A new Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 shows up at Best Buy

The new Chromebook Plus models are coming in hot and heavy, and this week’s addition is a new, updated Spin 714 from Acer that has the Chromebook Plus branding right on the lid. In the new listing over at Best Buy, we get to see all the specs, all the product images, and basically anything else you’d want apart from the ability to actually purchase it just yet.

Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 key specs

• Intel Core Ultra 5-115U
• 14-inch IPS 1920×1200 touchscreen
• 8GB RAM
• 256GB NVMe storage
• 2x Thunderbolt 4.0 (USB 4.0 Type-C)
• HDMI 2.0
• 1x USB 3.2 Type-A
• Backlit keyboard
• OceanGlass trackpad
• 12.35×8.84×0.71 inches
• 3.21 pounds

Some initial thoughts

We don’t have this device in hand just yet, but I already have a few thoughts from looking at this listing. The first big takeaway is the processor upgrade. The only Chromebook we have right now that is slated to launch with a new, Meteor Lake Intel Core Ultra processor is the ASUS ExpertBook CX54. That device has yet to materialize (I imagine it will very soon), so this new Acer device might end up being the first to market with the latest generation of Intel silicon inside.

The general look and feel of the Spin 714 seems to once again be iterative, and that’s a good thing. The Spin 714 line has consistently been pretty awesome over the past few years, so sweeping changes wouldn’t be a good idea. But there are some inclusions on this one I’m pretty excited about.

First up, if you look closely at the images above, you’ll see that this Chromebook looks pretty fantastic in tablet mode. The way most laptops are built with scooped edges all around on the top and bottom, they don’t spin around and line up their edges very well in tablet mode. The new Spin 714 seems to undo this a bit from the images we’re seeing, and I’m here for it. Convertibles should be comfortable in tablet mode, and the new Spin 714 looks very much like it will be.

Additionally, the return of the 14-inch, 16:10 screen is welcome, the 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is also good to see, and a solid port selection with some Thunderbolt 4 (USB 4) options is also a great inclusion. I also love seeing the 1440p camera included for better video calls and the always-welcome MIL-STD 810 ruggedness Acer has basically included in higher-end devices for years.

Mostly, I’m glad to see they’ve not veered far off course from what made the Spin 714 line great to begin with. As long as the chassis is still firm, the keyboard and trackpad are great to use, and those speakers stay top-notch, I think Acer will yet again have a hit on its hands with this one. And for the moment, I think they have carved themselves out the top spot in the new-age Chromebook Plus market.