Acer Chromebook Spin 514 relies on AMD Ryzen for first-class Performance

With the Chromebook Spin 514, Acer has a new convertible that combines Chrome OS with decent performance thanks to AMD Ryzen. New Acer Touchscreen Chromebook features a 14-inch 1080p display, robust aluminum housing, and a fast SSD at a reasonable price.

Acer presented a much more attractive touch screen Chromebook Acer Spin 514. Because the company relies on AMD Ryzen, buyers have the choice between a Ryzen 3 3250C, and a Ryzen 5 3500C, in each case there are four cores, eight threads, and an AMD Radeon RX Vega iGPU.

There is also up to 16 GB DDR4 memory and a maximum of 256 GB PCIe NVMe SSD. The battery of the 1.55 kilogram, 17.4-millimeter thin Acer touchscreen Chromebook lasts ten hours according to the manufacturer. The 14-inch 1080p touchscreen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass, and a 360-degree hinge allows the convertible to be used as usual in tent or tablet mode.

The aluminum housing has been certified according to the military standard MIL-STD 810H so that it can withstand falls from a height of up to 122 centimeters. The keyboard is illuminated, but only in the more expensive versions of the Chromebook. In addition to two USB-C ports, there are also two USB-A ports, a microSD card reader, and, in some models, an HDMI port. The device also includes Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), Bluetooth 5.0, stereo speakers, and two microphones with support for the Google Assistant.

Prices and availability

The Acer Chromebook Spin 514 is now available to buy from Bestbuy.com at a starting price of $499.

Acer Chromebook Spin 514 Specifications

• OS: Chrome OS
• Processor: AMD Ryzen 3 3250C 2.60 GHz Dual-core / Ryzen 5 3500C 2.10 GHz Quad-core
• Graphics: AMD Radeon Graphics / AMD Radeon Vega 8
• Display: 14-inch Touchscreen LCD IPS panel
• Resolution: 1920 x 1080
• Memory: Up to 8 GB DDR4 SDRAM
• Flash Memory: Up to 128 GB
• Memory Card Reader: microSD, microSDXC
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0
• Audio: 2x Stereo Speakers, Microphone
• Ports: 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A Ports, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C, 4x USB Type-C, DisplayPort over USB-C
• Battery life: Up to 10 hours
• Dimesions: 0.68″ x 12.7″ x 8.9″
• Weight: 3.64 lb

As a true competitor, Asus has also introduced the Chromebook Flip CM5 touch screen Chromebook, which is positioned as a gaming notebook and is also based on a powerful AMD processor that is focused on cloud gaming while maintaining the high battery life of its class of devices, and is also cost $499.99.