The Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 Made Me Stop Doubting Premium Chromebooks

I’ve reviewed countless Acer Chromebooks, and I always appreciate their build quality and performance. I was skeptical when Chromebook prices started increasing, as I wondered if the value was still there. I have never used them for than light web browsing and Google Docs, which don’t require the power Chromebooks like the Spin 514 ship with. However, just because I don’t take full advantage, it doesn’t mean that others won’t.

And that’s the selling point. The Chromebook Plus Spin 514 is like a build-your-own adventure.

It packs plenty of power in a premium build, enabling you to use it for a wide range of tasks. Its form factor makes it versatile, and while I never love using my Chromebook as a tablet, there are legitimate uses for some users. It’s not a question of whether the Spin 514 is worth it; it’s a matter of whether you can find $800 of value for how you’ll use it — let’s find out.

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Price, specs, and availability

The Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 (CP514-5HN-K4ZE) is available through Acer’s website for $800. It features 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and is available in one color: Platinum Silver.

Acer’s Chromebook product numbers are like trying to learn a foreign language without a teacher. Please ensure you copy and paste the exact model number above to obtain the unit I’m reviewing.

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Another model is available through Best Buy for $700, which features 12GB of RAM and a slightly different display.

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Acer gave the Spin 514 a sleek and durable design

Clean lines on the new model

Acer’sexpensive Chromebooksalways feature a premium and durable design, but I appreciate what the company’s done with the new Spin 514. My review unit sports sleeker lines in a thinner chassis. It also maintains excellent portability, weighing only 3 pounds.

Thankfully, Acer didn’t sacrifice durability for a prettier design. The Spin 514 still maintains a MIL-STD 810H drop test rating. I wouldn’t recommend banging around your $800 Chromebook, but it’s comforting to know that accidentally slamming my messenger back against a door isn’t the end of my laptop.

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Although Acer didn’t have to compromise on durability, one item is missing that I used to enjoy on other Chromebooks from the company: an HDMI port. I loved being able to easily hook up my Acer Chromebooks to an external monitor or television, making them even better presentation tools.

Thankfully, the Spin 514 still features two USB-A 3.2 ports and two USB Type-C ports. It also includes a 3.5mm headphone jack.

A display that does what it says

Versatility from the touchscreen panel

One of the highlights of the Spin 514 is its 14-inch IPS WQXGA+ display with a 2880×1800 resolution. It’s plenty sharp and color accurate, and movies look fantastic on the panel. It also has a 16:10 aspect ratio, which I prefer for productivity.

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It reaches a reasonably bright 340 nits, which is than good enough for both indoor and outdoor use. Because of the Corning Gorilla Glass panel, you’ll notice some glare outdoors, but nothing that would keep me from enjoying the Spin 514.

Of course, as the name suggests, the display hinge does fold over 360 degrees. It allows the Spin 514 to be used in several orientations. I think it excels best as a traditional laptop, but you can also flip the screen all the way over to use it as a tablet.

Multitouch gestures are supported, and it’s enjoyable to have such a high-resolution display used as a tablet. However, it’s unwieldy to hold at 3 pounds, and on a desk, you’re laying it down on the keyboard. Palm rejection still isn’t the best, so you have to be careful where your hands are at all times.

Although I don’t love tablet mode, I absolutely see the benefits of a hinge that goes beyond 180 degrees for tent mode. It’s fantastic for presentations, allowing you to face the screen towards the audience while you control the slides or video. I can see the value for both the education market and business professionals.

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Performance fitting of its price tag

The MediaTek Kompanio Ultra does the job

I didn’t know what to expect from the MediaTek Kompanio Ultra 910 chipset when I started using the Spin 514. Thankfully, performance is solid, and I’m sure the 16GB of RAM in the Spin 514 also contributes to this. I don’t game on myChromebooksbut the MediaTek chipset should provide decent performance.

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I’ll always opt for RAM on Chromebooks, allowing me to have as many tabs open as I want without compromising performance. It’s up to you whether you require the extra power Acer’s latest provides, but you should know it’s there if you need it.

As of the time of writing this review, the Chromebook Plus Spin 514 runs ChromeOS version 141.0.7390.134, and Acer offers a free year of Google AI Pro with purchase. It gives you access to Gemini 2.5 Pro and 2TB of cloud storage. The Spin 514 features a standard complement of AI features, including organizing documents into categories and photo editing.

Google Gemini can answer questions about what you’re doing on the fly, and also has access to Google’s Magic Eraser. All of it runs smoothly enough, but I still don’t think it’s a highlight of the device.

As for the rest of the software, I love what Google’s done withChromeOS. It runs smoothly with excellent integration with your Android smartphone.

I love using the keyboard shortcuts, and I can navigate around ChromeOS without taking my fingers off the keyboard. It’s not quite Linux-like with window swapping, but I like the changes Google has made over the last several years.

I consistently get outstanding battery life from the Spin 514’s 70 Wh cell. It got me through an entire day of football without missing a snap, and I enjoyed the sound from the upward-firing speakers on either side of the keyboard. The webcam is of high quality and ideal for your next video conference; recipients also noted that the microphone audio was clear and crisp.

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It’s not all perfect

Some new problems and some old

As you’d expect, the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 isn’t a perfect machine. I still don’t enjoy the trackpad experience.

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It’s better than it used to be, but I find the sensitivity to be jumpy, even after adjusting the settings. If you pick up a Spin 514, I highly recommend investing in a good external mouse to minimize your frustration.

I don’t understand Acer’s choice of color for the Spin 514. The Platinum Silver looks appealing, but it’s not the best practical choice.

When the keyboard backlight is on, it’s nearly impossible to see the ledgers, so unless you’re good at typing by feel, you’ll struggle. Making the keyboard deck or device color a little darker, or giving the ledgers a bit contrast, would significantly improve the typing experience.

As for the keyboard itself, I love the key travel and typing feel. It’s easy to pound out a few hundred words in no time, and the majority of this review was written on the Spin 514.

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A solid package, but it’s not a slam dunk

The Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 is worth the price of admission, but it’s up to you to decide whether you can recoup $800 worth of value. The tools are there for those who need them, and I love the changes made to ChromeOS.

I appreciate the extra power under the hood that the Spin 514 provides. Still, it’s not an inexpensive investment, so make sure you need what the Spin 514 offers before taking the plunge.