It’s also a relatively thin (0.61 inch) and light (3 pounds) laptop. It doesn’t push the limits, but it’s also slimmer and more portable than many cheaper Chromebooks. “Almost premium” is not a bad place to be. The same goes for the keyboard and trackpad: both are spacious and comfortable, and the keys have plenty of room to move. It’s not the best keyboard I’ve ever used, but I enjoy typing on it for hours. The 1920 x 1200 pixel touch screen is bright, sharp and colorful and ideal for longer sessions. However, it also has fairly large bezels above and below the screen. Again almost premium.
The Spin 514 also has solid connectivity options. On one side you’ll find two USB-C 3.2 ports and a headphone jack, while the other side has a vintage look with two USB-A 3.2 ports. I wish there was one on each side so I could plug in a charger on the left or right, but alas! My only real complaint is that both USB-C ports are busy when using a monitor while the laptop is connected to power. For this common scenario, an HDMI port would have been useful.
As the name suggests, the Spin 514 has a 360-degree hinge that allows it to be used in tablet mode, with the touchscreen as the main input. I’ve long believed that these convertible laptops aren’t really a viable solution for the vast majority of people, and I still feel the same way. But the zipper looks good; Acer has a lot of experience in this area. And the USI 2.0 pen I had on hand worked without any pairing or configuration, which was handy. If you are the type of person who would benefit from this, then the Spin 514 is for you.
Overall, the Spin 514 is right where you’d expect a $700 laptop to be in terms of hardware quality. It’s practical in a good way: I had no major disappointments during my testing, except that the speakers had very little bass and a rather loud sound when listening to music.
Settings and performance
Before I go into more detail about how the Spin 514 works for me, first a word about the settings. The version I tested costs $700 and is sold through Best Buy. This configuration includes the aforementioned MediaTek Kompanio Ultra 910 along with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Acer will sell a $750 model with a 2,880 x 1,800 screen and 16GB of RAM, but otherwise it should be identical to the model I’m testing.
ChromeOS works quite well on the various common Intel chips. One of my favorite Chromebooks, the Lenovo Ideapad 5i, still uses a Core i3 in early 2023 and gets the job done. But the move to MediaTek’s ARM-based Kompanio Ultra 910 has raised the performance bar, as the Spin 514 is probably the most responsive Chromebook I’ve tested. On Intel models, there are few signs of slowdowns or problems when there are too many windows or programs open. Maps rarely need to be reloaded and should resume quickly on the rare occasions that this happens. Music or video playback never stopped no matter what I did, and Android apps like Lightroom also worked quickly and easily.
Perhaps even more important than the current performance is the fact that the Kompanio Ultra 910 should keep the Flip 514 fast and powerful for years to come. There is simply more room for this chip to meet the increasing performance demands over the years. Benchmarks for the Android version of Geekbench 6 illustrate this: the Spin 514 scored 2,526 points in the single-core CPU test, 7,687 points in the multi-core test, and 18,020 points in the GPU test. By comparison, Acer’s recently released Chromebook Plus 514, with an Intel Core 3 chip, scored 1,150, 4,407, and 5,932 points, respectively. I don’t think benchmarks like Geekbench are the ultimate solution, but at least it’s a measure that shows the benefits of moving away from Intel.
I’ve long complained about the relatively poor battery life of Intel-based Chromebooks, and here again the MediaTek chip helps immensely. In my tests, the Spin 514 played video for just over 14 hours before the battery died. My daily workflow of countless Chrome tabs, multiple chat apps, YouTube Music, Todoist, and a handful of Android apps definitely demanded more resources, but I still managed to get through a full workday on battery life. I haven’t said that about many Chromebooks lately. The only downside is that your battery life will almost certainly decrease if you choose the model with a higher resolution.
Chrome and Gemini OS
I wrote a lot about ChromeOS and the Gemini experience last year when I tested Samsung’s Galaxy Chromebook Plus, and almost everything I said applies here as well. But to recap: ChromeOS is pretty mature and stable at this point, and Google has built in a lot of smart features over the years to make it more than “just a browser,” as it used to be called. Of course, ChromeOS is still primarily a web-based system, with Android apps giving you access to things you might not find in the browser. There are also many well-optimized web apps for ChromeOS, and Google Docs currently has a full offline mode. ChromeOS also works well with Android phones, offering features like shared notifications and streaming certain apps directly to your laptop.
Of course, Gemini also plays an important role, but unless you’re a big fan of AI tools, this is easy to overlook. There are some instructions for the operating system, but nothing that really takes your attention away from what you’re working on. And if you want to immerse yourself in the world of Gemini, a Chromebook like the Spin 514 is a good option, as you get Google’s AI Pro subscription for free for 12 months. It usually costs $20 per month and offers 2TB of Drive storage with Gemini 2.5 Pro in Search and the Gemini app, Gemini in Gmail and Google Docs, access to Veo image and video generation tools, and more. Considering that only 2 TB of Google Drive storage costs $10 per month, this is a huge benefit. But also remember that you will be responsible for paying for the plan at the end of the year.
Awards and closing thoughts
My only real criticism of the Spin 514 is the price. At $700, we’re over the top amount anyone should spend on a Chromebook. While the more powerful chip and longer battery life may be worth it for some people, Acer itself offers stiff competition with its standard Chromebook Plus 514, released this summer. It has an Intel chip, so battery life and performance aren’t on par with the Spin 514, but at $350, it’s also literally half the price. If you’re only off the charger for a few hours at a time, it’s hard not to recommend this device. If you’re interested in learning more, I’ll be sharing more information about this laptop in our best Chromebook guide soon.
While it may not be the Chromebook, I would recommend it. AllIt’s a strong contender for the best premium Chromebook you can buy. If you plan to use this laptop all day, every day, it might be worth spending the extra money for the improved performance, battery life, and durability you get from the Spin 514.
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