For more than a year, I have longed for a suitable successor to my beloved Acer Chromebook 14. It’s one of those unique devices that may not lead the way as a premier Chrome device but the overall package is compelling and its design is timeless. The all-aluminum FHD Chromebook 14 was so popular that Acer has refreshed it three times making a Luxury Gold model (my personal favorite) and more recently a blue and Steel Grey version.
Alas, despite its elegant aesthetics and impressive build quality, the Braswell-powered Mac clone is quickly becoming long in the tooth and it is time to pass the torch.
Earlier this summer, Acer answered that call and announced the Chromebook 514 and it appeared to punch everything off of my wish list. Yesterday, Kevin Tofel discovered that the Chromebook 514 had finally received an official landing page from Acer.
There doesn’t look to be any surprises under the specifications and that’s a good thing. Everything we wanted to see from this device is right there. So, without further ado, here are the details from the long-awaited Acer Chromebook 514:
- Chrome OS
- Intel N4200 Pentium quad-core processor
- Intel HD Graphics 505
- 8GB LPDDR4 RAM
- 64GB eMMC storage
- 14″ IPS touch display 1920×1080
- 2 x USB-C Gen 1 2 x USB 3.0
- MicroSD card reader*
- Glass trackpad
- Backlit keyboard (YAH!!!!)
- 0.7″ x 12.7″ x 9.1″ @ 3.31 lbs
- Android app-ready and Linux support
You may notice the asterisk on the SD card reader. The spec sheet on Acer’s page says it does not have one but the original announcement along with press images say otherwise. Also, this photo from the landing page confirms the card reader.
Side note, this thing is gorgeous. Well done Acer.
I said “near perfect” in the title and that’s not because the Chromebook 514 is flawed but I have yet to get my hands on it and we’ll reserve our praise (or criticism) for the hands-on. At this point, my only reservation about the 514 is that it is priced the same as it’s big brother the Acer Chromebook 15 that debuted in New York earlier this year.
The maxed out 15.6″ model boasts the exact same internals along with the touchscreen but you get the addition of those sweet upward-firing speakers. In my mind, I was hoping the 514 would come in closer to $450 if not $400 but perhaps the glass trackpad and all-aluminum chassis pushed Acer to hold the near-five hundred pricetag.
Personally, I can not wait to get my hands on this thing. I’ve have been rambling about it forever and I am really hoping it will live up to my expectations. The Chromebook 514 landing page doesn’t list a “where to buy” link yet but listings are starting to pop up at retailers like CDW and NextWarehouse. It shouldn’t be long before you can get your hands on one.
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Source: Acer via About Chromebooks
