Acer has announced four new Chromebooks, hoping to leave no one out with the range it says will cater to business, school and fun. How much fun? We couldn’t tell you. But let’s check them out.
We were gifted overnight with the Acer Chromebook 514, Spin 514, 515 and the Spin 314.
“Acer’s expansive line of Chromebooks means that we’re well-equipped to meet any sort of customer need – from display size, processors, durability, connectivity and more,” Acer IT products business GM James Lin said.
“Whether a customer needs a device for work, school or entertainment, we’ve got a Chromebook with exactly the features they’re looking for.”
Let’s see what ya got, James.
Acer Chromebook Spin 514
This Chomebook is a convertible 14-inch model built for video conferencing on-the-go.
Please, no more video conferences, I beg you.
“The new Acer Chromebook Spin 514 (CP514-2H) and Acer Chromebook Spin Enterprise 514 were designed to provide maximum performance for productive multi-tasking and video conferencing,” Acer says.
Features include:
- Compact design
- 14-inch FHD display
- Narrow borders on all four sides (allowing for an 84 per cent screen-to-body ratio)
- Powered by up to 11th Gen Intel Core i7 processors (the up to means it’s entirely dependent on your region and their availability, we’re checking on Australia)
- They also reckon this unit is super silent
- Dual USB-C ports
- Wi-Fi 6
- Backlit-keyboard
- Corning Gorilla Glass touchpad
- Aluminium top and bottom covers
- An FHD MIPI webcam that boasts a blue glass filter and noise-reduction tech
- Dual upward facing speakers
- Dual microphones
- DTS audio for high-quality surround sound (with built-in smart amplifier to enhance its speakers)
- Convertible, obviously.
Acer Chromebook Enterprise Spin 514 will be available in Australia starting from $1,449. Additional details on local availability to come.
Unfortunately, local availability and pricing for the Acer Chromebook Spin 514 (CP514-2H) is yet to be announced.
Acer Chromebook 515
The next device unveiled is targeted at ‘performance and conferencing’.
“The Acer Chromebook 515 (CB515-1W/T) and Acer Chromebook Enterprise 515 continue Acer’s track-record of creating award-winning large-screen Chromebooks for customers who need a powerful device to tackle projects for work, home-use and even play,” our man James says.
It has:
- 15.6-inch Display
- Powered by up to 11th Gen Intel Core i7 processors (see above)
- Intel Iris Xe Graphics
- Up to 512 GB PCIe NVMe storage
- Up to 16 GB of RAM
- 2x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 ports (one on each side)
- Intel Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+)
- HDMI and microSD ports
- DTS audio for high-quality surround sound (with built-in smart amplifier to enhance its speakers)
- Military-grade durability (aluminium top cover and a reinforced design)
- Smooth Corning Gorilla Glass touchpad
- Backlit keyboard
The Acer Chromebook 515 (CB515-1W/T) will be available in Australia starting from $1,199 and the Acer Chromebook Enterprise 515 will be available in Australia starting from $1,399. Additional details on local availability to be announced.
Acer Chromebook 514
We’re told these bad boys can handle everything from streaming to multitasking and creating content. The company says this device is compact enough to be taken anywhere. They’re also calling it an ‘all-around performer’.
It boasts:
- 14-inch matte display
- Narrow bezels
- Powered by an octa-core MediaTek Kompanio 828 processor
- USB-C ports (not sure how many, though)
- All-day battery life (up to 15 hours)
- Can be fast-charged to up to 50 per cent of the battery’s capacity in 30 minutes
- Weighs 1.3 kg
- Measures 16.85 mm
- Aluminium top cover
- Corning Gorilla Glass touchpad
- DTS Audio
- Backlit keyboard
The Acer Chromebook 514 (CB514-2H/T) will be available in Australia starting from $899. But when? We’re not sure.
Acer Chromebook Spin 314
The Spin 314 is the more budget-friendly one of the bunch.
It actually has an environmentally-friendly OceanGlass touchpad made entirely out of plastic waste that has been recycled into a glass-like texture. Acer reckons it still provides sleek and responsive tactile feedback.
Features include:
- 14-inch
- Latest Intel processors
- 14-inch FHD IPS touchscreen display
- 6 mm bezels
- Up to 10-hour battery life
- 1x USB-C 3.2 port
- 2x USB-A 3.2 ports
- HDMI port
- MicroSD slot
- Wi-Fi 6
The Acer Chromebook Spin 314 (CB314-1H/N) will be available in Australia starting from $989. We’ll let you know when you can grab one.
Overnight, Acer also gave us the Acer Vero line of green products. Green as in environmentally friendly, not coloured green. There’s two new Vero laptops, a portable PC, a monitor, plus a handful of accessories.