Acer's new Chromebook 15 serves up 15-inch display, longer battery life

Acer has decided that its time for a new entry in its Chromebook 15 line. Today the company announced a new Chromebook 15 model that offers longer battery life than its predecessors. Acer isn't wasting any time bringing the new Chromebook to market, either, opting to launch the new device today with standard $199 pricing.

The new Chromebook 15 CB3-532 ships with a 15.6-inch display capable of 1366x768 resolution. That display is paired with two upward-facing stereo speakers, while a dual-core Intel Celeron N3060 CPU clocked at 1.6Ghz runs the show. You'll have 16GB of eMMC storage at your disposal, along with 2GB of LPDDR3 SDRAM.

Acer's latest entry in the Chromebook 15 line also ships with a 3950 mAh battery, which is said to last up to 12 hours. Obviously, your mileage will vary, but that estimate was based on results from Google's power_LoadTest, so it should be at least somewhat accurate. In any case, Acer is targeting this new Chromebook at folks who need a battery that can last them throughout the day, whether that's students or families.

Additionally, Acer says that the Chromebook 15 CB3-532 is scheduled to receive updates that add Google Play Store support, expanding the functionality of the device itself. When that will actually arrive has yet to be specified, but knowing that it's on the way will likely sway some who are in the market for a new Chromebook.

All in all, this seems like a pretty solid entry into Acer's Chromebook 15 line. While it seems to offer a fairly standard Chromebook experience, that extended battery life and 15.6-inch display are likely to net it some attention from consumers. Support for Android apps will be a big draw as well, so here's hoping Acer can get that update out the door sooner rather than later.

If you've decided that the Acer Chromebook 15 might be the one for you, you'll be able it find it at retailers across the US starting today. It sounds like this will be the first in a new range of devices under the Chromebook 15 banner, so we'll have to see what Acer is plotting for the future. Stay tuned.