Acer announces a bunch of new Chromebooks at BETT

It's BETT, which means that it's time for a bunch of educational announcements, and educational announcements always means that there are Chromebooks on the way. While Acer has a pair of Windows laptops, it's got four new Chromebooks to show off. These include the Chromebook 311, Chromebook 511, Chromebook Spin 511, and Chromebook Spin 512.

The two clamshells - the Chromebook 311 and Chromebook 511 - include ARM processors. The Chromebook 311 sits at the entry-level starting at $299.99 (€269), and it includes a MediaTek MT8183 chipset. It's also MIL-STD-810H certified, so it can take bumps, drops, spills, and more. Acer is also promising up to 20 hours of battery life.

And then there's the Chromebook 511, which starts at $399.99 (€399), and that includes Qualcomm's Snapdragon 7c chipset, meaning that it comes with 4G LTE cellular connectivity. Weighing in at 2.87 pounds and being MIL-STD-810H certified, the whole promise behind cellular connectivity is being able to work from anywhere. On top of that, you don't have to worry about congested school Wi-Fi.

The Chromebook 311 and 511 are arriving in March.

"Whether learning from home or in a classroom setting, students need a reliable Chromebook that will keep them connected and ready to engage," said James Lin, General Manager, Notebooks, IT Products Business, Acer Inc. "The new Acer Chromebooks provide the consistent performance, connectivity and durability features students need to help them succeed in their education."

Both the Chromebook Spin 511 and Chromebook Spin 512 are powered by Intel's new N4500 and N5100 processors, and the main difference between the two is the screen size. The Chromebook Spin 511 has a regular old 11.6-inch 16:9 display, but the Chromebook Spin 512 actually has a larger 3:2 display.

Once again, they're MIL-STD-810H tested, they come with up to 8GB RAM, and they have Gorilla Glass touchscreens.

Both PCs are arriving in April, with the Chromebook Spin 511 starting at $399 (€369) and the Chromebook Spin 512 coming in at $429.99 (€399).