Verdict
The Acer Chromebook Plus 514 is a substantial all - round Chromebook with nippy functioning , estimable looks and a marvellous port selection . Its display is n’t the best we ’ve tested , yet this Chromebook remains a substantial choice at a reasonable cost .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The Acer Chromebook Plus 514 is one of the brand ’s smaller submission into the previous congregation of Chromebooks , know asChromebook Plus .
My sample distribution is AMD - season , packing in a Ryzen 3 7320C CPU and a 128 GB SSD , alongside a 14 - inch WUXGA - res IPS screen – all that , and more will run you £ 399.99/$399.99 in this configuration .
As for its challenger , it ’s of course cutthroat at this terms gunpoint with other Chromebook Plus laptop recently set up such as theAsus Chromebook Plus CX34 , as well as this Acer laptop ’s bigger comrade , theChromebook Plus 515 . I ’ve been testing the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 to see how well it stacks up , and to see whether it ’s one of thebest Chromebookswe’ve tested .
Design and Keyboard
The Acer Chromebook Plus 514 succeed in the footstep of its bigger chum , the Plus 515 , in offering stylish looking at its terms alongside in the main square shape quality . The soma here may well be altogether plastic , but it is n’t vacuous , feeling sturdy and looking almost like a metal alloy from afar .
There is also a slight two - whole step nature to the Chromebook Plus 514 ’s pattern , with some elements a unbowed obscure Second Earl Grey , with a small dividing line between that and a thin striped blueprint on the lid , for instance . This adds a little dialect and a minuscule bit of extra panache compared to other laptop computer at this price .
A free weight of 1.45 kg makes this one of the heavier 14 - inch Chromebooks I ’ve used , but it stay stocky and lightweight enough to be well portable . The Chromebook Plus 514 is easy to slot into a traveling bag or knapsack and take with you to lecture , chocolate shops , offices , or wherever you need to use it .
It ’s also reasonably thin , but remains thick enough to pack in a decent port selection for a laptop of its price . On the unexpended - script side comes aUSB - Cport for charging , as well as a full - size of it HDMI larboard and a USB - A larboard for connect outside devices . The right - hand side is home to another USB - hundred and a headphone tar , as well as a Kensington lock .
As for the keyboard , the Chromebook Plus 514 is menage to a slightly odd - mold 65 percent key layout , complete with arrow keys and a handy mathematical function row . While this is a convenient layout for a more compact laptop like this one , there is one small forfeiture that makes it a small pain to use from time to time . The enter key fruit is slimmer than the equivalent on a consecrate keyboard , and this can lead to inadvertent hits of the neighbouring hashish key .
Otherwise , the Chromebook Plus 514 ’s keyboard is splendid , with lots of tactility , feel comfortable to expend for extended menstruation . It is also backlit , which is a utilitarian addition for after - dark working , although the function dustup is more vividly lit than the alphanumeric key . For a laptop computer of its size of it , the trackpad is large and feel reasonably responsive . It is n’t as tactile as with other Chromebooks I ’ve used , but is still passable for a laptop computer at this cost .
The packaging that the Chromebook Plus 514 come in is in - keeping with Acer ’s environmentally friendly delegacy , as the laptop itself is packaged in cardboard and a newspaper bag , while also being partially incorporate of PCR credit card . The only slice of plastic used in the construction of the promotion is a low plastic bag that houses the consign cable and power brick . Otherwise , this is charge plate - free .
Screen and Sound
For a Chromebook Plus to be certified as such , it needs to have at least a Full HD ( 1080p ) solution display . With the Chromebook Plus 514 , Acer has actually outperform that requirement by bundle a 14 - column inch 1920×1200 IPS cover .
In testing , this proved to be a solid display for daytime - to - day working and when kicking back with shows on Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video . It may not be the most vivid of displays with a quoted peak luminosity of 250 nits , which is below the 300 - nit norm , but it should still be ok for day - to - day body of work and the productiveness workloads that you ’re probable to be undertaking .
With that in thinker , being an IPS panel meant colours were solid , and see slant were suitably excellent . The somewhat taller 16:10 aspect ratio is convenient for providing more real demesne for mod workflows , too .
As for its speakers , these are usable for movie take in or listening to euphony over Spotify at low-spirited volumes , but turn it up too much and things can become a little too coarse . There also is n’t much in the style of basso , so even if they do n’t sound muddy , there is n’t much in the way of low end punch , either . I am thankful for the fact they are up - firing speakers , meaning grade them on a softer surface such as a bed wo n’t muffle audio .
Performance
The Acer Chromebook Plus 514 offers a set of adequate spectacles for a mid - range Chromebook . More affordable Chromebooks be given to stick firmly in the Intel field , but with this option , Acer has turned to AMD – specifically the quadriceps - core Ryzen 3 7320C.
The presence of a Modern Ryzen chip power the Chromebook Plus 514 to some satisfying results in the Geekbench 6 bench mark suite , one of our only benchmark programs that works on ChromeOS . It posture in the centre of results from similarly - price Chromebooks with Pentium processors falling behind , although options with Intel ’s chips from their last two generations are better in multi - core workloads , give they tend to have six cores as opposed to four , as this Ryzen 3 7320C does .
With this in mind , the Chromebook Plus 514 feel crisp when run legion Chrome tabs with Google Docs and Spotify tend , as well as when having YouTube open in the background . The 8 GB ofRAMpresent allow enough headroom for multi - tasking , and while the 128GBSSDis a little stingy in size compared to some other Chromebooks at this Mary Leontyne Price detail , it ’s still a good amount for installing apps , considering a lot of the usual documents that would fill the space up are check on the cloud with the Google G Suite of applications .
There is a low amount of fan haphazardness when the laptop first start out up , but it otherwise remain quiet under load , and also does n’t get particularly warm either . The Chromebook Plus 514 therefore is a laptop you may actually use on your lap covering , as opposed to needing to have it rank down on your desk .
Software
Being a Chromebook Plus also entail that this Acer Chromebook Plus 514 reaps the benefit of the gains that this new sphere of Chromebooks have made in term of software system and young features . The most noteworthy addition here isMagic Eraser , a photograph editing program antecedently get on Google Pixel phones which automatically erases unwanted object or multitude from photos .
It works the same way on Chromebook as it does on a phone , where you select an point in the setting to slay , and then the app puts a grey synopsis around it and removes it instantly , making it seem as if it was n’t there in the first place . It ’s in earnest ingenious , and a ready to hand addition I got some exercise out of when check exposure I ’d take on a late trip to London .
More useful for me than Magic Eraser , though , was Offline File Sync , which automatically download your files from Google Drive in the background so you may use them offline if you ’re in a outside area , or if you ’ve just bring a patchy family Wi - Fi connection as I have . While convenient in the end , it is a faff to enable , being hidden in the Advanced plane section of the Chromebook Plus 514 ’s preferences .
Google has also bundled in convenient AI video calling features with Chromebook Plus to serve improve overall call quality . For example , the Improve Lighting button makes a fairish try at improving poor lighting environments , while the Cancel Background Noise attempts to verify your representative is the only matter that ’s listen during an important meeting . What ’s convenient about these features is the fact they are transverse - platform and work on both Zoom and Google Meet , among other weapons platform , so no one is left out .
For a lot of people , the biggest add-on will be the presence of web - based Photoshop . This is another attempt from Google to position Chromebook Plus as a laptop computer for more than just simple web browsing , and it is commodious for providing feature article from full - juicy Photoshop that mass will use include light adaptation and marquee tools . While more advanced features are absent , you also get the headline - making AI Generative Expand and AI Generative Fill features here for append in inside information with AI ground on the prompts you furnish .
Alongside all these new features , it ’s deserving remembering that this is ChromeOS , so it ’s prosperous to use and is lightweight . We ’re also seeing apps such as Steam work on ChromeOS , so they can conceivably be used for play workload too , peculiarly consider that cloud services such asGeForce Nowalso play nicely with ChromeOS , too . Of naturally , you are still modified on what can be done compare to Windows laptops , but it ’s pleasant to see that Google ’s OS is n’t as fix as it once was .
Battery Life
The Acer Chromebook Plus 514 impressed with its solid survival . Over a picture loop test at 50 pct brightness , it hold out for just timid of 10 and a one-half hours before conking out , which is in - keeping with a great deal of other superpower - effective Chromebooks , although falls short of Acer ’s quoted 12 hours of run - time . You lose 10 % charge over the course of an hour , so you ’ll be capable to keep chugging for a working day before require to achieve for the charger .
The convenient thing here is that the Chromebook Plus 514 bundles a tycoon brick with a USB - degree Celsius courser , meaning you may also use your own transmission line if you take this laptop with you on your change of location . bombardment recharge clip from zero to full is also a touch over an hour at 65 minute , mean if you do need to charge up , then you wo n’t be waiting around for too long .
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
With its quad - core Ryzen 3 7320C processor inside , the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 is a snappy Chromebook for day to twenty-four hours workloads , and if that ’s what you need , it ’s an excellent choice .
As is often the case with more affordable laptop , the sticking point for this Chromebook Plus 514 is its showing with middling cleverness . If you require a more vivacious option , you ’ll be practiced off look elsewhere .
Final Thoughts
The Acer Chromebook Plus 514 is n’t the definitive Chromebook to go out and corrupt tomorrow , but then again , that is n’t the period of a £ 399.99/$399.99 equipment . It is instead a laptop designed to offer what most people need for a price that most people would be happy to pay , and while it may not excel in any one area , it continue a respectable all - debauchee pick .
The quad - sum Ryzen 3 7320C processor power it to nice bench mark results and nipping real - worldly concern performance for the productivity tasks this laptop computer is project for . What ’s more , it ’s a good - looking laptop computer with a satiny silver plastic figure , while it also offers a plenteous port selection for a laptop at this price .
The barrage life on pass here is decent for a Chromebook , although we have seen safe results with the likes of theAsus Chromebook Plus CX34and the touchscreenAcer Chromebook Spin 514 .
The Acer Chromebook Plus 514 is a solid all - orotund choice for most people who need a laptop for productiveness - base tasks in a established form gene . For more pick , however , check out our ranking of thebest Chromebookswe’ve tested .
Trusted Score
How we test
Every laptop computer we review operate through a serial of unvarying checks designed to gauge cardinal things including build lineament , operation , blind quality and barrage spirit .
These let in formal synthetic benchmarks and scripted run , plus a series of real - reality checks , such as how well it runs popular apps .
FAQs
No , the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 does not come with a touchscreen display .
Test Data
Full Specs
