What I’m hoping for in the new Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE

Last week, I stumbled upon clear evidence that Acer is set to unveil a new, updated, Chromebook Plus model of my favorite device available right now in the 516 GE. The timing makes a lot of sense since the original 516 GE debuted in the fall of 2022 and has been a strong seller ever since. Turns out, if you build a great Chromebook for game streaming, you can also end up building a great overall device at the same time.

And that device has been my favorite, go-to Chromebook for at least the past year or so. Between its lovely, bright, large screen, lighter-than-expected chassis, super-fast internals, solid keyboard/trackpad and excellent upward-facing speakers, there’s little to complain about with the current-gen Acer 516 GE. But if there’s a sequel on the way, I definitely have some upgrade thoughts.

Only one tweak to the screen

The star of the show with the current 516 GE is clearly the 120Hz 16:10 QHD screen. It’s gorgeous. It’s productive. And it should not be changed. Well, at least not downgraded in any way, shape or form. But with the new version, I know many users would love to see touch capabilities added. It’s not the end of the world with the current model missing this feature, but it would definitely be a very welcome addition.

But the rest of the equation needs to stay put. It needs to remain at 120Hz, 350+ nits, QHD, and 16:10: that stuff is stellar. And if there’s no way to add a touch element to that concoction, I’d 100% say to skip it once again. All the current screen specs are such a win that I wouldn’t want to see any of them change. But if adding touch capabilities is possible, it would sure be nice.

Better keyboard backlighting

While I enjoy the keyboard on the 516 GE, I would love to experience the colorful RGB keyboard during the day, too. As it stands right now, the RGB keyboard is a bit on the dim side, and that makes it tough to even see at all in brighter rooms. Devices like the HP Dragonfly Pro got this right and really pumped up the backlight levels so those fun colors can really shine through. That sort of upgrade would be very fun for the next 516 GE.

Next-level, amazing speakers

While the speakers on the 516 GE are pretty good, they aren’t what I’d consider amazing. I doubt we’ll see anything like what HP included in the Dragonfly Pro anytime soon in any other Chromebooks, but there’s room for improvement for sure. The chassis is big, the space for great speakers is ample, so I’d love to see a gaming-focused Chromebook really knock it out of the park in the audio department. The 516 GE is clearly set up to do this, so let’s make it happen, Acer.

Standard upgrades

Apart from those things – which are far from real issues that need fixing, mind you – there’s not a ton I’d want changed on the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE. Obviously, an upgrade to a newer processor will be nice (it is still based on ‘Osiris’, so we’re looking at a 13th-gen Intel most likely), but not fully necessary. And maybe a bump to 16GB of RAM (or at least the option for it) and a 512GB model would be interesting, too.

But I also want them to keep the price in check. If the screen gets touch, the keyboard backlight gets bumped up a bit, and the speakers get a little better, I think we could hope for a $699 price tag on what could easily be the best Chromebook for many folks over the next year or two.

The original 516 GE has been so good and Acer has clearly learned how to iterate their devices (just look at the 3 models of the Spin 714), so I simply expect them to apply the same methods this time around with the 516 GE. There’s no need for large, sweeping changes: just make a few small tweaks that could put this Chromebook into the top tier of elite, amazing Chromebook Plus devices and I think the response from fans will be very positive. I know I’ll be incredibly happy about it, and I do hope we get more details soon.