All Chromebooks run the same OS, are generally on the same version of that OS, and come in a reliable number of form factors at this point. We have clamshell, convertible, and detachable Chromebooks with all-in-one Chromebases and simple Chromeboxes all in the market to varying degrees. In a landscape that offers little surprise these days, Chromebooks are at the point where we have lots of solid options, but not a whole lot of ground-breaking innovation. It’s a mature stage of the Chromebook game and I’m loving much of the iteration that is happening in the space, but I still enjoy being surprised by something completely new and fresh.
Enter the Acer Chromebook Vero 514
That’s where Acer’s brand new Chromebook Vero 514 came along and did just that: it surprised me. You can read our initial thoughts about it in our unboxing or just watch the video below, but the more I’ve messed with this new Chromebook from Acer, the more inspired I am by its design.
Does it break molds with the way it presents computing? Not really, but it does manage to pull off the Earth-friendly vibe in a style that is completely and totally its own. Where I thought we’d be looking at a one-trick pony in the Chromebook Vero 514, I’ve found that it leans into the recycled nature of its parts while also looking great, feeling great, and having all the performance, specs and extras you could ask for in a clamshell Chromebook in 2022.
In the reality we are in today where a laptop is a laptop and differentiation is tough, the Chromebook Vero 514 loudly shows up on the scene and feels almost refreshing. Everyone I’ve shown it to so far has remarked how cool it looks and how great it feels in the hand. The embossed logos and punchy accent colors are attractive and tastefully done, the boxy design is classic and modern, and the key frame, trackpad and screen are solid.
All of that makes for a Chromebook that makes me want to use it constantly. For as nice as the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 and HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook are, there’s something so appealing about the presentation Acer has put together in the Vero 514 that makes me want to lean towards using it more than other Chromebooks. While I have to send back our early hands-on unit, I find myself excited for the retail model that will be on the way in the weeks to come.
Acer’s main lineups with ChromeOS on board
For all those reasons above, the Chromebook Vero 514 is a standout, but there’s another reason I say it is an important Chromebook for the ChromeOS ecosystem. While it doesn’t bring any new features to the table from a software standpoint, it does something notable for Acer in the Chromebook space. It brings one of their bigger, more-advertised lines to Chromebooks.
Like the HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook, the Chromebook Vero 514 takes an existing, Windows-only line of laptops and brings ChromeOS into the fold. While Vero may not be Acer’s biggest line of laptops, it’s been front and center in their conservation and eco-friendly efforts for a few years at this point. When Acer has an event, you can bet sustainability will be talked about, and that means new Vero laptops are in that discussion.
For them to now include ChromeOS in that mix is a pretty big deal and lends a ton of legitimacy to the platform moving forward. Like we saw with Samsung’s Galaxy-branded Chromebooks, HP’s Dragonfly and Dell’s Inspiron, Acer’s new Chromebook Vero 514 tells the consumer market as a whole that ChromeOS isn’t just relegated to random Chromebook designs: it is fit for the bigger named lines, too.
When we first heard about Acer making the Vero 514, I was excited for it but a bit skeptical that consumers would actually buy it. Arriving at Best Buy for $499 in the coming weeks, I can confidently say I was wrong about that. The Chromebook Vero 514 is fun, attractive, and really great to use. The price is fantastic and the feeling of contributing to Acer’s sustainability efforts by choosing it over other Chromebooks is a perk, too, and one that I think might attract more consumers than I originally thought. There’s no doubt that this one will stand out on a Best Buy display, and I have little doubt that when it does, quite a few people will choose to pick it up over a more-standard Chromebook when given the option.
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