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Acer Chromebook 315 CB315-3HT Review: Silent Good-Looking ChromeBook Sports Good Battery Life

Persevering. Acer's 15.6-inch Chromebook offers a touchscreen display (FHD, IPS), silent operation, and very good battery life. The integration of Google's Play Store enables the use of numerous Android apps.
Chromebook Touchscreen

Acer’s Chromebook 315 CB315-3HT series consists of a number of thin 15.6-inch Chromebooks powered by Intel Gemini Lake processors. Today’s review unit is powered by a Pentium Silver N5030 CPU, and is the current high-end model within this series. At at around 480 Euros at the time of writing it is also the most expensive one. Its competitors are devices such as the HP 250 G7, Asus Vivobook 15 F512DA, or Lenovo Ideapad S145-15API.

Acer Chromebook 15 CB315-3HT-P297 (Chromebook 315 CB315 Series)
Processor
Intel Pentium Silver N5030 4 x 1.1 - 3.1 GHz, Gemini Lake Refresh
Graphics adapter
Intel UHD Graphics 605, Core: 750 MHz
Memory
8 GB 
, LPDDR4
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, capacitive, 10-point touch, IPS, glossy: no, 60 Hz
Storage
128 GB eMMC Flash, 128 GB 
, 102 GB free
Connections
4 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, USB-C Power Delivery (PD), 1 DisplayPort, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: audio combo, Card Reader: MicroSD
Networking
Intel Wireless-AC 9560 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 5
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 20.3 x 366.4 x 250.5 ( = 0.8 x 14.43 x 9.86 in)
Battery
50.29 Wh, 4471 mAh Lithium-Ion, 11.25 V
Operating System
Google Chrome OS
Camera
Webcam: HD
Primary Camera: 0.9 MPix
Additional features
Speakers: Stereo, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: no, 24 Months Warranty, fanless
Weight
1.9 kg ( = 67.02 oz / 4.19 pounds), Power Supply: 325 g ( = 11.46 oz / 0.72 pounds)
Price
499 Euro
Links
Acer homepage
Acer notebook section
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Rating
Date
Model
Weight
Height
Size
Resolution
Best Price
80.7 %
12/2020
Acer Chromebook 15 CB315-3HT-P297
Pentium N5030, UHD Graphics 605		1.9 kg20.3 mm15.60"1920x1080
75.4 %
09/2020
HP 250 G7-15S40ES
i5-1035G1, GeForce MX110		1.8 kg22.5 mm15.60"1920x1080
73.1 %
04/2020
Asus Vivobook 15 F512DA-SH31
R3 3200U, Vega 3		1.8 kg19.9 mm15.60"1920x1080
75.8 %
01/2020
Lenovo Ideapad S145-15API 81UT002XGE
Athlon 300U, Vega 3		1.9 kg19.9 mm15.60"1366x768

Case & Connectivity – Chromebook supports Power Delivery

Acer’s Chromebook features a good-looking thin plastic case clad in silver-gray (display lid, base unit top shell, bottom shell) and black (display bezels). The gaps are consistent, and we found no evidence of sharp edges. The base unit is too easy to twist and warp. The maximum opening angle is 180 degrees. The battery is not user replaceable. The bottom cover needs to be removed in order to access the internal hardware.

All four USB ports (2x Type-A, 2x Type-C) support USB 3.2 Gen 1, with both USB-C ports supporting Power Delivery as well. Thus, the included USB-C power supply can power the device on both ports. In addition, the right-hand USB-C port also carries a DisplayPort signal.

The built-in microSD card reader performed comparatively poorly when benchmarked with our usual 64 GB Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 microSDXC reference card and peaked at just 34 MB/s when transferring 250 JPEG files with a size of around 5 MB each. The Intel Wireless-AC 9560 Wi-Fi modem supports 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac as well as Bluetooth 5.0.

Size Comparison

❌
376 mm / 14.8 inch 246 mm / 9.69 inch 22.5 mm / 0.886 inch 1.8 kg3.92 lbs366.4 mm / 14.4 inch 250.5 mm / 9.86 inch 20.3 mm / 0.799 inch 1.9 kg4.19 lbs362 mm / 14.3 inch 256 mm / 10.1 inch 19.9 mm / 0.783 inch 1.9 kg4.08 lbs357.2 mm / 14.1 inch 230.4 mm / 9.07 inch 19.9 mm / 0.783 inch 1.8 kg3.86 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity

Right: USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-A), USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-C; Power Delivery, DisplayPort), Kensington lock
Right: USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-A), USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-C; Power Delivery, DisplayPort), Kensington lock
Left: USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-C; Power Delivery), USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-A), memory card reader (MicroSD), audio combo jack
Left: USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-C; Power Delivery), USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-A), memory card reader (MicroSD), audio combo jack
SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Average of class Office
  (8 - 82.7, n=49, last 2 years)
53 MB/s +56%
Asus Vivobook 15 F512DA-SH31
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II)
34.9 MB/s +3%
HP 250 G7-15S40ES
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
34.7 MB/s +2%
Acer Chromebook 15 CB315-3HT-P297
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 microSDXC 64GB)
34 MB/s
Lenovo Ideapad S145-15API 81UT002XGE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
23.6 MB/s -31%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Average of class Office
  (25 - 90.5, n=43, last 2 years)
64.7 MB/s
Asus Vivobook 15 F512DA-SH31
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II)
37.4 MB/s
Lenovo Ideapad S145-15API 81UT002XGE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
37.2 MB/s
HP 250 G7-15S40ES
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
34.8 MB/s
ColorChecker
24.2 ∆E
27.6 ∆E
29.6 ∆E
26 ∆E
31.5 ∆E
25.7 ∆E
25.6 ∆E
36.2 ∆E
25.4 ∆E
27.2 ∆E
18.3 ∆E
24.6 ∆E
33 ∆E
24.7 ∆E
27.6 ∆E
14.5 ∆E
31.1 ∆E
30.5 ∆E
2.3 ∆E
11.8 ∆E
22.8 ∆E
27.6 ∆E
25.9 ∆E
9.2 ∆E
ColorChecker HP 250 G7-15S40ES: 24.29 ∆E min: 2.33 - max: 36.16 ∆E
ColorChecker
19.8 ∆E
18 ∆E
24.9 ∆E
21.3 ∆E
23.6 ∆E
18.6 ∆E
15.5 ∆E
30.6 ∆E
17.7 ∆E
20 ∆E
15.5 ∆E
17.6 ∆E
27.8 ∆E
19.5 ∆E
17.5 ∆E
10.2 ∆E
21.8 ∆E
26.1 ∆E
2.3 ∆E
11.8 ∆E
19.9 ∆E
20.9 ∆E
20.8 ∆E
7.8 ∆E
ColorChecker Acer Chromebook 15 CB315-3HT-P297: 18.73 ∆E min: 2.33 - max: 30.56 ∆E
ColorChecker
10.9 ∆E
12.9 ∆E
14.9 ∆E
14.5 ∆E
15.3 ∆E
12.2 ∆E
9.4 ∆E
14.1 ∆E
13.7 ∆E
6.7 ∆E
12.5 ∆E
12.3 ∆E
5.9 ∆E
9.7 ∆E
17.4 ∆E
13.1 ∆E
15 ∆E
10.9 ∆E
2.5 ∆E
9.8 ∆E
11.6 ∆E
10.7 ∆E
4.2 ∆E
8.2 ∆E
ColorChecker Asus Vivobook 15 F512DA-SH31: 11.19 ∆E min: 2.53 - max: 17.38 ∆E

Input Devices – No Keyboard Backlight

The CB315 comes with a non-backlit chiclet keyboard with numpad. The slightly roughened keys offer short travel and a well-defined accentuation point. The keyboard barely flexed when typing, which turned out to be no big deal. All in all, the keyboard is well suitable for everyday use. The multitouch-capable Clickpad’s (10.6 x 7.8 cm / 4.2 x 3.1 inches) smooth surface allowed for comfortable finger gliding. It registered input up to its very edges. The clickpad features short travel and a clear accentuation point. The touchscreen supports 10-point multitouch and responded very quickly to input. It did not cause any issues.

Chromebook 315 input devices
Chromebook 315 input devices

Display – IPS Included

Subpixel array
Subpixel array

While the low-reflection 15.6-inch touchscreen display offered a decent contrast ratio of 1,470:1 its brightness was simply too low at just 228.9 nits. We consider brightness levels of 300 nits or more to be decent.

The display flickered at a frequency of 250 Hz, which could lead to headaches or sore eyes in sensitive users.

234
cd/m²		229
cd/m²		230
cd/m²
229
cd/m²		272
cd/m²		224
cd/m²
214
cd/m²		213
cd/m²		215
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 272 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 228.9 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 78 %
Center on Battery: 272 cd/m²
Contrast: 1470:1 (Black: 0.185 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.44 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 2.2 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
Gamma: 2.44
Acer Chromebook 15 CB315-3HT-P297
IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60		HP 250 G7-15S40ES
BOE BOE0687, TN LED, 1920x1080, 15.60		Asus Vivobook 15 F512DA-SH31
AU Optronics B156HAN02.1, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60		Lenovo Ideapad S145-15API 81UT002XGE
BOE CQ NT156WHM-N44, TN LED, 1366x768, 15.60
Display
Display P3 Coverage
38.64
38.71
36.8
sRGB Coverage
58.2
58.2
55.4
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
39.93
40
38.02
Response Times
623%
-52%
-36%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
20 ?(2, 18)
38 ?(20, 18)
-90%
36 ?(20, 16)
-80%
43 ?(23, 20)
-115%
Response Time Black / White *
24 ?(14, 10)
10 ?(7, 3)
58%
29.6 ?(18, 11.6)
-23%
17 ?(9, 8)
29%
PWM Frequency
250
5000 ?(90)
1900%
192 ?(90)
-23%
Screen
-130%
-68%
-142%
Brightness middle
272
178
-35%
252.8
-7%
218
-20%
Brightness
229
174
-24%
237
3%
207
-10%
Brightness Distribution
78
82
5%
89
14%
80
3%
Black Level *
0.185
0.41
-122%
0.86
-365%
0.645
-249%
Contrast
1470
434
-70%
294
-80%
338
-77%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
4.44
12.66
-185%
4.83
-9%
12.12
-173%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
18.84
22.77
-21%
16.38
13%
23.06
-22%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
2.2
15.05
-584%
4.6
-109%
15.09
-586%
Gamma
2.44 90%
2.63 84%
2.34 94%
2.32 95%
CCT
6448 101%
20050 32%
6841 95%
18082 36%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
4.36
3.78
3.53
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
37
36.9
35
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
58
58.1
55
Total Average (Program / Settings)
247% / 76%
-60% / -64%
-89% / -113%

* ... smaller is better

Display Response Times

ℹ
Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
   ↔    Response Time Black to White
24 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 14 ms rise
↘ 10 ms fall
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 48 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.5 ms).
   ↔    Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
20 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 2 ms rise
↘ 18 ms fall
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 27 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.7 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

ℹ
To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM detected 250 Hz

The display backlight flickers at 250 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) .

The frequency of 250 Hz is relatively low, so sensitive users will likely notice flickering and experience eyestrain at the stated brightness setting and below.

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 17900 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Out of the box colors were fairly accurate overall. With a DeltaE 2000 deviation of 4.4 it missed the ideal value of less than 3 though. The display did not suffer from a blue tint.

CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - grayscale
CalMAN - grayscale
CalMAN - saturation
CalMAN - saturation

The Chromebook is equipped with an IPS panel with wide viewing angles. The display was thus readable from all sides. Outdoors, it was only usable on overcast days due to its low brightness.

Chromebook outdoors (photo taken on an overcast day)
Chromebook outdoors (photo taken on an overcast day)

Performance – CB315 with Gemini Lake Refresh

Acer’s Chromebook 315 is a 15.6-inch Chromebook. At the time of writing our review unit sold for around 480 Euros and was thus the most expensive model within this series. Other SKUs are also available.

Processor

The Chromebook features a Pentium Silver N5030 quad-core processor (Gemini Lake Refresh). Thanks to its low TDP of just 6 W the SoC can be cooled passively. The CPU runs at a base clock speed of 1.1 GHz and can turbo boost up to 2.6 GHz (four cores) or even 3.1 GHz (one core).

Acer’s website as well as many online shops list the Pentium Silver N5000 as processor built into our particular SKU. However, the CB315 features the N5030. The only difference between the two are a 400 MHz higher single-core turbo-boost speed on the latter.

Geekbench 5.5 | WebXPRT 3 | Mozilla Kraken 1.1 | Octane V2 | Speedometer 2.0 | JetStream 1.1
Geekbench 5.5
Single-Core
Average of class Office
  (510 - 1974, n=122, last 2 years)
1480 Points +178%
HP 250 G7-15S40ES
Intel Core i5-1035G1
1172 Points +120%
Asus Vivobook 15 F512DA-SH31
AMD Ryzen 3 3200U
813 Points +53%
Acer Chromebook 15 CB315-3HT-P297
Intel Pentium Silver N5030
532 Points
Average Intel Pentium Silver N5030
  (431 - 532, n=3)
492 Points -8%
Multi-Core
Average of class Office
  (1018 - 11980, n=122, last 2 years)
6683 Points +337%
HP 250 G7-15S40ES
Intel Core i5-1035G1
3337 Points +118%
Asus Vivobook 15 F512DA-SH31
AMD Ryzen 3 3200U
1604 Points +5%
Acer Chromebook 15 CB315-3HT-P297
Intel Pentium Silver N5030
1529 Points
Average Intel Pentium Silver N5030
  (1039 - 1529, n=3)
1263 Points -17%
WebXPRT 3 - Overall
Average of class Office
  (99.2 - 368, n=107, last 2 years)
246 Points +112%
HP 250 G7-15S40ES
Intel Core i5-1035G1 (Chrome 82)
178 Points +53%
Lenovo Ideapad S145-15API 81UT002XGE
AMD Athlon 300U (Edge 44)
143 Points +23%
Asus Vivobook 15 F512DA-SH31
AMD Ryzen 3 3200U (Chrome 82)
137 Points +18%
Acer Chromebook 15 CB315-3HT-P297
Intel Pentium Silver N5030 (Chrome 87.0.4280.88)
116 Points
Average Intel Pentium Silver N5030
  (91.3 - 116, n=3)
100.9 Points -13%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
Average Intel Pentium Silver N5030
  (1914 - 3145, n=3)
2410 ms * -26%
Acer Chromebook 15 CB315-3HT-P297
Intel Pentium Silver N5030 (Chrome 87.0.4280.88)
1914 ms *
Lenovo Ideapad S145-15API 81UT002XGE
AMD Athlon 300U (Edge 44)
1452 ms * +24%
Asus Vivobook 15 F512DA-SH31
AMD Ryzen 3 3200U (Chrome 82)
1225 ms * +36%
HP 250 G7-15S40ES
Intel Core i5-1035G1 (Chrome 82)
879 ms * +54%
Average of class Office
  (479 - 1966, n=112, last 2 years)
729 ms * +62%
Octane V2 - Total Score
Average of class Office
  (21416 - 93596, n=52, last 2 years)
70101 Points +220%
Lenovo Ideapad S145-15API 81UT002XGE
AMD Athlon 300U (Edge 44)
22253 Points +2%
Average Intel Pentium Silver N5030
  (21894 - 21904, n=2)
21899 Points 0%
Acer Chromebook 15 CB315-3HT-P297
Intel Pentium Silver N5030 (Chrome 87.0.4280.88)
21894 Points
Speedometer 2.0 - Result
Average of class Office
  (26.1 - 350, n=48, last 2 years)
236 runs/min +294%
Acer Chromebook 15 CB315-3HT-P297
Intel Pentium Silver N5030 (Chrome 87.0.4280.88)
59.9 runs/min
Average Intel Pentium Silver N5030
  (58.7 - 59.9, n=2)
59.3 runs/min -1%
Lenovo Ideapad S145-15API 81UT002XGE
AMD Athlon 300U (Edge 44)
33.51 runs/min -44%
JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
Average of class Office
  (117.1 - 544, n=18, last 2 years)
374 Points +239%
Lenovo Ideapad S145-15API 81UT002XGE
AMD Athlon 300U (Edge 44)
172 Points +56%
Asus Vivobook 15 F512DA-SH31
AMD Ryzen 3 3200U (Edge 44.17763.831.0)
171.9 Points +56%
Average Intel Pentium Silver N5030
  (110.3 - 117.6, n=2)
114 Points +3%
Acer Chromebook 15 CB315-3HT-P297
Intel Pentium Silver N5030 (Chrome 87.0.4280.88)
110.3 Points

* ... smaller is better

System Performance

The system performed well and smoothly overall. We did not encounter any issues. The processor is fast enough for office and internet applications. The operating system boots quickly and applications load times are short.

Acer Chromebook 15 CB315-3HT-P297
UHD Graphics 605, Pentium N5030, 128 GB eMMC Flash		Average Intel Pentium Silver N5030, Intel UHD Graphics 605
 		Average of class Office
 
PCMark for Android
0%
Computer Vision score
8984
8984 ?()
0%
Storage score
31170
31170 ?()
0%
Work 2.0 performance score
9447
9447 ?()
0%
Work performance score
13200
13200 ?()
0%

Storage Devices

The main storage device is an eMMC module with a capacity of 128 GB. Storage space can be further expanded via microSD card.

GPU Performance

The built-in GPU is an Intel UHD Graphics 605, which sits at the lower end of the performance spectrum. It features a built-in hardware decoder for decoding common video formats, such as H.264 or HEVC/H.265. Streaming services are thus no real challenge for this device.

3DMark Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited
1628 points
Help
3DMark | GFXBench | GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 | GFXBench 3.0 | GFXBench 3.1
3DMark - 1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score
Average of class Office
  (52786 - 346858, n=10, last 2 years)
168185 Points +390%
HP 250 G7-15S40ES
NVIDIA GeForce MX110, Intel Core i5-1035G1
122046 Points +256%
Asus Vivobook 15 F512DA-SH31
AMD Radeon RX Vega 3, AMD Ryzen 3 3200U
79196 Points +131%
Lenovo Ideapad S145-15API 81UT002XGE
AMD Radeon RX Vega 3, AMD Athlon 300U
71968 Points +110%
Average Intel UHD Graphics 605
  (32770 - 55453, n=9)
43574 Points +27%
Acer Chromebook 15 CB315-3HT-P297
Intel UHD Graphics 605, Intel Pentium Silver N5030
34298 Points
GFXBench
on screen Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen
Average of class Office
  (6 - 60, n=6, last 2 years)
27.4 fps +585%
Average Intel UHD Graphics 605
  (4 - 18.5, n=2)
11.3 fps +183%
Acer Chromebook 15 CB315-3HT-P297
Intel UHD Graphics 605, Intel Pentium Silver N5030
4 fps
2560x1440 Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen
Average of class Office
  (3.2 - 83.5, n=6, last 2 years)
20.1 fps +196%
Acer Chromebook 15 CB315-3HT-P297
Intel UHD Graphics 605, Intel Pentium Silver N5030
6.8 fps
Average Intel UHD Graphics 605
  (5.9 - 6.8, n=2)
6.35 fps -7%
on screen Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen
Average of class Office
  (8.8 - 60.1, n=6, last 2 years)
30.6 fps +178%
Average Intel UHD Graphics 605
  (11 - 27.3, n=2)
19.2 fps +75%
Acer Chromebook 15 CB315-3HT-P297
Intel UHD Graphics 605, Intel Pentium Silver N5030
11 fps
1920x1080 Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen
Average of class Office
  (7.8 - 213, n=6, last 2 years)
52 fps +425%
Average Intel UHD Graphics 605
  (9.9 - 15.7, n=2)
12.8 fps +29%
Acer Chromebook 15 CB315-3HT-P297
Intel UHD Graphics 605, Intel Pentium Silver N5030
9.9 fps
1920x1080 Car Chase Offscreen
Average of class Office
  (9.1 - 198.6, n=5, last 2 years)
57.4 fps +708%
Average Intel UHD Graphics 605
  (7.1 - 14.6, n=3)
11 fps +55%
Acer Chromebook 15 CB315-3HT-P297
Intel UHD Graphics 605, Intel Pentium Silver N5030
7.1 fps
on screen Car Chase Onscreen
Average of class Office
  (9.3 - 60.1, n=5, last 2 years)
35 fps +355%
Average Intel UHD Graphics 605
  (7.7 - 25.1, n=3)
14.7 fps +91%
Acer Chromebook 15 CB315-3HT-P297
Intel UHD Graphics 605, Intel Pentium Silver N5030
7.7 fps
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen
Average of class Office
  (38 - 210, n=4, last 2 years)
82.3 fps +157%
Average Intel UHD Graphics 605
  (32 - 51.9, n=3)
43.1 fps +35%
Acer Chromebook 15 CB315-3HT-P297
Intel UHD Graphics 605, Intel Pentium Silver N5030
32 fps
T-Rex Onscreen
Average of class Office
  (35 - 58, n=4, last 2 years)
50.3 fps +110%
Average Intel UHD Graphics 605
  (24 - 67.5, n=3)
44.8 fps +87%
Acer Chromebook 15 CB315-3HT-P297
Intel UHD Graphics 605, Intel Pentium Silver N5030
24 fps
GFXBench 3.0
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen
Average Intel UHD Graphics 605
  (16 - 33.4, n=3)
23.8 fps +49%
Average of class Office
  (18 - 24, n=3, last 2 years)
21.7 fps +36%
Acer Chromebook 15 CB315-3HT-P297
Intel UHD Graphics 605, Intel Pentium Silver N5030
16 fps
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL
Average of class Office
  (23 - 49, n=3, last 2 years)
32 fps +129%
Average Intel UHD Graphics 605
  (14 - 42.2, n=3)
25.4 fps +81%
Acer Chromebook 15 CB315-3HT-P297
Intel UHD Graphics 605, Intel Pentium Silver N5030
14 fps
GFXBench 3.1
1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen
Average of class Office
  (8.2 - 85, n=4, last 2 years)
30.8 fps +137%
Average Intel UHD Graphics 605
  (13 - 23.3, n=3)
17.6 fps +35%
Acer Chromebook 15 CB315-3HT-P297
Intel UHD Graphics 605, Intel Pentium Silver N5030
13 fps
on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen
Average of class Office
  (15 - 59, n=4, last 2 years)
33.3 fps +203%
Average Intel UHD Graphics 605
  (11 - 35.5, n=3)
20.6 fps +87%
Acer Chromebook 15 CB315-3HT-P297
Intel UHD Graphics 605, Intel Pentium Silver N5030
11 fps

Emissions & Energy – Silent and Persevering

Noise Emissions

The CB315 is cooled passively and lacks a mechanical drive. It is thus completely silent.

Temperature

Acer’s Chromebook does not really get warm at all. Under load (Octane V2 and Jetstream benchmarks in a loop) it warmed up to slightly more than 30 °C in some spots. Idle temperatures were much lower.

Max. Load
 31.4 °C
89 F		32.5 °C
91 F		25.3 °C
78 F		 
 29.3 °C
85 F		29.5 °C
85 F		24.9 °C
77 F		 
 23.9 °C
75 F		24 °C
75 F		23.4 °C
74 F		 
Maximum: 32.5 °C = 91 F
Average: 27.1 °C = 81 F
23.6 °C
74 F		31.8 °C
89 F		32.3 °C
90 F
23.2 °C
74 F		25.4 °C
78 F		26.3 °C
79 F
23.4 °C
74 F		24.1 °C
75 F		24.4 °C
76 F
Maximum: 32.3 °C = 90 F
Average: 26.1 °C = 79 F
Power Supply (max.)  30.6 °C = 87 F | Room Temperature 22.2 °C = 72 F | FIRT 550-Pocket
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 27.1 °C / 81 F, compared to the average of 29.5 °C / 85 F for the devices in the class Office.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 32.5 °C / 91 F, compared to the average of 34.2 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 32.3 °C / 90 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 22.6 °C / 73 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 24 °C / 75.2 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(+) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.7 °C / 81.9 F (+3.7 °C / 6.7 F).
Heatmap top (load)
Heatmap top (load)
Heatmap top (idle)
Heatmap top (idle)
Heatmap bottom (load)
Heatmap bottom (load)
Heatmap bottom (idle)
Heatmap bottom (idle)

Speakers

The stereo speakers sit at the front bottom of the device. They produce a decent soundscape with almost no bass. Headphones or external speakers will make for a much more enjoyable audio experience. 

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2022.424.822.42524.927.624.9312427244020.82620.85027.235.827.26324.326.424.38015.418.515.410016.925.416.912518.116.118.116021.715.221.720036.41336.425048.314.648.331554.412.154.440059.810.859.850060.611.260.663065.511.165.580073.411.473.4100079.811.379.8125077.911.477.9160073.21273.2200070.212.270.2250064.812.564.8315073.51373.5400075.913.375.9500076.713.776.7630077.913.977.9800078.814.278.81000075.114.675.11250071.314.671.31600056.414.656.4SPL87.32587.3N690.669median 70.2median 13median 70.2Delta12.11.812.1hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseAcer Chromebook 15 CB315-3HT-P297
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
Acer Chromebook 15 CB315-3HT-P297 audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (79.8 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 37.6% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 6% lower than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 6% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (5.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (24.4% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 68% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 23% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 70% of all tested devices were better, 6% similar, 24% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Power Consumption

We found no power consumption inconsistencies with Acer’s Chromebook. Idle power consumption peaked at just 6.6 W. Power consumption under load can get up to 16.6 W. The USB-C power supply is rated at 45 W.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.4 / 0.29 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 2.9 / 6.5 / 6.6 Watt
Load midlight 13 / 16.6 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Battery Life

We use our real-world Wi-Fi test simulating typical load while browsing the web via a script to assess battery life. All power saving features are disabled, and display brightness is normalized to 150 nits. In this test and under these conditions the Chromebook 315 lasted for 10:18 hours.

Battery Runtime
WiFi Websurfing (Chrome 87.0.4280.88)
10h 18min
Battery Runtime - WiFi Websurfing
Acer Chromebook 15 CB315-3HT-P297
Pentium N5030, UHD Graphics 605, 50.29 Wh
618 min
Average of class Office
  (300 - 1137, n=107, last 2 years)
594 min -4%
Asus Vivobook 15 F512DA-SH31
R3 3200U, Vega 3, 37 Wh
357 min -42%
HP 250 G7-15S40ES
i5-1035G1, GeForce MX110, 41 Wh
350 min -43%
Lenovo Ideapad S145-15API 81UT002XGE
Athlon 300U, Vega 3, 30 Wh
270 min -56%

Pros

+ IPS touchscreen display
+ silent operation
+ very good battery life
+ DisplayPort via USB-C
+ Power Delivery
+ supports Android apps

Cons

- base unit not particularly sturdy
- dim display
- soldered RAM
- no SSD
- no keyboard backlight

Verdict

Acer Chromebook 315 CB315-3HT-P297. Review unit provided by Cyberport
Acer Chromebook 315 CB315-3HT-P297. Review unit provided by Cyberport

Acer’s Chromebook is well-suited for all possible Chromebook use cases thanks to its combination of Pentium Silver N5030, 8 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of storage. The passively cooled CPU makes for a silent mode of operation, which renders the device very well usable in quiet environments.

Acer’s Chromebook 315 CB315-3HT is a well-made all-round decent Chrome OS device.

On a single charge, the CB315 will last for more than 10 hours in our Wi-Fi test. It is charged via a USB-C power supply, which can be plugged into either of the two available USB-C ports.

Thanks to the integration of Google’s Play Store the Chromebook can run numerous Android apps. Internet access is provided by an ac-Wi-Fi module with two antennas. The keyboard lacks a backlight but turned out to be well suited for everyday use otherwise.

The FHD IPS touchscreen display offers a decent anti-glare coating, wide viewing angles, decent colors, and a good contrast ratio. Its maximum brightness is too low. Whether or not a touchscreen is really necessary on a device like the CB315 remains to be seen. We would have preferred a keyboard backlight instead.

Acer Chromebook 15 CB315-3HT-P297 - 12/10/2020 v7
Sascha Mölck

Chassis
75 / 98 → 76%
Keyboard
77%
Pointing Device
87%
Connectivity
46 / 80 → 57%
Weight
64 / 20-75 → 80%
Battery
88%
Display
81%
Games Performance
17 / 78 → 21%
Application Performance
73 / 95 → 77%
Temperature
97%
Noise
100%
Audio
65%
Camera
40 / 85 → 47%
Average
70%
81%
Office - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Acer Chromebook 315 CB315-3HT Review: Silent Good-Looking ChromeBook Sports Good Battery Life
Sascha Mölck, 2020-12-15 (Update: 2020-12-15)