Review of Acer Chromebook Plus 514: An Excellent Affordable Notebook

In the previous year, Google introduced a fresh designation of “Chromebook Plus,” which guarantees that Chromebooks fulfill precise hardware requirements to maintain a certain level of quality and—significantly—a base price of $400. This initiative has been relatively successful. Chromebooks manufactured by brands like Acer and Lenovo offer good performance for their price—practical, cost-effective hardware that gets the job done.

The Acer Chromebook Plus 514 (known as model CB514-4H/T) is another laptop that accomplishes this objective. The specific nomenclature may not be the most eloquent, but it distinguishes this as the Intel-powered edition, distinct from the AMD-powered Chromebook Plus 514 (CB514-3H/T) released by the company last autumn. The scenario can be a bit perplexing, especially when considering the presence of the closely named Acer Chromebook Plus 515, which comes in at a similar price point but features a larger display and marginally different processor.

Photograph: Daniel Thorp-Lancaster

Despite minor discrepancies in the selection of ports and screen proportions between the Intel and AMD variants of the Chromebook Plus 514, one can anticipate similar performance from both. The underlying processing power for this device is managed by a proficient 13th-generation Intel Core i3-N305 processor, which stands in line with other iterations of Chromebook Plus and represents a noticeable upgrade from Chromebooks of previous generations. Pairing this with 8 GB of RAM and a 512-GB solid-state drive in the CB514-4HT-359X configuration, which Acer provided for this evaluation, presents a significantly efficient machine for educational and professional purposes. This specific model is priced at just $350 at Costco, whereas curiously, the model with a 128-GB capacity is priced higher at $380 on Amazon.

Chrome OS is meant to be lightweight, and the Core i3-N305 processor handles most tasks effortlessly. My daily routine of drafting documents in Google Docs while concurrently viewing YouTube videos with multiple other tabs open never experienced lag or unresponsiveness. The battery life has proven reliable, lasting through eight-hour workdays, often with an hour or two to spare.

Despite its reliance on cloud services, editing photos in Google Photos felt very agile. I had an enjoyable time utilizing the in-built editor to enhance my (plentiful) cat images, with video editing processes being nearly instantaneous. However, it must be noted that this heavily hinges on the speed of your internet connection for downloading photos and videos from cloud storage, therefore your experience could differ.

I’ve never been particularly inclined towards using touch functions on laptops, but the 14-inch touch screen on the Chromebook Plus 514 gradually won me over. The Chrome OS is well suited for touch interactions, and the silky matte display provides a pleasing tactile experience (while remaining fingerprint-free). Throughout my week of testing, I consistently found myself naturally reaching out to ensure better precision when editing images on the Google Photos application or when looking to scroll through YouTube more accurately.

My lone disappointment lies in the fact that this isn’t a convertible notebook. The capacity to rotate the screen for a quasi-tablet experience would offer greater ease (and enjoyment) for touch use, making the traditional clamshell design somewhat restrictive. However, on a positive note, the hinge enables the back of the screen to slope downwards slightly when opened, allowing for a more comfortable viewing angle whether on a table or your lap.