News

Acer Chromebook Plus 514 is coming to SA next month

Luis Monzon

22nd April 2024

Acer is launching the Chromebook Plus 514 in South Africa in May.
The machine features mid-range specifications, AI-powered Google apps and a somewhat large screen for R10 000.
Unfortunately the laptop is bogged down by ChromeOS, and doesn’t have any standout specifications.

A brand new Chromebook from Acer is heading for South African stores imminently. This is the Chromebook Plus 514, an affordable mid-range laptop that hits all of the checks but doesn’t excel at any in particular, and weighs in at under 2kg.

Instead, with the Chromebook Plus 514, Acer is highlighting its screen real estate, as well as its performance-focused specifications. In this department, the laptop sports 8GB of LPRDDR5 RAM and an Intel Core i3-N305 processor. Unfortunately, and to be expected of this setup, there is an integrated graphics card – Intel UHD.

In terms of display, it ships with a 14-inch 1080P full-HD screen, and Acer claims it can go up to 11 hours without needing to charge, and when you do charge you have a fast-charging battery available at 53Wh.

While so far it sounds like a solid machine, we’re disappointed to see the Plus 514 will be running the ChromeOS, but that is to be expected of the Chromebook range. In our review of the Plus 515, the larger cousin of the 514, we noted with disappointment how little you can actually do with ChromeOS, given that less than 2 percent of people worldwide use ChromeOS as their operating system of choice, which means many daily apps you’re used to using will be unavailable or with fewer features.

For example, the version of Steam available for ChromeOS is only in Beta.

One positive of the operating system is that it comes ready with Google’s suite of generative AI-powered apps like the photo editor tech Magic Eraser and Adobe apps like Photoshop and Adobe Express. Additionally, the laptop features 512GB of storage space in this configuration, which is about average.

If you’re in the market for a laptop for virtual meetings, the 514 features a 1080p webcam with Temporal Noise Reduction (TNR) for noise cancellation, plus AI-powered tools that enhance clarity, lighting, and blur backgrounds.

“The new Acer Chromebook Plus 514 (CB514-4H/T) delivers the sought-after combination of a portable design, 14-inch Full HD display and performance-minded technology that lets users get the most out of exciting capabilities offered with Chromebook Plus,” said James Lin, General Manager, Notebooks, Acer Inc.

“Students, businesses, families, and individuals need to be more productive, connected and empowered than ever, and can achieve this using Acer Chromebook Plus devices.”

Also of note is that the Chromebook Plus 514 is made of eco-friendly materials. Its touchpad is made out of ocean-bound plastic waste, contains sustainable packaging and is a certified energy-efficient machine.