A look at the first 17-inch Chromebook

Acer is targeting mobile professionals and families with the Chromebook 317, the first Chromebook with a 17.3-inch display. Acer believes the Chromebook 317 is ideal for multitaskers, hybrid workers, and parents with kids – all because of the extra-large screen it provides for getting things done.

There’s more to this monster machine than just a big screen. Find out what the device looks like in our early Acer Chromebook 317 at your fingertips.

Very configurable

The Acer Chromebook 317 comes in myriad configurations, possibly too many. While we like options, we also want some features to be standard.

Connected: The best Chromebooks you can get

Let’s start with the screen. All display versions measure 17.3 inches and offer Full HD resolution with an aspect ratio of 16: 9. You can opt for a touchscreen or not if you want to save some money.

Thanks to the enormous amount of real estate offered by the massive display, the full-size keyboard has a dedicated 10-digit number pad. A backlight for the keyboard is optional.

You have a choice between processors. The top machine is powered by an Intel Pentium Silver N6000 processor, while the mid-range model advertises an Intel Celeron N5100 processor and the entry-level model is equipped with a Celeron N4500 processor. All three are supported by Intel UHD graphics. The models have 4GB or 8GB of LPDDR4 RAM and there are two eMMC storage options: 64GB and 128GB.

If you want to participate in a lot of video calls, you need to get additional benefits for the Full HD video camera with a wide field of view of 82 degrees. Also optional? A dual digital microphone array that makes your voice extra dreamy during video calls. A single microphone is standard.

Other standard features include top-facing stereo speakers, Wi-Fi 6 and a variety of ports including two USB-C and two USB-A ports, a headphone / microphone combo and a microSD card slot.

It comes in silver.

But how is it ?!

In a word, massive. Like most 17-inch laptops I’ve come across, the Acer Chromebook 317 impresses you with its size. It measures a backpack with an expansion of 401.2 x 267.1 x 22.5 mm and weighs 2.35 kg. It dwarfs the 13- and 15-inch Chromebooks I have in my office, like the Acer Spin 311. This is not something you carry around with you without obligation.

See also: The best budget Chromebooks

The screen is impressive given its size, but I’ve seen much higher quality displays in my time. When you stretch 1,920 x 1,080 pixels across such a large control panel, you have a screen that isn’t as sharp as it could be. I noticed jagged edges on text and movie trailers in full screen mode didn’t impress me as I had hoped. However, the brightness was good and aspects like color were spot on. It’s a huge work area, which means you won’t feel cramped running multiple windows side by side. Fortunately, Acer kept the bezels respectably thin. It doesn’t look like a screen, but you don’t have overly thick bezels on the screen either.

The keyboard and trackpad work fine. I’m not used to that much space on a laptop. The full size keyboard feels nice. The keys protrude from the deck and are conveniently shaped. Travel and feedback are solid, and I found typing on the keyboard came naturally. Adding the numeric keypad should help those who enter a lot of number-centric data, but I wish the arrow keys were a bit bigger. The trackpad is huge. It’s covered in glass and fast and exactly what I want from a trackpad.

In my short time with the Acer Chromebook 317, I was impressed with the stereo speakers. I blew up music and some movie trailers and was happy with the sound.

I am satisfied with the ports. There is a USB-C and USB-A port on each side of the device. The combo jack and microSD card reader are on the left, while the Kensington lock is on the right. Notably, there is no on / off switch or volume control on either side edge. You’ll need to use the keyboard controls to manage the volume – the 317 starts up or wakes up when you open the lid.

Is the Acer Chromebook 317 worth it?

Acer did not provide us with a full breakdown of all prices for the various configurations. What we know is that.

The Acer Chromebook 317 model CB317-1H has a non-touch screen, the Intel Celeron N4500 processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and a single microphone for $ 379. That’s a fair starting price given the absolute size of this machine and the workspace it offers. It’s hard to know how expensive the Chromebook is without knowing the cost of items like the webcam, dual mic setup, or the backlit keyboard.

Read more: The best Acer Chromebook for your needs and budget

The main selling point of the 317 is clearly the large screen and the productivity-enhancing powers it brings to the end user. If you’ve been longing for a 17-inch Chromebook, now you have one to crave.

The Acer Chromebook 317 will go on sale in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia in June.

In addition to the Chromebook 317, Acer announced five more Chromebooks for all types of budgets. Read more about it here.