Acer’s $999 Chromebook Spin 714 packs in premium upgrades [VIDEO]

One of Acer’s latest Chromebook releases is a higher-end version of their quite-excellent Spin 714. While many consumers may balk at the idea of just about any $1,000 Chromebook, it’s clear that Acer is aiming to add in some great, additional features to their wining formula in the Spin 714 to take things fully to the premium level. So, the question quickly becomes: is this new Spin 714 truly worth the hefty price tag? Let’s dive into the details.

$999 Feature additions

We’ve already reviewed this Chromebook for the most part, and I came away very impressed with the Spin 714 at $699. The new Acer Chromebook Spin is a very solid device with a great screen, beautiful build quality, great port selection, and the latest 13th-gen Intel SoC.

But there was room for improvement on the more-premium features for sure, and with this new $999 model, Acer has added just about everything you could as for. Here are the extras that have been included:

• High-Quality Display: The new Spin 714 comes with an upgraded 14-inch 16:10 screen, offering 425 nits of brightness and a QHD resolution. It is flat-out gorgeous.
• Big internals: With a 13th-gen Intel Core i7, 8GB of RAM, and 256 gigs of NVMe storage, this Chromebook delivers performance across the board.
• Stowed stylus: a recharging USI stylus is included and it stows neatly inside the device up front.
• Fingerprint Scanner: An necessary security feature that needs to exist on any Chromebook in this price range.

Comparing with HP’s Dragonfly Pro Chromebook

The Acer Chromebook Spin 714’s clear competitor right now is the HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook. With both devices coming in at $999, we have to judge any new Chromebook in this price bracket by the lofty standard HP set earlier this year.

And there are some key points where the Acer Spin 714 has a leg up on HP’s premium offering. For starters, you’ll have the ability to pick up the Spin 714 at a local Best Buy later in October: a feat HP is still yet to deliver on here in the 4th quarter of 2023. And that means frequent price drops will likely come along for this new Acer Spin 714. So far, the HP Dragonfly Pro has only been available on HP’s site and the discounts have been few and far between.

The Acer also has a screen in the same class as what you get on the Dragonfly Pro, even if the peak brightness of 425 nits isn’t anywhere close to the Dragonfly Pro’s wild 1200 nits. The truth is, with the HP Dragonfly Pro, you rarely use all that screen brightness, so Acer’s 425 nits are still considerably brighter than most laptops out there on the market right now.

And then there are the performance gains, too. Acer’s 13th-gen Core i7 will surely win in a head-to-head test with the Dragonfly Pro’s 12th-gen Core i5. Finally, with the Acer Chromebook Spin 714, you also get the extra functionality of a convertible and the inclusion of a stowed USI pen as well. For those looking for premium speed and tablet/pen functionality, that might be enough to put you over the edge.

But there are clear wins for HP, too. If you work outdoors very often, the 1200 nit screen on the Dragonfly Pro is a huge addition. And though the Acer has a faster processor, the Dragonfly Pro doubles up on the RAM and that makes a big difference if you are a heavy multitasker.

Where the HP really pulls away is the overall build quality, keyboard/trackpad and speakers. Only Google’s own Chromebooks have matched what HP delivered with the Dragonfly Pro: it’s sublime. The keyboard is absolutely elite and the haptic trackpad is perfect all the time, every time. Our Spin 714 review unit had a loose trackpad and it was clearly evident from the first click. That’s never a concern with the Dragonfly Pro, and it simply makes the device feel more premium.

And lastly, there’s no laptop I’ve ever heard with the audio prowess the Dragonfly Pro comes with. Those speakers are jaw-droppingly good, and it may be many years before anything even comes close. While the speakers on the Acer Spin 714 are good, there’s just no comparison at $999 with the Dragonfly Pro.

Should you consider this Chromebook?

The decision to invest $1,000 in any Chromebook ultimately boils down to personal preferences and requirements. If you’re someone who values the versatility of flipping your device into tablet mode, desires a premium build with a high-quality display, and wants a device readily available at retail stores, then Acer’s latest premium Chromebook might be the right fit for you. However, if keyboard/trackpad/speaker/build quality are paramount, the Dragonfly Pro is simply the better option at this sort of price.

And with Chromebook Plus beginning to find its stride, the question of what you need in a Chromebook to deliver a great overall experience is definitely changing. While both the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 and HP Dragonfly Pro are fantastic devices for $999, there’s a chance that a $499 Chromebook Plus model might be a better overall purchase for your budget. Only you can answer that question for yourself, and we sincerely hope this look at the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 helps a bit in that process.