We just got an email from a reader overseas alerting us to a new model of the Acer Chromebook Spin 13 that we’ve never seen before. The reason? It’s never been officially announced and it is powered by the same 10th Gen Intel Comet Lake processors found in the newly released Samsung Galaxy Chromebook and ASUS Chromebook Flip C436. While it’s no surprise to see Acer launching a new flagship, the timing and method for launching the new Spin 13 seems a bit odd but more on that in a minute.
First, let’s take a look at the new Chromebook that is currently listed on a handful of websites in the UK and Germany. At first glance, you wouldn’t be at fault if you thought the images below were simply the original Spin 13 but there are some subtle differences. For starters, the trackpad is a lot taller. That was one of the minor gripes we had about the first-gen Spin 13. There was all that extra space between the keys and the front of the device and yet, they chose to make the trackpad quite short from front to back. Next, this model has a full-size HDMI port. That seems like a step back from the first Spin but perhaps it’s a regional thing or because it is aimed at the enterprise sector. Who knows?
Another change that’s not so slight if it’s true is the fact that this new model appears to be missing the stowable stylus that was so popular with many users of the first Spin 13. Along with the missing pen, you may notice that this Chromebook is without a fingerprint scanner which seems very peculiar considering Acer was one of the first to equip an enterprise Chromebook with biometrics. At first, I thought this could be a case of bad photo mock-ups but then I found the actual spec sheet for the new Acer Spin 13 and under the Fingerprint Sensor section, there is simply a strikethrough. Again, this could change when the device makes its way to the U.S. but I’m not holding my breath.
Two models of the new Acer Spin 13 are showing up at the moment. One is the same Core i5-10210U found in the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook. It’s matched with a whopping 16GB of RAM and 256GB of PCIe storage. Those specs make the lack of fingerprint sensors even more confusing. It has all the makings of a Project Athena laptop but I was under the impression that biometrics were a must to make that qualification. Then again, I could be wrong. The other model is the Core i3-10110U that powers the $799 version of the ASUS Flip C436. It gets 8GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The chassis looks nearly identical to the original Spin 13 and it comes with that sweet 3:2, 13.5″ display that I love so much. The price point for the Core i5 is roughly € 969.00 which is a little over $1,000 USD.
We have reached out to our contact at Acer to see if there is an official announcement coming for this new Spin 13. As of late, Acer has held off on outing these premium Chromebooks until they have their annual even in spring. Sadly, given the current state of affairs, I don’t expect Acer to have an on-site event any time soon. Perhaps that’s why this Chromebook is already peeping its head up in Europe. We could be on the cusp of the device coming to the states and Acer is just foregoing the formalities. If you’re in or around Germany or the UK, you can check out the listings and I suppose go ahead and get your hands on a 10th Gen Acer Chromebook Spin 13.