Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 Review: A Premium Chromebook

Google's Chrome operating strategy is officially connected the AI bandwagon, and Chromebook manufacturers marked the juncture with a new batch of laptops. One of the latest is the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714, which aims for a premium laptop acquisition without a premium (by laptop standards) price. But astatine $699, it’s inactive good supra the budget niche that Chromebooks person traditionally occupied.

The Chromebook Plus Spin 714 is an update to Acer’s erstwhile non-Plus Spin 714 (which is inactive available) and inherits a batch from its predecessor. The wide look and consciousness of the laptop are the same, which is simply a bully thing. The biggest quality with the Chromebook Plus Spin 714 (CP714-1H-54UB) exemplary Acer provided for this reappraisal is the upgrade to the newer Intel Core Ultra 5 115U processor, which is conscionable arsenic zippy arsenic the Core i5-1335U spot recovered successful the erstwhile generation.

You get 8 GB of RAM to grip your tasks, and retention is backed by a 256-GB NVMe solid-state drive, which is accelerated capable that you’ll ne'er person to interest astir the laptop slowing down erstwhile shuttling files around. Altogether, this makes for a operation of hardware that easy handles the lightweight ChromeOS operating system—though you whitethorn find the retention a small claustrophobic if you enactment with a batch of photos and videos.

Where this hardware shines is with the new artificial quality tools built into ChromeOS. The Chromebook Plus Spin 714 easy handled Google Photos’ Magic Editor, allowing maine to erase, resize, and determination objects successful photos wrong seconds. The aforesaid goes for the caller generative AI features for wallpaper and video telephone backgrounds. Just participate a punctual with immoderate prebaked parameters and ChromeOS creates a high-resolution representation for you to usage successful either situation. I don't cognize however utile the video backgrounds are beyond the archetypal novelty, but I tin spot myself often utilizing the wallpaper generator.

None of these features run ace rapidly connected this Spin 714, but you lone person to hold a fistful of seconds; it's not painful. We’re inactive a ways disconnected from instant gratification with AI processing, particularly successful a $699 laptop, but I ne'er felt similar the Chromebook Plus Spin 714 was struggling to support up.

In presumption of styling, this Acer looks nicer than its terms suggests, with the sleek aluminum exterior and golden accents adding an aerial of luxury to the wide presentation. It's well-built, and the display's hinges are notably stiff (in a bully way). Acer’s attraction to item with the keyboard platform stands retired too. The keys beryllium successful a flimsy recess to enactment them astatine the aforesaid tallness arsenic the surrounding chassis, preventing them from touching the show and leaving prints erstwhile the lid is closed. It’s a bully interaction that eliminates 1 of the biggest downsides of a glossy interaction display.

As for the keyboard itself, it’s pleasant to benignant connected for hours and hours. The keys person a bully spot of question and consciousness snappy with each press. They’re besides backlit, truthful you won’t find yourself struggling to touch-type successful the dark. The trackpad is simply a small smaller than I would like, but it's responsive.