Screen: Excellent: bright with vivid colors. The 3:2 aspect ratio gives you a lot more screen area than most 13" laptops.
Keyboard: Excellent: good key travel & tactile response. IMO on par with Thinkpad and pre-butterfly switch Macbook Pro keyboards.
Trackpad: Very good: smooth and accurate. 1 and 2 finger operation works perfectly. 3 finger gesture recognition has somewhat higher latency, but works well once you get used to it.
Stylus & digitizer: The Wacom EMR digitizer screen is the reason I chose this device. The core functionality is excellent, with low latency (in properly written apps), good pressure and tilt response. Overall, drawing feels significantly better than the Surface Pro 2 (the last Wacom EMR device I used). At the time of writing, I haven't been that pleased with any of the web-based drawing applications with stylus support that I've found, but ChromeOS runs Android apps now, and apps like Autodesk Sketchbook run surprisingly well. The included stylus is just OK: it's convenient because it docks into a slot in the chassis, but unlike some Wacom EMR styluses it doesn't have any eraser or on-pen click buttons. The screen appears to be somewhat compatible with other Wacom styluses, but I have seen some parallax issues using an older stylus.
OS: This is common to all ChromeOS devices, but many people don't realize that ChromeOS runs both Android apps and, on devices like this one, even native Linux apps (search on the web for "linux on chromeos"). Not all apps work well (Android Studio, for example, is somewhat crashy). Also, Android and Linux windows behave differently from browser tabs, so it's not totally seamless. But it's still useful.
NOTE: Be sure you receive the right device! At least one seller on this site is shipping CP713-2W models under the item listing for a CP713-1WN-53NF. Spin 13 model numbers beginning with CP713-1WN have a Wacom EMR stylus, and had a significantly more expensive MSRP than Acer's "second generation" Spin 713 models (which only have USI support), which begin with CP713-2W. If you receive a device without an included stylus and Wacom display when you ordered a CP713-1WN, then you should demand a full refund.
Conserves energy compared to similar products.
As certified by
EPEAT
EPEAT addresses the sustainability impacts of electronic products. An EPEAT registered product must meet required criteria and can meet optional criteria. The criteria depend on the type of product and can include energy efficiency, reduction of fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-Gases), and end of life management. Products meeting 50% - 75% optional criteria are “Silver” and those meeting more than 75% are “Gold”.
Certification Level
SILVER
