Here’s where you can buy the world’s first MediaTek Kompanio 828 Chromebook

We recently unboxed a new Chromebook from Acer – the Chromebook 514, specifically – that comes equipped with the latest, mid-range SoC from MediaTek inside. The Kompanio 828 has a lot to love in an affordable package: great battery life, solid performance, and no need for active cooling solutions. While not the high-end performance we saw in the early hands-on with the Kompanio 1380, the 828 holds its own and easily goes toe-to-toe with the latest Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 from Qualcomm that we see in devices like the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5.

Lots of new Chromebooks, nowhere to buy them

Going all the way back to the fall of 2021 and throughout Q1 of 2022, we’ve had new Chromebooks revealed to the world that we’re still patiently waiting on to officially arrive. Sure, we end up getting our hands on early samples here in the office most of the time, but the rubber truly meets the road when a device shows up in a store listing where you and I as consumers can go and purchase it.

That’s finally the case for this new Acer Chromebook 514 with the Kompanio 828 inside. In the past week or so, this Chromebook finally showed up on Amazon in two of its many configurations, and these two are the ones we’d most recommend for the best mix of price and specs.

The only difference in the models is in the touchscreen option, and when I am recommending a Chromebook, I always lean towards the touchscreen option. Sure, you can navigate Chrome OS just fine without the need of a touchscreen, but there are definitely going to be times where you wish you had it. For a $50 upcharge, I think it is worth the investment.

We’re in the process of reviewing this Chromebook right now, but I can already tell you it is a pleasure to use. I feel like $459 is a bit steep for a non-convertible device with a 250 nit screen, but the keyboard and trackpad are very nice to use and the IPS display with its anti-glare finish have actually been quite good. The battery life is excellent and the entire Chromebook is slim, light, and highly portable. So far, for general tasks at least, the performance has been quite good, too.

We’re hopeful that this is the beginning of a bunch of devices beginning to show up in Q2 of 2022. There are a bunch of Chromebooks we’re waiting on the start shipping, and the Acer Chromebook 514 is definitely one of them. With 12th-gen Intel devices on the way and more MediaTek and Qualcomm Chromebooks coming soon, the competition is only beginning to heat up. It’s going to be fun in the hardware space over the next few months for sure.