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+The Acer Chromebook 15 is a monster. Acer has thrown out the small, light and cheap approach that has defined this category from the start and created something that's pretty much the opposite. This thing is big, chunky and heavy -- though still relatively cheap -- but it does have by far the nicest screen you're likely to find in a Chromebook.
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+How well you like the results of Acer's redefined Chromebook will depend a lot on how you think of Chromebooks. If you see Chromebooks as the successors to the netbook throne, then the Acer 15 will confound your expectations and disappoint. If, on the other hand, you see the Chromebook as a genuine alternative to the traditional PC laptop then this Acer deserves a closer look.
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+There are a couple of models available, the one I tested had a 1.6GHz Intel Celeron 3205U processor, 4 GB of RAM and a giant 15.6-inch screen with full HD (1,920-by-1,080 pixel) resolution. The screen isn't just big and HD though, it's also an IPS panel, which makes it significantly brighter and sharper than most Chromebooks I've tested. That said, this is not the same quality HD display you'll find in high-end Mac laptops or Windows ultrabooks. On the plus side is it a matte display and has almost no glare even in direct sunlight.
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+The 15.6-inch screen necessitates a large chassis, which is just over 15 inches wide, nearly 10 inches deep and almost an inch thick. That size, combined with the weight -- 4.85 pounds -- make this the biggest, heaviest, least portable Chromebook on the market. Suffice to say that if you prize featherweight portability this is not the Chromebook for you.
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+That massive size does get you a couple of nice extras beyond the big screen though. Despite not being "tuned by Skullcandy" like [some competitors](http://www.wired.com/2015/01/review-toshiba-chromebook-2/), these are the biggest, best sounding speakers you'll find in a Chromebook. In fact, to my ears, they sound better than the speaker in my Macbook Pro -- even at full volume there's almost no distortion.
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+The larger size also means there's plenty of room for the keyboard, which mirrors the chiclet style common in this form factor (it is in fact identical to the [Acer Chromebook 13](http://www.wired.com/2015/03/review-acer-chromebook-13/) I looked previously). The large trackpad has plenty of room as well and supports Chrome gestures like two-finger scrolling and three-finger swiping. 
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+Despite the large chassis, Acer has opted to stick with what has become a kind default port configuration in Chromebooks: an SD card slot, a USB 2.0 port, a Kensington lock slot and then on the left an HDMI output, a USB 3.0 port, and a headphone-and-mic jack. 
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+I tested the 32 GB model, which is one of the larger hard drives available in a Chromebook even if it sounds paltry by today's storage standards. This is, of course, a Chromebook so Google would prefer that you use its cloud storage options. Specials vary by region but most Chromebooks come with at least 12 months of free Google Drive storage space (100 GB). That said, I cracked the case on the Acer and found a removable mSATA SSD, so if you don't mind voiding your warranty you certainly could upgrade the hard drive.
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+The biggest disappointment about my time with the Acer 15 was the battery life. Given how obnoxiously big and heavy it is, I had high hopes for a powerful, long lasting battery. Alas, that was not to be. The Acer routinely hit the 8 hour mark if I kept things simple (i.e. not streaming large video files), but often fell below that when I would stress it by playing a movie or two. Acer claims 9 hours for the Chromebook 15, which you can probably get if you make an effort to conserve energy, but even 9 hours is several hours short of the best in the Chromebook world. At the same time, complaining about "only" 8 hours of battery is a nice reminder of just how great Chromebook battery life is in general.
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+Performance was good enough that I never noticed any problems in my use. Even streaming music while working with a dozen other tabs open didn't slow this thing down, which was a nice change from what I've found with many Chromebooks.
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+The model I tested retails for $350, which feels like a fair price for what you get given the rest of the Chromebook market. It's worth noting though that there is a cheaper model available: $250 will get you the same body, but without the HD screen. However, given that the screen is the main selling point here it's hard to take the cheaper model with its 1366 x 768 pixel display seriously.
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+Wired: Glorious HD screen makes you temporarily forget you're using a $350 Chromebook. Combine that with some great sound from the speakers and you have the best movie watching experience the Chromebook world has to offer.
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+Tired: It's big and heavy. This thing has more in common with budget laptops than most Chromebooks. The battery life could be better.