Are Premium Chromebooks Worth It In 2025? This Laptop Was Enough To Convert This Windows Fan

Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Acer's 14-inch Chromebook Plus Spin 514 is disposable now for $649.
• Its marathon battery, snappy performance, and affordable value constituent make it punch supra its weight.
• Its beingness build won't entreaty to everyone, it has immoderate hardware limitations, and its speakers are very basic.

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Ready to branch retired from Windows? If you're looking for a bladed and ray laptop for work, school, aliases mundane use, and you're willing successful divesting your reliance connected Microsoft, you whitethorn want to see a Chromebook. 

There has been nary shortage of snappy, easy-to-use Chromebooks successful 2025. For example, 1 of my favorites, nan Lenovo Chromebook Plus, has go my go-to recreation instrumentality for its portability, marathon battery, and satisfying beingness design. 

Also: This Lenovo Chromebook easy replaced my Windows laptop for activity - and I can't spell back

But nan latest Chromebook Plus I've been testing is Acer's Chromebook Plus Spin 514, a very akin 14-inch instrumentality but exchanging nan OLED show for a 2-in-1 shape facet and a stylus for a somewhat little price. 

I can't thief but comparison nan 2 laptops, arsenic they're astir identical nether nan hood. Both characteristic nan battery-efficient, octa-core MediaTek Kompanio Ultra 910 CPU, an ARM-compatible spot that excels astatine powering lightweight devices. Both models characteristic 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB of UFS storage, boasting stellar artillery life that lasts up to 17 hours. 

Also: Why nan astir tin Lenovo laptop connected nan marketplace is not nan exemplary you're reasoning of

The beingness creation and displays are wherever they differ, however. Where Lenovo's Chromebook Plus boasts an OLED display, nan Acer opts for a WUXGA+ IPS show that runs astatine 120Hz -- a astir moreover trade-off, arsenic nan Acer's show is still sleek and crisp. It is, however, very glossy and reflective, requiring immoderate clever positioning while utilizing it successful nan office. 

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

The touchpad and keyboard connected nan Acer are much utilitarian than Lenovo's device, acknowledgment to nan upward-firing speakers connected either extremity of nan keyboard and nan rubber stoppers connected each 4 corners of nan chassis, resulting successful a busier creation aesthetic, particularly pinch nan stickers that travel pinch nan device.

While nan build value feels fine, location is simply a important magnitude of flex connected nan keyboard and wrist rest. Pressing down successful nan halfway of nan keyboard results successful a slump of astir half an inch. 

Along these lines, nan keyboard, while still rather tactile, does require a small much intentionality erstwhile pressing down. Every erstwhile successful a while, 1 of my cardinal presses wouldn't registry if I didn't property it difficult capable aliases was typing peculiarly fast. Luckily, I didn't person this rumor pinch nan trackpad. 

Also: How this DIY Windows laptop stole my bosom from much costly models (and it useful pinch Linux)

The 5MP webcam isn't nan worst, but if you're coming from a amended camera elsewhere (or MacBook Pro's 12MP Center Stage camera), you'll surely announcement nan measurement down successful quality. Along nan aforesaid lines, nan speakers connected this laptop are beautiful basic. 

That being said, nan artillery usage -- moreover from sustained videoconferencing usage -- makes up for it. This point tin beryllium connected calls each day, and it doesn't make overmuch of a dent successful artillery life. I utilized nan Acer Chromebook Plus arsenic my main driver for complete a week; 1 day, I was successful a astir two-hour telephone and still was capable to get done nan full time without erstwhile reaching for nan charger. 

It besides practically stops losing powerfulness erstwhile it's idle aliases not successful use, allowing you to prime it up and commencement wherever you near off. On that note, it starts up immediately, particularly pinch ChromeOS's Welcome Recap feature. 

Speaking of nan Chromebook Plus features disposable successful ChromeOS, you've sewage 2TB of unreality retention for Google Drive, NotebookLM, and Gemini pinch Google AI Pro, which comes pinch a twelvemonth free erstwhile you bargain a Chromebook Plus. 

Outside of this halfway suite, afloat entree to nan Google Play shop opens up a assortment of apps and games depending connected what you're looking for; conscionable support successful mind immoderate mobile-only apps will only fresh to vertical orientations recovered connected mobile devices. 

Also: I tested a $139 Chromebook for a week, and I've yet to find a amended laptop woody retired there

In position of I/O, nan Acer Chromebook Plus Spin comes pinch a well-rounded action of ports: 2 USB-A ports (both connected nan right), 2 USB-C ports (both connected nan left), a headphone jack, and a fastener slot. Just beryllium alert that connected a Chromebook for illustration this, you whitethorn brushwood nan "USB limit reached" correction connection if you're trying to powerfulness much devices than nan laptop's onboard controller tin support. 

If you're coming from Windows and person ne'er utilized a Chromebook before, there's a flimsy learning curve pinch ChromeOS -- but it's incredibly easy to get started with. The operating strategy is straightforward and simplified, and because it's centered astir Google's ecosystem, champion for users who interact intimately pinch those features.  

ZDNET's buying advice

Working connected nan Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 is simply a pleasant experience, pinch a beautiful show that feels much premium than its $649 value constituent would suggest. It has reliably snappy capacity that sails done mundane tasks successful Google's suite of apps, multitasking pinch easiness and sealing nan woody pinch awesome artillery life. 

The laptop's beingness build is utilitarian and unpretentious, but not rather arsenic sleek and polished arsenic different Chromebook Plus devices. In exchange, nan value is simply a small much affordable, regularly priced astatine $649, and apt to driblet further during waste events. If you're looking for a Chromebook Plus pinch a bully show and absolute marathon artillery that won't break nan bank, this is 1 of your champion options. 

If you're looking for a much premium Chromebook Plus (with measurement amended speakers) past I propose nan Lenovo Chromebook Plus for $100 more. 

Looking for nan adjacent champion product? Get master reviews and editor favorites pinch ZDNET Recommends.