Acer Chromebook 514 CB514-1WT in review: Quiet office laptop with good battery life

With the Chromebook 514, Acer presents a 14-inch laptop that’s powered by a Core i3-1115G4 processor. Google’s Chrome OS serves as the operating system. Competitors include devices like the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 CB 13IML05 , the Asus ExpertBook B1 B1400 , the HP 14s , and the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 14ALC05 .

The gray case’s build quality is good, but it lacks rigidity: The base unit (plastic) and lid (metal) can be twisted too easily. A maximum opening angle of 180 degrees allows the display to be folded down completely towards the surface. Both the battery and the rest of the hardware are accessible after removing the bottom cover.

Caution: The battery is only held in place by the screws of the bottom cover. After removing the latter, the battery is left inside the case without anything to hold it in place. A pity: The two Thunderbolt 4 ports (USB-C; Power Delivery, DisplayPort) as well as the third video output (HDMI) are on the same side of the case.

The possibility to connect the power adapter, monitor, and/or docking solution on either side would be an advantage for a mobile device. Furthermore, Acer doesn’t exclusively use USB-C; there’s also a USB-A port (USB 3. 2 Gen 1).

The webcam (0. 9 MP) generates images in a maximum resolution of 1,280×720 pixels. There are problems with color accuracy: Colors deviate significantly from the target.

Good: The camera has a mechanical shutter. In addition, there’s a fast microSD memory card reader (reference card: AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60), and a Wi-Fi 6 module (Intel AX201, 802. 11ax, Bluetooth 5).

A fingerprint scanner is optionally available. The flat, slightly roughened keys of the backlit chiclet keyboard (five brightness levels) have a short travel and a clear pressure point. The keyboard’s slight yielding didn’t prove to be bothersome.

Overall, Acer delivers a keyboard suitable for everyday use here. A multitouch-capable ClickPad (approx. 10.

3 x 6. 3 cm) serves as mouse replacement. Its smooth surface makes it easy for fingers to glide on it.

The pad has a short travel and a clear pressure point. The touchscreen (10 touchpoints) doesn’t present any problems, and it responds quickly to inputs. It can only be operated with the fingers, since it lacks stylus support.

While the matte 14-inch touchscreen display (1,920×1,080 pixels) delivers a good contrast (1,344:1), the maximum brightness (224. 9 cd/m²) is below the target (>300 cd/m²). The measuring devices register a high-frequency flickering (25,000 Hz) at brightness levels of 80% and below.

Sensitive users shouldn’t suffer from headaches and/or eye problems. The display’s color reproduction is still acceptable out of the box, but the colors deviate a bit from the target. The display doesn’t suffer from a blue tint.

The viewing-angle stable IPS panel is legible from any position. The screen content can be read outdoors when the sun isn’t shining too brightly. With the Chromebook 514, Acer has a 14-inch laptop in its lineup that provides enough performance for office and Internet applications.

The Core i3-1115G4 dual-core processor (Tiger Lake) runs at a base clock speed of 3 GHz. An increase to 4. 1 GHz is possible via Turbo.

Hyper-Threading (two threads per core) is supported. The CPU delivers results above the 1115G4’s average in the browser benchmarks. The operating system loads quickly, and programs open promptly.

The hardware configuration is sufficient for simple office and Internet applications. Acer equips the CB514 with a 256 GB SSD (PCIe 3, M. 2 2280).

It would be theoretically possible to exchange the SSD, but this would require the removal of a ribbon cable inside the case. The Intel UHD Graphics Xe G4 48EU graphics core (400 to 1,250 MHz) is in charge of graphics output. A decoder that’s integrated into the GPU can unload the CPU when playing videos in common formats like H.

264 and HEVC/H. 265. The Acer laptop doesn’t produce all that much noise over the entire load range.

The fan usually stands still during idle usage and silence prevails. It only revs up a bit under load. The maximum sound pressure level is 32.

3 dB(A). The Chromebook’s case temperatures remain within the green range in everyday use (office, Internet). Under load (the Octane V2 and Jetstream benchmarks run in a loop), the chassis can be described as lukewarm at best.

The stereo speakers deliver a passable sound that can hardly offer any bass. The Acer laptop doesn’t reveal any surprises in terms of energy consumption. The maximum power consumption of 25.

3 watts is reached during the stress test. The included USB-C power adapter (45 watts) has an adequate capacity. The 14-incher achieves a runtime of 8:53 hours in our real-world Wi-Fi test.

A script is used to reproduce the load caused by accessing websites here. The Acer Chromebook has been primarily designed for use in companies or organizations – at least the price level suggests that. Just under 580 Euros (~$611) is a lot of money for a simple Core i3 laptop.

Comparable Windows laptops cost a good 150 to 200 Euros (~$158 to ~$211) less. The relatively high price is likely to make the Acer Chromebook 514 uninteresting for private users. A Core i3-1115G4 processor, 8 GB of RAM (LPDDR4X, not expandable), and a 256 GB SSD (PCIe 3, M.

2 2280) gear the device for office and Internet use. The laptop operates quietly, but not silently. The CPU is actively cooled.

One battery charge (50 Wh) is enough for a Wi-Fi runtime of 8:53 hours – a good rate by Chromebook standards, but not an outstanding one. Positive: The CB514 can be powered via both USB-C ports (Thunderbolt 4; Power Delivery, DisplayPort). The matte (!) touchscreen display (Full HD, IPS, 14-inch) offers stable viewing angles and good contrast.

The brightness is too low, though. The touchscreen can only be operated with the fingers, as it lacks stylus support. An alternative from the Windows world would be the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 14ALC05 .

It’s on par in terms of price, but it offers significantly more processing power and better battery life thanks to its Ryzen APU. At the time of writing, you can find the Acer Chromebook 514 CB514-1WT in almost the same configuration that we just reviewed, except for the storage space, for around $660 on Amazon (Core i3-1115G4, 8 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD). A version with 256 GB of storage doesn’t seem to be available at the moment.

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