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A few weeks ago, Acer debuted another new Chromebook Plus model to add to the growing collection. Unlike some other 2024 Chromebook Plus announcements, however, this device went from announced to available with a real quickness. In just a couple weeks, we’ve gone from the launch of this new Chromebook Plus 514 to in-store availability at Costco.
What you get with the new Acer Chromebook Plus 514
This time around, Acer is keeping a lot of what they created with the original Plus 514, but the subtle changes make parts of the device better, parts of it a bit worse, and the overall asking price wildly competitive. We covered all the specs and features in the launch announcement, but let’s run down the basic specs again real quick.
Acer Chromebook Plus 514 (Intel) Key Specs
- Intel Core i3-N305
- 8GB RAM
- 512GB NVMe storage
- 14-inch IPS 16:9 1080p touchscreen at 300 nits
- Wi-Fi 6E
- OceanGlass touchpad
- 2x USB Type C ports
- 2x USB Type A ports
- MicroSD Card reader
- 1080p camera w/Temporal Noise Reduction
- 326.87mm x 224.93mm x 20.5mm
- 3.15 lbs.
The main difference this time around is the processor, switching from the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C to the well-received Intel Core i3-N305. They also bumped the screen up to 300 nits and included a whopping 512GB of NVMe storage as well. Those additions come at the cost of keyboard backlighting and a 16:9 screen versus the 16:10 screen on the AMD model.
But those trade-offs also make way for a really attractive price tag. You can get this Chromebook all day, every day at Costco for just $349.99. That’s not on sale: that’s just the price. For what this one brings to the table, I’m pretty happy to recommend it. Does it come with a few drawbacks? Sure, but at that sort of price when not on sale, it’s hard to argue with what Acer’s put together, here.
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