I juggled tabs, emails, and anime on Acer's Chromebook. It kept up great

Price When Reviewed

$699.99

Best Prices Today: Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514

$749.99

The Chromebook Plus Spin 514 is Acer’s latest addition to the Plus lineup, and it’s attempting to carve out a spot in a sea of similar-looking midrange laptops. First impressions? This is an incredible Chromebook. You get peppy efficiency, a versatile 2-in-1 design, and a 120Hz touchscreen that feels extra premium than the value tag suggests.

Inside it’s working MediaTek’s Kompanio Ultra 910 chip, which guarantees strong efficiency with out completely killing the battery. Sprinkle within the latest batch of Chromebook Plus AI extras and, on paper, it’s obtained all of the fundamentals lined. But the actual query is–does it really excel? Let’s discover out.

Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514: Specs

There are two configurations I’m conscious of. The unit I attempted out was working MediaTek’s new Kompanio Ultra 910, with 12GB of RAM (odd quantity, proper?) and 256GB of UFS storage tossed in. The display screen’s a 14-inch touchscreen, 1920×1200 at 16:10, and it runs at a easy 120Hz. Mine got here with a 1080p webcam, however the model you may really purchase has a 5MP digital camera, so video calls ought to look a bit sharper.

The higher-end mannequin comes with a 14-inch 2880×1800 show (60Hz) and 16GB of RAM, and might be out there by means of the Acer retailer on September 4th for $749.99. The lower-end mannequin, which I reviewed right here, launches at Best Buy on September 19th for $699.99.

• Model quantity: CP514-5HN-K6DY
• CPU: MediaTek Kompanio Ultra 910
• GPU: Immortalis-G925
• RAM: 12GB RAM
• Storage: 256GB UFS
• Display: 14-inch 1920×1200 touchscreen, 16:10 facet ratio, 120Hz refresh charge, USI 2.0 stylus supportive
• Webcam: 1080p
• Ports: 2 USB Type-C ports, two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports, 3.5 mm headphone/speaker jack
• Networking: Wi-Fi 7
• Dimensions: 313 (W) x 232 (D) x 15.5 (H) 
• Weight: 3 kilos
• Price: $699.99

Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514: AI stuff

AI is de facto inescapable, isn’t it? 

I attempted the Plus Spin 514’s on-device Smart Grouping function once more, which you’ll be able to entry by way of F4, and located it helpful in some respects. I had Slack, PCWorld, Docs, and Gmail open on my work deck, and YouTube and Discord working on my play deck. It helped me preserve work and leisure time completely separate.

It’s nice once I’ve obtained a great deal of open tabs, however on slower days it type of looks like overkill. Would I take advantage of Smart Grouping on a daily foundation? Nah.

Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514: Design, construct high quality

IDG / Ashley Biancuzzo

Design-wise, the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 really resembles the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14–it’s smooth, subtle, and it positively feels extra like a higher-end machine than a funds one. Although the silver exterior is good, personally I just like the Lenovo’s colorway, which modifications a bit below the sunshine. I identical to a gold undertone, what can I say?

The Acer’s 2-in-1 design is what actually makes it stand out. You can flip it round, doodle on it, or take notes. You also can set it up in tent mode and binge your favourite anime. I’m not knocking conventional clamshells, as they work completely advantageous, however having the additional flexibility of a convertible is good.

As for construct high quality, it’s removed from flimsy, which is what you need in a midrange machine. The show is extra inflexible than you would possibly count on, and the keyboard deck feels strong, prefer it’ll maintain up effectively over time.

Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514: Keyboard, touchpad

IDG / Ashley Biancuzzo

The keys have a pleasant bounce to them, that’s for positive. But the entire keyboard sits barely increased than I’m used to, so I usually overshot and hit the mute button. The first few days have been a bit annoying, as I saved by accident muting the documentary I used to be watching–I hate it when one thing interrupts me whereas I’m deep within the zone. That stated, that is extra of a private quirk than a real grievance, and also you get acclimated to new keyboard layouts rapidly.

It didn’t take lengthy earlier than my fingers have been flying throughout the keys at their regular rhythm. Oh, and did I point out the white backlighting? This turns out to be useful on nights once I dim my lounge lights.

The OceanGlass touchpad–constituted of ocean-bound plastics, by the way in which–feels nice below your fingertips and is generously sized. It’s additionally centered beneath the keyboard, which I personally desire. Off-center touchpads are extra frequent on gaming laptops anyway due to devoted quantity pads and the truth that most players have a tendency to make use of an exterior mouse.

Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514: Display, audio system

IDG / Ashley Biancuzzo

The 14-inch 1920×1200 touchscreen is a pleasure to make use of. Colors are wealthy and vibrant, and even in darker scenes—like these in Netflix’s Wednesday—the blacks present spectacular depth. It’s sharp and colourful sufficient for each checking e-mail and watching films, although it’s not 4K-level of goodness. It’s principally a pleasant step up out of your customary 1080p display screen. It’s obtained Gorilla Glass on high as effectively, so that you don’t have to fret about scratches.

The twin upward-firing audio system are shockingly punchy. I often throw on a playlist whereas cooking and, one way or the other, even with all of the scorching and effervescent, I might nonetheless make out Chappell Roan’s vocals hovering above the chaos.

The solely time the sound obtained a bit muffled was in pill mode, when the audio system pointed down into your lap or a desk.

Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514: Connectivity, webcam

IDG / Ashley Biancuzzo

For connectivity choices, it’s a good unfold. You get two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports and two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports. The first helps you to cost or join a number of peripherals on the similar time, the latter is nice for older equipment. It additionally has Wi-Fi 7, making the gadget future-proof. 

The overview mannequin got here with a 1080p webcam, however the closing model can have an 5MP digital camera. That ought to seize extra element than the 1080p one. I’m a bit bummed I didn’t get to check the upgraded mannequin, however oh effectively.

I used the 1080p webcam throughout a few Zoom calls and located it to be each sharp and colour correct. I used to be sitting below the white lights in my kitchen within the late afternoon and I didn’t look ghostly pale, in order that was a pleasant shock. 

Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514: Performance

Since each the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 and the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 are working MediaTek’s new Kompanio Ultra 910 chip, it feels solely truthful to see how they stack up. On paper they appear comparable, however the benchmarks give Acer a little bit of an edge.

In Speedometer 3.1, the Spin 514 hits 27.9 versus Lenovo’s 25.2. The hole is even larger in Basemark Web 3.0—1,662 versus 1,151—indicating that the Acer handles net apps and a number of tabs with a bit extra finesse. 

Lenovo does take a slight win in Kraken (407ms vs Acer’s 428.2ms) and likewise scores a bit increased in Jetstream 2 (344.875 vs 318.747), which measures how effectively it executes JavaScript and WebAssembly code respectively. For most people, you received’t see a distinction.

For the same old stuff like Google Docs and YouTube, the Acer handles issues with a bit extra respiratory room. Both laptops handle the Kompanio chip effectively, however the Spin 514 runs a bit quicker.

So, why are these two laptops with nearly an identical specs behaving otherwise in benchmarking? It comes down to a couple issues, however I think the principle culprits are the Lenovo’s OLED panel and the Acer’s chassis dimension. OLEDs put extra demand on the processor and draw extra energy, limiting efficiency. The Acer, which is larger than the Lenovo, manages warmth higher due to its dimension. On high of that, Acer additionally has an lively cooling fan and the Lenovo is a fanless design.

• WebXPRT 4: 265
• Speedometer 3.1: 27.9
• Basemark Web 3.0: 1662
• Kraken: 428.2ms
• Jetstream 2: 318.747

By the way in which, for transparency’s sake, CrXPRT 2 is dead (it stopped working in July, additionally RIP), so I grabbed WebXPRT 4 as an alternative—it’s a strong substitute that will get the job completed.

Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514: Battery life

I wasn’t in a position to run the battery benchmark we usually use as a result of CrXPRT 2 is now not working. I additionally wasn’t capable of finding an acceptable substitute in time for this overview. Instead, I recorded the quantity primarily based on real-world utilization–I simply used the laptop computer like I usually would till it died. I watched YouTube movies, typed up this overview in a Google doc, drafted e-mails to the freelancers I work with, chatted with coworkers on Slack, and so forth. 

With the brightness turned down some (about 80 p.c), the Plus Spin 514 lasted roughly 15 hours on a single cost. That’s sufficient for a full work day, and fairly near Acer’s preliminary declare of 17 hours. My day-to-day workflow consists of lighter duties, although, so battery life might differ. Just remember that working a great deal of tabs all day will drain it quicker. 

Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514: Conclusion

The Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 does a stellar job of blending the sensible stuff with a little bit of polish. It feels sturdier than you’d count on, and each the display screen and audio system punch approach above what most midrange Chromebooks often supply. The AI options? Cool however pointless. 

And while you put it up in opposition to Lenovo’s Chromebook Plus 14, each of that are working the identical Kompanio Ultra 910 chip, the Acer merely feels just like the snappier, extra versatile possibility. Lenovo can do the fundamental stuff simply advantageous, however Acer provides you extra wiggle room when you’re extra of a multitasker.