Acer's Budget ‘Switch’ 2-in-1 Windows 10 Convertibles Challenge Growing Chromebook Threat

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It’s getting harder for Microsoft to ignore the growing market for low-cost Chromebook computers. Microsoft is looking to beat back the rebel insurgency by partnering with OEMs to crank out economical Windows 10 notebooks and convertibles — even if those OEMs have already given in to the “dark side”, like Acer.

To that end, Acer has announced two new 2-in-1 laptops that pack plenty of features, yet won’t break the bank when you’re ready to pull the trigger on a purchase. And as you might expect, both machines are running Windows 10. The Switch One 10 and Switch V 10 both features 10.1-inch IPS displays, Intel Atom processors and can be equipped with either 32GB or 64GB of onboard storage. The keyboard attachment adds another 500GB of storage when docked.

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Acer Switch One 10

The main differences between the two machines are that the Switch V 10 includes a USB Type-C port, faster charging and slightly better battery life (9 hours versus 8 hours for the Switch One 10). The Switch V 10 is also available in more colors, including Pearl White, Shale Black, Coral Red, Peacock Blue and Navy Blue. The Switch One 10 is only available in Metallic Gray.

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Acer Switch V 10

The Switch One 10 and Switch V 10 are priced at $199 and $249 respectively. The former all be available in July, while the latter is coming to the U.S. market “later this year.”

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Acer TravelMate P2 Series

If you’re looking for business class notebooks instead of cheap convertibles, Acer has also pulled the wraps off the Acer TravelMate P2 Series, which is available in both 14-inch and 15.6-inch screen sizes. Both machines are powered by Skylake processors and include NVIDIA GeForce 940M graphics along with Full HD displays. Fingerprint readers are optional on either machine.

The TravelMate P2 Series is priced from $599 and will also launch later this year.