Acer has jumped on Google’s new Chromebook Plus system with the first 514 and 515 models, which meet this new standard and offer “twice the speed, memory and storage of today’s best-selling Chromebooks.”
In fact, the Chromebook Plus 514 went a little beyond the AMD minimum requirements of the new program, as it can be configured with a maximum of 8 or 16 GB of RAM with the Ryzen 5 7520C processor. Acer hasn’t announced the exact Intel processors available for the 515 alternative, although there’s guaranteed to be either Alder Lake or Raptor Lake on the Core i7 with the same RAM options.
In any case, these “modern” platforms will come with a 15.6-inch IPS FHD screen, while the 514 will have a “great” 14-inch 1920 x 1200 screen. Both Plus models feature a MIL-STD 810H certified Acer chassis with Ocean Glass coating, a 1080p “temporal noise reduction” trackpad, and DTS Audio speakers.
The Plus 514 and 515 also feature Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.1, USB Type-C and HDMI for more of that somewhat modern PC feel that Google and Acer are going for here. As a result, these new types of Chromebooks are intended to “maximize productivity and express creativity” like never before, handling applications like Adobe Express or Photoshop (although it’s possible it’s still in a browser), as well as Google Docs. Tables or slides – all with AI additions, of course.
Finally, these PCs are said to be just as useful offline thanks to a Chromebook Plus file manager that allows access to files from the aforementioned Google apps without Wi-Fi. The Acer Chromebook Plus 514 (CB514-3H/T) and 515 (CB515). -2H/T) is expected to be available in North America in October 2023 with a starting price of $399.99.
Buy a Chromebook 514 on Amazon