Inexpensive pricing, versatile design, and high quality with out compromise—that is what individuals anticipate once they purchase a midrange to high-end Chromebook just like the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 ($699.99 as examined). As ChromeOS laptops proceed to evolve, Acer has remained a high participant within the area, cranking out Chromebooks for customers, lecture rooms, and enterprise for practically a decade. The 2023 Spin 714, a refresh of the 2022 mannequin that copped an Editors’ Selection award 10 months in the past, retains up the custom of wonderful design, compelling efficiency, and a value that is not unhealthy, if not as budget-friendly as a number of the cheaper Chromebooks on the market. The truth is, it is $30 inexpensive than final 12 months’s mannequin, which it replaces as our Editors’ Selection amongst premium Chromebooks.
Configurations: Fundamental or Premium
Acer would not allow you to choose and select particular person specs, however provides two fashions of the 2023 Chromebook Spin 714. Our overview unit (mannequin CP714-2W-56B2) combines an Intel Core i5-1335U processor, 8GB of reminiscence, and a 256GB solid-state drive with a 14-inch IPS contact display with 1,920-by-1,200-pixel decision and a 16:10 facet ratio. As with different Spin fashions, the show flips and folds between laptop computer, pill, and kiosk or presentation modes.
If you happen to crave extra energy, the upscale Spin 714 mannequin CP714-2WN-74R0 is $999.99 with a Core i7-1355U CPU and a sharper 2,560-by-1,600 contact display, plus the identical reminiscence and storage. Clearly, our efficiency benchmarks will not apply to this deluxe mannequin, however our observations about design and bodily options ought to maintain true for each programs.
The Design: Steel Makes the Machine
Made with an aluminum chassis and lid, the Chromebook Spin 714 is a sturdy convertible 2-in-1 that simply transitions from laptop computer to pill. The mild curves of the chassis make it comfy to carry when closed, with out sacrificing consolation when folded again into pill mode. When closed, the metal grey end seems to be pretty trendy, with solely the delicate grey Chrome emblem on the lid indicating that it is a ChromeOS-powered machine.
Measuring 0.71 by 8.8 by 12.3 inches, the Acer is transportable sufficient to hold between lessons or conferences, and no burden in a backpack or laptop computer bag at 3.02 kilos. To make it just a little extra road-ready, Acer has constructed the Spin 714 to satisfy MIL-STD 810H sturdiness necessities, rated to outlive minor drops and spills in addition to shock, vibration, and temperature extremes.
Throughout the 14-inch show is a layer of powerful Gorilla Glass to fend off scratches and cracks, and an added antimicrobial layer helps preserve fingers clear if it is advisable to sometimes share the contact display with another person. The show seems to be good, excellent for watching movies in full HD and a snug pixel density for working with paperwork and web sites. The 14-inch measurement can be about as giant as you need in a convertible laptop computer, making for a big, however not unwieldy, pill to carry in your fingers or carry within the criminal of your arm.
Above the show is a 2K-resolution webcam that is an ideal match for the display’s WUXGA decision. A privateness shutter offers you some peace of thoughts when the digital camera isn’t in use. A twin microphone array helps choose up your voice for videoconferencing and recording, with noise-reduction expertise that helps filter out ambient sound.
The backlit keyboard is good to have in a dimly lit room, and the important thing legends are clear and legible, with out a lot mild spilling out round every key. The tiled keycaps are comfy sufficient to sort on, and keystrokes’ depth and rebound are sufficient. The accompanying touchpad is not as roomy as these seen on some premium laptops of late, however its mechanical click on provides a pointy, clear response when it is advisable to faucet an icon or choose some textual content.
On the left aspect of the laptop computer you may discover a USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 port, together with an HDMI monitor port and a 3.5mm audio headset jack. On the appropriate aspect is one other Thunderbolt 4 port together with a USB Sort-A port. You’ll be able to join wi-fi peripherals utilizing Bluetooth 5.1, and the convertible has Wi-Fi 6E for fast connectivity.
Testing the Acer Chromebook Spin 714: Effectively Above Common
The 2023 Acer Spin 714 is not one of many low-cost price range Chromebooks you might have recognized a number of years again. As a substitute, it is priced like a midrange laptop computer, combining ChromeOS with a versatile 2-in-1 design and respectable efficiency due to its Intel Core i5 processor. There is not any scarcity of Chromebook convertibles to match its efficiency to, many coming from the identical firm, so our benchmark charts embrace the 2022 Chromebook Spin 714 in addition to the newer Acer Chromebook Spin 514, which has an identical 14-inch design with an AMD processor and cheaper eMMC flash storage as an alternative of an SSD.
We rounded out our comparability with two succesful convertibles from earlier this 12 months, the HP Chromebook x360 13b and Lenovo Flex 3 Chromebook. With Chromebooks sporting all kinds of CPUs starting from low-powered ARM chips to the identical Intel and AMD processors seen in skinny and light-weight Home windows laptops, there’s all the time all kinds in efficiency testing.
Productiveness Assessments
We check Chromebooks with three total efficiency benchmark suites: one ChromeOS, one Android, and one on-line. The primary, Principled Applied sciences’ CrXPRT 2, measures how rapidly a system performs on a regular basis duties in six workloads comparable to making use of photograph results, graphing a inventory portfolio, analyzing DNA sequences, and producing 3D shapes utilizing WebGL.
Our second check, UL’s PCMark for Android Work 3.0, performs assorted productiveness operations in a smartphone-style window. Lastly, Basemark Net 3.0 runs in a browser tab to mix low-level JavaScript calculations with CSS and WebGL content material. All three yield numeric scores; increased numbers are higher.
The 2023 Spin 714 was one of many higher performers in CrXPRT 2, trailing solely the AMD-powered Spin 514 we reviewed final spring. The identical Acers took the gold and silver medals in PCMark for Android. Final 12 months’s Spin 714 squeaked out a win in Basemark Net 3.0, however the brand new 2-in-1 was shut behind, practically doubling the rating of the HP. Whereas any Chromebook is ok for on a regular basis duties like writing in Google Docs or viewing YouTube movies, you may discover the Core i5-based Spin 714 provides a extra responsive expertise total, particularly for extra demanding apps.
Part and Battery Assessments
Two different Android benchmarks concentrate on the CPU and GPU respectively. Primate Labs’ Geekbench makes use of all accessible cores and threads to simulate real-world functions starting from PDF rendering and speech recognition to machine studying, whereas GFXBench 5.0 stress-tests each low-level routines like texturing and high-level, game-like picture rendering that workouts graphics and compute shaders. Geekbench delivers a numeric rating, whereas GFXBench counts frames per second (fps).
Lastly, to check a Chromebook’s battery, we loop a 720p video file with display brightness set at 50%, quantity at 100%, and Wi-Fi and keyboard backlighting disabled till the system quits. Typically we should play the video from an exterior SSD plugged right into a USB port, however the Spin 714 has greater than sufficient inside storage to carry the video file.
The brand new Spin 714 earned high marks in each Geekbench and GFXBench, topping each of the opposite Acer Chromebooks in addition to handily beating the HP and Lenovo in each processing and graphics efficiency. It was barely overwhelmed by the HP x360 13b in our battery rundown, although with practically 15 hours of unplugged runtime on a cost, the Acer ought to simply get you thru a full day of labor or college and nonetheless have sufficient juice for a night spent watching Netflix or shopping Fb.
Verdict: The Greatest 2-in-1 Chromebook Repeats
The latest Chromebook Spin 714 provides one other Editors’ Selection trophy to Acer’s shelf. It retains every part we beloved concerning the earlier model—a superb show, versatile convertible design, and ample connectivity—however provides higher efficiency and longer battery life at a barely cheaper price. With sturdy, trendy building and efficiency that is among the many greatest you will get in a Chromebook, it is frankly exhausting to search out something to complain about, making the Spin 714 straightforward to advocate once more.
