPS LCD touchscreen is arguably one of the best things about this device, sporting a sharp 2256x1504 screen with a productive 3:2 aspect ratio. Images look crisp on this laptop, even with off-angle viewing. The Spin 713’s Corning Gorilla Glass screen is glossy, but it’s totally usable outdoors thanks to its bright LED lighting. It also supports Google’s USI standard, meaning any USI pen will work out of the box. On top of the bezel is a 720p webcam, and while its quality is nothing to write home about, it’s sufficient for your everyday Zoom conference calls.

Keyboard and trackpad

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The typing experience on a laptop is something I’m particular with, and the Spin 713’s plastic-deck keys do not disappoint. It’s evenly back-lit, and it has decent key travel with a good tactile feedback. The plastic feels a little cheap compared to high-end laptops like the Dell XPS 15 (2021), but it doesn’t ruin the typing experience. I’ve typed several essays on it and did not feel that the keys were slowing me down. I especially appreciate the ample-sized palm rests, which makes for a comfortable typing experience while using it for long periods of time. I wish there was a fingerprint scanner at this price, though.

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The trackpad on the Spin 713 is one of the best I’ve used on a Chromebook. It’s quite large, and the Gorilla Glass offers a pleasant smoothness clicking and dragging—with a catch (more on that later). The trackpad feels firm, and the “click” when pressing down on it isn’t loud like on the Pixelbook. Overall, the trackpad and keyboard are solid on this Chromebook.

Software, performance, and battery

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Acer’s Chromebook Spin 713 runs Chrome OS, and my opinion on it has remained consistent: Google’s operating system is rock-solid and easy to use. It’s perfect for browsing the web, and you can even run Android and Linux desktop applications. Virus and malware are non-existent, and Chrome OS updates in the background to keep your device smooth and secure.

There’s no denying that Chrome OS has come a long way since the CR-48 days, and it continues to go from strength to strength with each update. There’s plenty of Android and Linux software for basic tasks, but power users may find themselves grabbing a Windows laptop for their Photoshop or video editing needs.

Setting up the Spin 713 is a total breeze. Once I’ve added my network information in, Chrome OS detected a new software update and applied it immediately, saving me from a restart while working on my device. Configuring my Google account was also painless, and within a few minutes, I was on my desktop with all of my apps synced from my other devices. It’s incredible how quick the process is — Microsoft should take notes.

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Acer’s Chromebook Spin 713 comes with multiple CPU configurations, but the unit I have is equipped with an Intel Core i5-1135G7 Tiger Lake CPU clocked at 2.40GHz and an Intel Xe GPU. It also comes with an incredibly fast 256GB PCIEe NVME storage and 8GB of LPDDR4X memory. And despite the CPU requiring a fan to keep it cool, its screaming performance totally makes up for it. File transfers are nearly instantaneous thanks to the NVME SSD, and power-hungry Linux apps like Kdenlive and GIMP work without breaking a sweat. There are the occasional issues: the CPU fan intermittently spins up to 100% while doing basic tasks, and the trackpad can lose calibration when waking the laptop from sleep. But in broad strokes, the Spin 713 is a reliable powerhouse that’ll handle anything with ease.

Here are a few benchmarks to get an idea of the performance:

  • Speedometer: 134
  • Jetstream2: 159.551
  • MotionMark 1.2: 322.11

All that power-hungry hardware means it needs a sufficient amount of battery to get you through the day. Acer claims you’ll get up to ten hours from a single charge, but with my usage, I’m getting around seven hours with the screen brightness at 40% and about 15 Chrome tabs. That’s enough for a solid day of work despite taking a minor hit from Acer’s previous model. You can extend the battery life even further by disabling Android 11, which could net you an additional hour of screen time.

Should you buy it?

Yes, but check for deals first. If you need a powerful laptop that can get you online and don’t mind a few compromises, the Spin 713 should be on your list. It’s a blistering fast machine that can tackle a large handful of tabs and powerful Linux apps with ease. And sure, its design looks dated, the downward facing speakers aren’t that great, and the webcam is just good enough. But the Spin 713’s gorgeous 3:2 screen, comfortable typing experience, and ultra-fast performance makes up for its flaws.

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Acer’s newest Spin 713 isn’t cheap—it starts at $700, which is definitely a tall order for a Chromebook. There are other more versatile Windows laptops like the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15” around that price that significantly outperforms my configuration. You could also grab the 2020 Spin 713 for nearly 5 cheaper at $528, which offers similar performance, has a bit more battery life, and 8 years of updates left.

If price is no object, this is one of the most capable Chromebooks on the market, and it has updates guaranteed through June 2029. The Spin 713 offers nearly everything you need in a Chromebook, and it’s one you should consider buying.

Buy it if...

  • You want one of the best convertible Chromebook on the market today.
  • You're a heavy user that requires CPU-intensive Linux apps.

Don't buy it if...

  • You can buy the 2020 Spin 713 for $100 cheaper.
  • You're on a budget that can get by with a Celeron.

UPDATE: 2021/11/24 13:38 EST BY KENT DUKE

Long-term review

I have been using the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 extensively for school over the last few months, and if anything, I’ve grown even fonder of it. The laptop handles my design work, Linux apps, and over 50 Chrome tabs without batting an eye, and its vibrant display is one of the best on a Chromebook today—right up there with the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2. I found its squarish aspect ratio to be a delight to use for my homework, and I had no trouble reading the screen in broad daylight.

One particular concern I had early on with the Spin 713 was its firmware issues—notably, the CPU fan spinning up to 100% at random and the sluggish trackpad. While the former hasn’t improved, the trackpad now stays responsive even after waking up the laptop, which I presume Google fixed in its latest Chrome OS update. Here’s hoping Google will work something out with the CPU fan.

Speaking of updates, the Spin 713 is rocking Google’s latest Chrome OS 94 software, adding two multitasking improvements I’ve grown to depend on. The ability to scan documents with its front camera proved to be less gimmicky than I expected. Sure, the camera is not the best, but for quick scans, it’s perfectly acceptable for my work. The glanceable virtual desks feature is another solid addition to Chrome OS, which helps me quickly jump to different desktops and windows.

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I’ve typed a few long documents with the Spin 713’s keyboard, and while its plastic keys won’t blow anyone away, the key travel and tactility make for a decent touch-typing experience. The roomy palm rests definitely makes the long typing sessions more tolerable, and I found that I was comfortable typing my papers on my lap.

Battery life has remained the same since our review: it’s plenty enough for a solid day of work as long as you aren’t hammering it with Linux and Android apps. Google has been working hard to improve the performance and battery issues caused by its Android 11 update, but you won’t see them in Chrome OS 94. If you don’t depend on Android apps, I recommend disabling it entirely from system preferences to reclaim some extra time.

Overall, my opinion of the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 has improved: this is a fantastic Chrome laptop that easily gets my recommendation to anyone who wants maximum productivity and performance from a laptop. And at a price of just $530 for the i5 configuration, this is a terrific value for screaming performance, so it has earned a Most Wanted accolade from Android Police. If you’ve been keeping a close eye on this Chromebook, I wholeheartedly recommend pulling the trigger.