My brief hands-on with Acer's new convertible Chromebook has me cautiously optimistic

"Acer's new Chromebook Plus Spin 514, announced at IFA 2025 in Berlin, is the company's first laptop to use the Arm-based MediaTek Kompanio Ultra 910 processor. That chip was used in the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 that launched earlier this summer, and it was key to delivering excellent performance and marathon battery life in that fanless laptop. I dubbed the Lenovo "the new king of Chromebooks," and this $699.99 Acer, launching this month, seems poised to be a solid alternative -"

"The IPS display options with 1920 x 1200 or 2880 x 1800 resolution aren't going to hang with the punchiness of the OLED panels in the Lenovo. But the draw of the Acer is its Gorilla Glass-covered 14-inch touchscreen with support for USI 2.0 styluses (which are sold separately), allowing you to use it like a tablet, draw on it, or take handwritten notes."

"The Chromebook Plus Spin 514 has two 10Gbps USB-C ports with DisplayPort and Power Delivery, two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, and a 3.5mm audio jack. The Acer also has a 70Wh battery compared to Lenovo's 60Wh, and like the Lenovo it comes with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, up to 16GB of RAM, and up to 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage."

Acer's Chromebook Plus Spin 514 is powered by the Arm-based MediaTek Kompanio Ultra 910, promising strong performance and extended battery life. The device offers a Gorilla Glass-covered 14-inch touchscreen with USI 2.0 stylus support and IPS options at 1920 x 1200 or 2880 x 1800 resolution. Connectivity includes two 10Gbps USB-C ports with DisplayPort and Power Delivery, two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, a 3.5mm audio jack, Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 5.4. The laptop supports up to 16GB of RAM and up to 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage, and ships with a 70Wh battery and 1080p or 5MP webcam options. The design lacks a side-mounted power button and places up-firing speakers on the keyboard deck, which can reduce audio directionality in tablet or tent modes. The convertible is priced at $699.99 and may run its cooling fan at times.

Read at The Verge