Acer C7 Chromebook

Bottom line

The Acer C7 Chromebook is just about the cheapest laptop you'll find -- but thanks to a recent update, it is also one of the best Chromebooks you can buy. If you're in the market for one of these cheap, web-based laptops, the latest Acer C7 Chromebook is "the one to beat," PCMag.com says. Just make sure that it's not too-little computer for your needs.

Performance

Faster than other Chromebooks. The top-of-the-line $280 Acer C7 is "faster, better, and lasts longer than other Chromebooks on the market," says PCMag.com, where it's the Editors' Choice among Chromebooks. That's because it boasts more RAM (4 GB instead of 2 GB) and a bigger, swappable battery. This Acer Chromebook gets a 320 GB hard drive -- unusual for cloud-based Chromebooks. And the entry-level $200 Acer C7 is no slouch either, users say. It feels zippy even with 2 GB of RAM, thanks to a new 16 GB solid-state drive (speedier than the last generation's spinning hard drive). Expect only four hours of battery life, though, with the cheapest C7.

Ergonomics

Decent little machine. The Acer Chromebook has an improved trackpad, but the keyboard still doesn't feel quite as nice as the rival Samsung Chromebook's (Est. $250) , Laptop Magazine says. The Acer C7's keyboard isn't quite as weird as other Chromebooks', though. It's still Chrome-centric -- you get a Google Search key and Chrome-specific function keys -- but it keeps some familiar faces (like Home, End, Insert and Delete) that other Chromebooks, such as the Samsung Chromebook, are missing. In addition, the Acer's ports are arranged on the side, so they're easier to access than the Samsung Chromebook's rear ports. The Acer C7 has a couple of ports you won't find on the Samsung -- VGA and Ethernet -- but no USB 3.0, just slower USB 2.0.

Design

Looks as cheap as it is. Don't expect style at this price. "The Acer C7 looks more like last year's budget netbooks than this year's slick ultrabooks," PCMag.com says. It's all-plastic, with an old-fashioned wedge shape (thanks to the bulging battery) and overall chunky look. The 11.6-inch, 1,366-by-768-pixel screen is sharp enough, but glossy (not matte like the Samsung Chromebook's). Testers get some glare. Several critics wish for a brighter screen and louder speakers.

Support and reliability

Conks out quickly for a few owners. Acer backs its Chromebook with a one-year warranty. But one BestBuy.com customer says when the Acer's LCD screen cracked while in a safe carrying case, Acer offered only one option: a $200 extended warranty (exactly the same price as a new Chromebook). About one in five users at Amazon.com downgrade the Acer C7 Chromebook to just 1 or 2 stars -- sometimes because it quickly quit working. Acer's tech support has improved vastly over the past year, Laptop Magazine testers find. When they anonymously ask some common questions via Facebook and Twitter, help is quick and accurate. But web chat, email and phone technicians give incorrect advice.

Value

Best cheap Chromebook for light-duty tasks. If you want the cheapest possible laptop for light, online tasks, the Acer C7 Chromebook is your best choice. Like all Chromebooks, the Acer C7 runs on Google's Chrome OS. That means no Windows, so no running traditional software. But anything you can do online or through Google apps is fair game, and that's all some users need. All Chromebooks come with 100 GB of Google Drive space, free for two years.

But remember: Lose your Internet connection, and a Chromebook can't do much. The Acer C7 is Wi-Fi only. There's no 3G version, like Samsung offers. For a traditional laptop that can run Windows, expect to spend more. Try the big-screen Dell Inspiron 17 laptop (Est. $450 and up) or the sleek Toshiba Satellite U845T-S4168 Ultrabook (Est. $800) .