Over the past few years, I feel like Chromebooks have reached the plateau. Chromeos is currently a quirky but mature platform, and Google continues to add smart and useful features regularly. However, the hardware feels stagnant, with some exceptions. Currently, most Chromebooks are utilitarian devices that do the job without any excitement, and I find that most Intel-based Chromebooks don’t get me through the day before the battery.
But earlier this summer Lenovo releases a new Chromebook With the ARM-based Mediatek’s Kompanio Ultra 910 chip, instead of the usual Intel fare. Now, Acer is doing it with the latest Chromebook Plus Spin 514, which is what Acer says is the laptop that should reach 17 hours of battery life – only this model and the aforementioned Lenovo will hit that number. Previously, available median-powered Chromebooks ran on weaker mobile chips, but the mobile chips didn’t have enough power, but the Kompanio Ultra 910 was a completely different beast. The combination of performance and efficiency that Spin 514 offers makes it one of the best Chromebooks I’ve used for some time.
Macro
Between powerful chips, good battery life and solid hardware, Acer’s Chromebook Plus Spin 514 is one of the best Chromeos laptops you can buy.
- Great battery life
- Excellent performance
- Solid keyboard, trackpad and display
- Reasonable and light price
- Expensive
- I hope both sides have USB-C ports
- The speakers and webcams are OK
Hardware design
The Chromebook Spin 514 feels like many ACER laptops I’ve tried over the years (CP514-5HN is the identifier for this particular model, but we’re just referring to it as the Spin 514 from now on). It is solid and good while still feeling quite practical. It doesn’t meet the “advanced” laptop standards, but it’s better at the end of the Chromebook Spectrum. I’m a fan of the silver color scheme, rather than the rather dark grey that most Chromebooks come in, the laptop’s lid has nice chamfered and polished edges, with a visual style.
It’s also a relatively thin (0.61 inches) and light (3 pounds) laptop. It’s not pushing the envelope, but it’s also slimmer and portable than many cheaper Chromebooks. “Almost quality” is not a bad place. The same goes for the keyboard and trackpad – they are spacious and comfortable, and the keys have a lot of clicks. This is not the best keyboard I have ever used, but a keyboard that I would love to click for hours at a time. The 1,920 x 1,200 touch screen is bright, sharp and colorful, and is enjoyable looking for long meetings. However, it also has large bezels above and below the display. Again, almost very high.
The Spin 514 also has solid connectivity options. On the one hand, you’ll find two USB-C 3.2 ports and a headphone jack, while the other side comes with two USB-A 3.2 ports. I wish there was one on each side so that you could plug in the charger on the left or right, but alas. My only real question is that if you are using a monitor with a laptop plugged in, both USB-C jacks will work. HDMI connections can be helpful for this common situation.
As the name suggests, the Spin 514 has a 360-degree hinge that allows you to use it in tablet mode, with the touch screen as the main input. I have long believed that these convertible laptops don’t offer any useful solutions for the vast majority of people, and I still feel the same way. But the hinge feels great. Acer has extensive experience in the department. The USI 2.0 stylus I have on hand does not require pairing or setting, which is handy. If you’re the type of person who will take advantage of this, Spin 514 can solve the problem.
Overall, the Spin 514 landed in terms of hardware quality, and I almost expected a $700 laptop. It’s a good utilitarian – I had no major disappointment in my tests except for the speakers, and when listening to music, the bass and sounded harsh.
Configuration and performance
Before digging into how Spin 514 works for me, here’s a quick word about configuration. The retail price I tested was $700 and will be sold through Best Buy. This setup has the Mediatek Kompanio Ultra 910 mentioned above, as well as 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Acer itself will be selling the $750 model, which includes a 2,880 x 1,800 display and 16GB of RAM, but otherwise it should be the same as the model I’m testing.
Chromeos runs well enough on a variety of commonly used Intel chips. One of my favorite Chromebooks is the Lenovo IdeaPad 5i, which still uses the Core i3 from early 2023 and can get the job done. However, the move towards the ARM-based Kompanio Ultra 910 improves the performance bar, as the Spin 514 is probably the most sensitive Chromebook I’ve ever tried. If you have too many windows or applications open, there are still some slowdowns or ic-punching tips on Intel-based models. In rare cases, it is rare to reload the tag and pop up quickly. Music or video playback is never skipped, no matter what I am doing, and Android apps like Lightroom work quickly and smoothly.
Perhaps more important than today’s performance, the Kompanio Ultra 910 should keep the Flip 514 alive and strong for the next few years. Over the years, this kind of chip has only more room to meet the growing performance needs. The benchmark for the Android version of Geekbench 6 helps to illustrate: the SPIN 514 scored 2,526 in single-core CPU tests, 7,687 in multi-core tests, and 18,020 in GPU tests. For comparison, ACER’s recently released Chromebook plus 514 and Intel Core 3 chips scored 1,150, 4,407 and 5,932, respectively. I think a benchmark like Geekbench is not the end of everything, but at least one metric that illustrates the benefits of leaving Intel.
I’ve long complained about the relatively mediocre battery life on Intel-powered Chromebooks, another place where Mediatek chips help a lot. In my test, the spin 514 loop video playback was only 14 hours, and then ran out of battery. My daily workflow, which includes a lot of chrome tags, various chat apps, YouTube music, todoist and a few Android apps, certainly uses more resources, but I can still spend a full workday throughout the workday. I’ve said this to many Chromebooks lately. The only caveat is that if you choose a model with a higher resolution display, battery life will almost certainly take a hit.
Chromeos and Gemini
Last year, I wrote a lot about Chromeos and Gemini experiences Reviewed Samsung’s Galaxy Chromebook Plusbasically everything I said applies here. But to review: Chromeos is very mature and stable at this point, and over the years, Google has built many smart features to make it more than just “a web browser”, as previously mentioned. Of course, Chromeos is still a predominantly web-based system, and Android apps allow you to access content that may not be found in your browser. There are also many web applications optimized for Chromeos, and Google Docs has a comprehensive offline mode at this time. Chromeos can also be paired with Android phones and adds features like shared notifications directly on your laptop and streaming certain apps.
Of course, Gemini is also an important part of the equation, but if you are not a big fan of AI tools, it is also easy to ignore. There are few tips around the operating system, but nothing can keep your attention away from your work. If you want to dig into the full content of Gemini, a Chromebook like Spinning 514 is a great option because you have 12 months Google’s AI Pro plan free. Typically, the price is $20 per month and offers 2TB of drive storage, Gemini 2.5 Pro search and Gemini App, Gemini in Gmail and Google Docs, access to veo image and video generation tools, and more. Given that the 2TB of Google Drive storage alone costs $10 per month, this is a solid benefit. But it’s worth remembering that after the year is over, you’ll pay for yourself.
Pricing and final thoughts
My only real question about the Spin 514 is its price. The price for $700 is $700, and we will be the money that anyone should spend on a Chromebook. While for some, while a stronger chip and longer battery life are worth it, Acer itself offers intense competition for the standard Chromebook Plus 514 that will be launched this summer. It has an Intel chip, so battery life and performance are different from the Spin 514 level, but it’s actually half the $350. If you can only stay away from the charger for a few hours at a time, it’s hard not to recommend the device. If you want to learn more, I will post more details about this laptop in our guide to the best Chromebooks.
So while this may not be a Chromebook, I suggest Everyoneit is a strong contender for the best quality Chromebooks you can buy. If you want to use this laptop all day every day, you might be worth the extra cash to pop up for improved performance, battery life and life, from the spin 514.
