CES 2021 hasn't even officially started yet, but announcements are coming out of the ether and are ready to inform you about all the new tech, including Acer's new Chromebook Spin 514. This machine is packing an AMD CPU, promises 10 hours of battery life and is relatively affordable.
The Acer Chromebook Spin 514 is slated to launch sometime in February 2021 and start at $479, which is a solid price considering the specs. However, on the more expensive side, you can get the Enterprise version for $749 when it becomes available in March 2021.
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Acer Spin 514: What you need to know
The Chromebook Spin 514 features an anodized, sandblasted aluminum chassis, which would be surprising to see on a sub-$500 laptop, but Acer has been doing this for a while now. The 2-in-1 laptop is available in three colors: Pure Silver, Steel Gray and Mist Green.
It clocks in at 0.68 inches thin and weighs just 3.42 pounds. As far as ports go, you'll get two USB Type-C ports, two USB Type-A ports, a microSD card slot, an HDMI port and a Kensington lock slot.
In terms of specs, you'll get either an AMD Ryzen 7 3700C or Ryzen 5 3500C CPU, up to 16GB of RAM, and up to 256GB of storage. It's unclear whether the storage will be an SSD or something else.
Additionally, the Acer Chromebook Spin 514 is MIL-STD 810H1 compliant, so that means it can take quite a beating before it actually breaks on you, which is great if you're always traveling (post-COVID at least). As far as security is concerned, you can get the Google Enterprise version, which essentially allows for remote management, but that'll cost you an extra $270.
The Acer Chromebook Spin 514's 14-inch display is covered with Corning Gorilla Glass and features a 1920 x 1080-pixel resolution that supports touch input. It doesn't look like there are any display options apart from the base, but that's not too surprising given the price.
Outlook
At the base price, the Acer Chromebook Spin 514 seems like a worthy investment for those that need a Chromebook with a little bit of a kick. However, I wouldn't recommend springing for the Enterprise version unless you're a company with tons of money to blow. I appreciate that the difference in price is clear, unlike some other super expensive business notebooks that are marked up for no other reason than to fly under a "business" banner.
