Acer Chromebook Plus 514 Review: Getting Work Done for Less

7.8/ 10
SCORE

Acer Chromebook Plus 514 (CB514-4HT-359X)

$350 at Costco

Pros

• Long battery life
• Excellent webcam performance
• Bright, matte touchscreen
• Durable build
• 512GB SSD

Cons

• No keyboard backlight
• Lots of flex on the keyboard, touchpad
• Slower 5Gbps USB-C ports

Just about all the Acer Chromebooks -- from basic to premium -- I've tested over the years are recommendable, and the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 (CB514-4H/T) is no different. It meets all the requirements to be stamped as a Chromebook Plus model, and it delivers good performance and even better battery life. It has a respectably bright display with a matte finish to limit glare. And it has more storage than you'd typically find at its $350 starting price. It's a simple, sturdy Chromebook for school, work or home. And, once again, it's easy to recommend. 

Acer offers a few configurations of the 514. I'm reviewing a CB514-4H/T, specifically the CB514-4HT-359X. It has a 16:9 display and two USB-C ports, but no HDMI display out. The configuration I tested is $350 and includes a protective sleeve. It's exclusive to Costco, available in-store and online. And although mine didn't have one, there will be versions of the 514 with a backlit keyboard. 

The CB514-4HT-375Z, which is the same configuration as the 359X sans protective sleeve, will be available from Acer and on Amazon for $400 in May. Other configurations will be available direct from Acer and elsewhere as well. Models with a T in the model number mean it has a touchscreen. 

The Chromebook Plus 514 CB514-3H/T initially launched last year with AMD processors instead of Intel. That version also has a 16:10 display ratio, so taller, not wider, and has an HDMI output but only one USB-C port. The starting price is also $400 but can be found for $300 on sale; I won't be surprised if that's eventually true for the CB514-4H/T, too. 

About Chromebook Plus

As Google's ChromeOS has evolved, Chromebooks have grown right along with it. They now range from basic models for less than $200 to premium options up to $1,000. It can make shopping for one to fit your needs a headache, especially if you're on a budget. To simplify the process, Google introduced the Chromebook Plus category. 

With Chromebook Plus, you're guaranteed to get at least the following specs, with a starting price of $399:

• 12th-gen Intel Core i3 or AMD Ryzen 3 7000 processor or better
• 8GB or more of memory
• 128GB or more of storage
• 1080p IPS LCD or better
• 1080p webcam with temporal noise reduction

You'll find Chromebook Plus models with better specs than these, such as a faster processor or more memory. But at least you know that if you see Plus in the name, you're getting features and performance that won't disappoint. Chromebook Plus models also come with three months of Adobe Photoshop on the web and Adobe Express, three months of Nvidia's GeForce Now cloud gaming service and 25% off LumaFusion's video-editing suite. 

Performance and battery life 

Again, the Chromebook Plus specs mean you'll get at least an Intel Core i3 processor, which is better than what you'll typically find in lower-end models. However, not all Core i3 processors are the same. The first three Chromebook Plus models we tested had Core i3 U-series processors, which have two performance cores, or P-cores, designed for raw speed. 

The Core i3-N305 used in this 514 trades the P-cores for additional efficient cores, unsurprisingly designed for efficiency and better for smaller operations and background tasks. The result is slower performance compared to the U-series chips. For basic productivity work, you're unlikely to notice. I certainly didn't. The N305 is not as capable with more demanding tasks, however. Its P-cores and E-cores split up the work demands, using the latter to handle background tasks. You can see the results of our benchmark testing at the end of the review. 

The positive is you get better battery life. Acer claimed up to 11 hours, and the Chromebook Plus 514 ran for 11 hours and 1 minute on our video streaming battery rundown test. Battery time always comes down to what you're doing, and in my anecdotal testing, you can expect between 7 to 8 hours of general use. Plus, it does recharge quickly via USB-C. (The USB-C ports are 3.2 Gen 1, though, limiting their transfer speed to 5 Gbps.) 

Design and features

The Chromebook Plus specs don't outright include anything about design, but the models have looked good. The Acer Chromebook Plus 514 is all plastic, making it relatively lightweight at 3.2 pounds (1.5 kilograms). Its two-tone lid has a brushed finish to class things up. The rest of it is just smooth gray plastic with a darker gray bezel around the display. A notch runs the length of the base at the front to make opening it a little easier. 

When lifted back, the display is hinged in a way that lifts the rear for a slightly better typing angle and cooling. The grilles of the upward-firing speakers frame the keyboard nicely. The speakers sound pretty thin, though -- clear and not entirely unpleasant, but with just a whisper of low-end. You'll probably want external speakers or headphones most of the time.

Similarly, the built-in dual mics get the job done but are nothing special. My voice sounded clear to everyone I spoke with, though one person said I sounded stuffy (it is allergy season). The webcam, on the other hand, is remarkably good, even in low light. It's a 1080p camera, as promised, and in good lighting the video looks sharp and detailed. 

In low light or when backlit, there are settings to brighten your shot and reframe you, too, if you happen to move around. Although the picture does soften in dim lighting, the noise is generally kept in check. Also, there's a physical privacy slider so you can instantly block the lens.

The 14-inch full-HD display is, like the rest of the package, simply good. My review model has touch, which is a nice extra, especially with the screen's matte finish. Combined with its 300-nit brightness, you can actually use the display in bright conditions and still see what you're working on. Although my preference is for a 16:10 display for work, if you're considering this for work and streaming video or cloud gaming, this model's 16:9 ratio is a better fit. 

The keyboard and touchpad are serviceable. The keys have a decent amount of travel and a pleasing tactile pop to them. It's not backlit, but it is an option Acer offers, so you just need to track down a model with it. The touchpad has a smooth glass-like feel and is adequately responsive. Like many hinged touchpads, there's a dead zone for clicks at the very top. Also, there's a noticeable amount of flex in the keyboard and touchpad. It doesn't bother me, though, and doesn't seem indicative of the system's overall durability. In fact, Acer says it's been independently verified for MIL-STD 810H6 military-grade durability.

The Acer Chromebook Plus 514 is better than its price, and that's about the best you could hope for at $400. My rating would've been slightly higher if it had a backlit keyboard and maybe one USB 3.2 Gen 2 USB-C port. As it stands, though, it's still pretty easy for me to recommend it, especially if you're able to pick it up for even less on sale.