Read Mashable’s hands-on experience with the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514.
The Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 is the best, most well-built Chromebook I’ve tested so far. However, it is the most expensive Chromebook I’ve tested so far and it’s too much for most people who need a simple, web-based laptop. By the way, I reserve this for the splurge (unless you find it on sale – then it’s my top pick).
TL;DR: This is the Chromebook that will convert the remaining Chromebook skeptics among us.
The Chromebook Plus Spin 514 is a hybrid laptop powered by the ultra-efficient new MediaTek Companio Ultra 910 processor. (This is only found in one other model, the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14, which we’re in the process of reviewing.) It’s not technically the fastest Chromebook ever, but with a Geekbench 6 multi-core score of 7,187, it’s right up there with the Acer Chromebook Plus 516G, trailing it by only 6 percent.
When it comes to battery life, the Chromebook Plus Spin 514 has no competition. It lasts for more than 18 hours per charge, making it the longest-lasting Chromebook we’ve tried so far. In fact, it lasts longer than 87 percent of laptops in our entire testing database, including the 14-inch M4 Apple MacBook Pro. He is mad.
The Chromebook Plus Spin 514 looks and feels better than any Chromebook. It features a polished aluminum exterior that comes in a beautiful platinum silver finish with subtle holographic accents. At 0.61 inches thin, it’s sleeker than all the other models on this list. Both its smooth touchpad and clicky keyboard are satisfying to use (except for the hollow-sounding space bar). Its hinge moves a little when you adjust it, but it remains sturdy when you rotate its 1200p touchscreen into tent mode. There’s nothing “cheap” about it.
Notably, that touchscreen has a premium 120Hz refresh rate. I haven’t found that feature on any other Chromebook except the aforementioned Chromebook Plus 516 GE. This makes fast-paced graphics in games and videos buttery smooth.
While I agree that $699 is expensive for a Chromebook, I think the Chromebook Plus Spin 514’s price is justified for all it offers, including its future-proofing. It comes with a refreshed processor, 12GB of RAM, and it supports WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 (the latest wireless connectivity technologies). If you can make the investment or find it on sale, it will make a great daily driver for years to come.
Finally, I should add that the Chromebook Plus Spin 514 comes with two special features: a tab-sorting tool called “Smart Grouping” and an AI image editor in the Gallery app. I wouldn’t buy it for single people, but I found smart grouping useful in testing. (The results from the image editor were very crude and fake looking.)