Acer launches four new Chromebooks, including revamped Spin 514

At today’s Next@Acer event, the company unveiled a suite of new Chromebooks including the revamped Acer Chromebook Spin 514.

The biggest announcement of the event for Chrome OS fans is that the next generation Acer Chromebook Spin 514 convertible will be available soon. Where the previous model featured AMD Ryzen processors, the new ones offer the latest 11th Gen Intel Core CPUs.

Despite being positioned in the upper-mid-range slot, the new Acer Chromebook Spin 514 will be available in specs ranging up to a fanless Core i7, with 16GB of RAM and as much as 512GB of high-speed NVMe storage. Another major change from the last iteration is the addition of upward-firing speakers to the sides of the keyboard, while the microSD storage slot has been removed.

Acer Chromebook Spin 514 (CP514-2H) Spec sheet

• Display: 14″ Full HD (1920 X 1080) Multi-touch TFT IPS, Acer CineCrystal™
• Processor options:
  • 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1180G7
  • 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1160G7
  • 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1140G7
  • 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1130G7
  • 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1110G4
• Memory: Dual-channel LPDDR4X SDRAM up to 16GB
• Storage: Up to 512 GB, PCIe Gen3, 8 Gb/s up to 2 lanes, NVMe
• Dimensions: 12.7 (W) x 8.88 (D) x 0.68 (H) inches
• Weight: 3.02 lbs
• Battery Life: Up to 10 hours
• Wireless: Wi-Fi 6 2×2 MIMO
• Audio:
  • DTS® Audio
  • Two stereo speakers with Smart Amplifier
• Webcam: Full HD MIPI webcam
• Pricing & availability:
  • EMEA: October release, starting at €799
  • North America: January release, starting at $699

Moving down the product line, Acer has also prepared a lower-end convertible in the Chromebook Spin 314, which takes the same basic form factor and scales back on the specs to create a more affordable package. With a $499 starting price, this model may make sense for those who need the versatility of a tablet and a laptop without breaking the bank for a high-powered machine.

Acer Chromebook Spin 314 (CP314-1H/N) Spec sheet

• Display options:
  • 14″ HD (1366 X 768)
  • 14.0″ display with IPS technology, Full HD (1920 x 1080), high-brightness Acer CineCrystal™
• Processor options:
  • Intel® Pentium® Silver N6000 Processor
  • Intel® Celeron® N5100 Processor
  • Intel® Celeron® N4500 Processor
• Memory: Dual-channel LPDDR4X SDRAM up to 8GB
• Storage: Up to 128 GB eMMC
• Dimensions: 12.85 (W) x 8.96 (D) x 0.78 (H) inches
• Weight: 3.42 lbs
• Battery Life: Up to 10 hours
• Wireless: Wi-Fi 6 2×2 MIMO
• Audio:
  • Two stereo speakers
  • Dual microphones
  • DTS® Audio
• Pricing & availability:
  • EMEA: October release, starting at €449
  • North America: November release, starting at $499

Further down the affordability spectrum comes the Acer Chromebook 514. Note the missing “Spin” designation, which means this device does not convert and is a simple clamshell.

More importantly, to make the device more affordable yet still perfectly performant, the Acer Chromebook 514 is equipped with a MediaTek Kompanion 828 processor. In fact, despite its affordability, the device is a step up in some regards, such as up to 15-hour battery life and reduced weight.

Starting at just $399, the Acer Chromebook 514 will definitely be the affordable Chromebook to keep an eye on in the coming months.

Acer Chromebook 514 (CB514-2H/T) Spec sheet

• Display:
  • 14.0″ display with IPS technology, Full HD (1920 X 1080), high-brightness Acer ComfyView™
  • 10-finger multi-touch (optional)
• Processor: MediaTek Kompanio 828, Octa-Core CPU
• Memory: Dual-channel LPDDR4X SDRAM up to 8GB
• Storage: Up to 128 GB eMMC
• Dimensions: 12.74 (W) x 8.94 (D) x 0.66 (H) inches
• Weight: 2.87 lbs
• Battery Life: Up to 15 hours
• Wireless: Wi-Fi 6 2×2 MIMO
• Audio:
  • Two stereo speakers
  • Dual microphones
  • DTS® Audio
• Pricing & availability:
  • EMEA: November release, starting at €399
  • North America: December release, starting at $399

The Acer Chromebook 515 rounded out the event as a traditional 15-inch clamshell laptop. The 515 is available with similar higher-performance options as offered on the Chromebook Spin 514 — and even faster NVMe storage — while also offering a more affordable Intel Pentium-powered starting model.

Unfortunately, Acer is not offering the Chromebook 515 in the United States except to enterprise customers. Elsewhere, it will launch later this month with a solid €499 starting price.

Acer Chromebook 515 (CB515-1W/1WT) Spec sheet

• Display options:
  • 15.6″ Full HD (1920 X 1080), Acer ComfyView™
  • 15.6″ Full HD (1920 X 1080) IPS, Acer ComfyView™
  • 15.6″ Full HD (1920 X 1080) 10-finger Multi-touch IPS, Acer ComfyView™
• Processor options:
  • 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1180G7
  • 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1165G7
  • 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1145G7
  • 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1135G7
  • 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1115G4
  • 11th Gen Intel® Pentium® Gold 7505
• Memory: Dual-channel LPDDR4X SDRAM up to 16GB
• Storage: Up to 512 GB, PCIe Gen3, 8 Gb/s up to 4 lanes, NVMe
• Dimensions: 14.09 (W) x 9.47 (D) x 0.81/0.98 (H) inches
• Weight: 3.75 lbs
• Battery Life: Up to 10 hours
• Wireless: Wi-Fi 6 2×2 MIMO
• Audio:
  • DTS® Audio
  • Two stereo speakers with Smart Amplifier
• Pricing & availability:
  • EMEA: October release, starting at €499
  • North America: (Enterprise only) January release, starting at $649