Acer Chromebook Spin 514

The Acer Chromebook Spin 514 is the younger brother of the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 and can be configured up to an AMD Ryzen 7 processor. This laptop is designed with hybrid workers in mind and has touchscreen capabilities.

Introduction

The Acer Chromebook Spin 514 is the younger brother of the Chromebook Spin 714, replacing the 12th generation Intel chips with an AMD processor.

The Acer Chromebook Spin 514 is the latest and cheapest new laptop to join the Spin series, along with the Chromebook Spin 714 and Spin 5. Anyone looking for a productivity laptop.

It is important to note that the unit we are looking at is pre-manufactured, which means it does not necessarily reflect what the final product will look like, especially in terms of performance. The final model is more likely to stick with the same keyboard and overall design, but we don’t expect these pre-produced models to work or perform like the finished models.

Also, since I’ve only been able to spend a day with the Chromebook Spin 514, it’s a hands-on and not a complete review, which means we’ll only touch on the design and specs, not the performance or battery life.

Pricing

The Acer Chromebook Spin 514 will start at £ 699.99 and launch next year at We’ll be sure to update this article once we know the American and European prices as well as more specific launch dates.

Design and keyboard

• Weak chassis
• Multiple ports
• Good keyboard

Like the other two laptops Acer has just released, I really like the keyboard of this model. The response time was good and I was comfortable using it to write some articles without any problems. I’m not a huge fan of trackpads; It reminded me of the Nokia PureBook Pro, and it didn’t seem smooth or easy to move tabs around.

Again, in the same vein as the Chromebook Spin 714 and Spin 5, the keyboard chassis is very thin, and I found that although I liked the keyboard, I didn’t have to apply too much pressure to make it look so flexible on the inside. This problem was more present at the top of the keyboard, where the bottom of the screen also seemed to be fairly restless, meaning I was more aware overall of how I was managing and using the laptop than a powerful model. , Like the Huawei MateBook 16.

This laptop packs a number of ports – two USB-C, USB 2.0, HDMI and a 3.5mm audio jack – ideal for anyone transmitting video or other data, but it does give the laptop a rough look. I don’t dislike it much, but it doesn’t look as smooth as some slimmer models like the Dell XPS 13 OLED (2021)

The Chromebook Spin 514 weighs 1.5 kg and I can hold it comfortably with one hand, although I think it will fit most backpacks and work well as a portable device, ideal for anyone currently working on a hybrid. . The unit I tested was also a silvery gray that I thought looked a little simpler, especially since Acer’s own Spin 5 came in a nice sage green, which is quite different compared to other laptops.

The screen

• 360-degree hinge
• Touchscreen capability
• 14-inch display
• Netflix looked very grainy

The Chromebook Spin 514 comes with a 14-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 and a 16:10 aspect ratio. I thought the screen was crisp and clear, although I think the colors seemed a bit toxic. I took the laptop to maximum brightness when I tested it, and although the whites looked very clear and had no blue or yellow undertone, I noticed that the screen looked a bit dark.

Acer did not provide any information about the net count for this laptop, although the company claims that it covers 100% sRGB gamete. Although I can’t actually test these claims yet, I think it offers the most vibrant and bright colors, even if the screen is a bit blurry.

Acer also fits the laptop with a 360-degree hinge, meaning it can be easily turned into a tablet from a clamshell device. Despite the slightly weaker chassis, the laptop was easy to convert and I enjoyed using it as a tablet to scroll through articles or check my emails. Unlike the Spin 5, there’s no stylus included, but I noticed that the screen was very responsive when I used my finger and I didn’t experience any screen tearing or retraction.

I was able to work well with the 16:10 display because I could open multiple tabs at once, although I encountered a problem while browsing the web: Netflix was too grainy, and it looked like the screen was tearing at the event. This may be due to a pre-Pro model, although I would be wary if you want to use it primarily as a media device.

Performance

• AMD Ryzen processor
• AMD Radeon Graphics
• Chrome OS

Since this isn’t just a preliminary look and a review, I can’t comment on the performance of the Chromebook Spin 514, but I can walk through the specs.

You will be able to buy this laptop in four flavors: AMD Ryzen 7 5825C, AMD Ryzen 5 5625C, AMD Ryzen 3 5425C and AMD Ryzen 3 5125C. Here the highest performing CPU should offer fast load up time and work well for productivity work and some creative work, if they are not too intense.

There is an iGPU, AMD Radeon Graphics, which will limit this laptop to intensive graphical tasks like Triple-A gaming, 4K video editing and 3D rendering. This isn’t a bad thing at all, but I’d recommend the Chromebook Spin 514 as a work or educational device only.