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With all the excitement swirling around next week’s Googlebook retail launch, it can feel a bit tough to recommend buying an existing Chromebook right now. But when a Chromebook this good gets a deal price this solid, I don’t have any issues with it at all – especially considering the fact that Google is updating Chromebooks through mid-2034 and this device is definitely in line to get the option to move to Googlebook OS down the road.
The device we’re talking about today is the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 on sale for $599, and it is a fantastic deal on an incredible Chromebook.
In my full review of the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514, I didn’t mince words: this is easily my favorite convertible Chromebook you can buy. It took everything we loved about the impressive MediaTek Kompanio Ultra chip inside the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 and wrapped it in a versatile, premium 2-in-1 chassis that hits practically every mark.
Premium specs from top to bottom
Acer didn’t cut corners on this build. For $599, you are getting a spec sheet that outpaces most laptops in this price bracket:
- Processor: MediaTek Kompanio Ultra 910 (8-core ARM architecture)
- RAM: 12GB LPDDR5X
- Storage: 256GB UFS onboard storage
- Display: 14-inch 16:10 WUXGA (1920×1200) IPS touchscreen with Gorilla Glass, USI pen support, and a 120Hz refresh rate
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
- Audio & Camera: 5MP webcam with privacy shutter and upward-firing DTS audio speakers
- Build: Aluminum top and bottom covers with MIL-STD-810H rugged durability
The real magic here comes down to the pairing of that Kompanio Ultra silicon with a flexible 360-degree hinge. Because it’s built on modern ARM architecture, you get quiet, cool-running performance and legitimate multi-day battery life that easily pushes 12 to 15 hours of mixed use without hunting down a wall plug.
Paired with Acer’s silky-smooth OceanGlass trackpad, USI pen input, and a crisp 16:10 touchscreen, it handles everyday work, note-taking, and tablet-style media consumption effortlessly.
The Googlebook OS upgrade opportunity
The initial wave of launch-day Googlebooks from Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo are targeting premium brackets, starting at $899 and running well past $1,200. At $599, the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 gives you high-end hardware today for hundreds of dollars less.
And the hardware under the hood matters. The MediaTek Kompanio Ultra includes a dedicated 50 TOPS NPU designed specifically for local on-device AI tasks. Google has already signaled that select high-end Chromebook Plus hardware with advanced NPUs and unified architecture could see an official upgrade path to Googlebook OS down the road.
While you shouldn’t buy any computer solely on the promise of future software updates, knowing that this machine packs modern ARM architecture, Wi-Fi 7, and a robust NPU gives it serious longevity and a very clear path to optionally upgrade to Googlebook OS down the road a bit. Getting this tier of hardware at $599 is an absolute steal. If you’ve been waiting for a deal on the best convertible on the market, now is the time to jump.
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