Acer Chromebook Acer - Chromebook 315 - 15.6" Full HD Laptop - Review

The Acer Chromebook 315 is a budget 15.6-inch laptop for under $150. It's fine for basic web browsing and schoolwork, but its 4GB RAM and slow Celeron processor limit it to light use. Don't buy it for anything demanding.

If you're looking for a cheap laptop for basic tasks, the Acer Chromebook 315 is a common choice. It's a 15.6-inch Chromebook powered by an Intel Celeron N4500 processor, with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. This puts it squarely in the budget category, designed for students, casual browsing, and anyone who lives in Google's ecosystem. The price is usually around $149, which makes it one of the most affordable laptops you can find. It runs Chrome OS, which is great if you're mostly using web apps, Google Docs, and streaming services.

Let's be clear about performance. The Intel Celeron N4500 processor and 4GB of RAM are entry-level specs. In our database, its CPU performance sits in the 38th percentile, meaning it's slower than most laptops. It's fine for opening a few tabs, checking email, and watching YouTube. But if you try to run too many apps at once or open a dozen tabs, you'll feel it start to slow down. The 64GB eMMC storage is also in the 5th percentile, so you'll be relying heavily on cloud storage. This thing is built for light duty, not heavy lifting.

At around $149, the value proposition is simple: it's one of the cheapest ways to get a functional laptop screen. You're trading performance and storage for a low price. The main alternative in this price range is other budget Chromebooks, like models from Lenovo or HP, which often have similar specs. If you can spend a bit more, even $250-$300, you'll find Chromebooks with better processors and more RAM, which is a worthwhile upgrade.

Comparing it to the listed 'competitors' like a MacBook Pro or an ASUS ProArt is almost funny—they're in completely different leagues. For a real comparison, look at other budget Chromebooks. Something like the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 often has a slightly better processor and more RAM for a similar price. If you need Windows for specific software, the value isn't here; you'd need to look at budget Windows laptops, which start around $300-$400 but offer more flexibility.

Skip this if you need to run Windows software, do any photo/video editing, play games beyond simple web titles, or multitask heavily. Also skip if you need more than 64GB of local storage. In those cases, look at a more powerful Chromebook with 8GB RAM or a budget Windows laptop instead.

Should you buy this? Only if your needs are very, very basic and your budget is extremely tight. It's a good pick for a young student who only needs to access Google Classroom and watch videos, or for a family needing a spare computer for the kitchen. But if you plan to do any real multitasking, use more than a handful of browser tabs, or store files locally, you'll quickly run into its limits. For most people, spending a little more on a Chromebook with 8GB of RAM is a much better long-term investment.