Acer Chromebook Spin 714 review 2024: an ultimate 2-in-1

The Acer Chromebook Spin 714, which starts at $729, is an excellent tool for getting things done while you are on the move. The Acer Chromebook Spin 713 was and still is considered to be one of the greatest Chromebooks currently available. It would make sense for Acer to maintain the same successful recipe with their newest Spin 714 model.

In spite of the fact that they have a lot in common, the Spin 714 stands out from the crowd because to its updated speakers and internal components, which give it an impressively fast processing speed and Wi-Fi 6E capabilities. On the other hand, the display isn’t nearly as spectacular as the one on the old Spin 713, and the battery life isn’t nearly as good either. In this review of the Acer Chromebook Spin 714, we will help you understand the benefits and drawbacks of this laptop by bringing you through my own experience using it, as well as by sharing what we discovered after putting it through our performance testing lab.

Acer Chromebook Spin 714 Specifications

Chromebooks began their ascent to popularity with students, who appreciated its web-based nature and extended battery life. Eventually, though, businesses came to recognize the benefits of using Chromebooks.

Acer Chromebook Spin 714 review: Display

The display is where Acer made the majority of their improvements to the 714. The display on the Spin 713 had a resolution of 2256 by 1504 pixels, while the display on the Spin 714 has a resolution of 1920 by 1200 pixels and a more standard aspect ratio of 16:10. Although this could be considered a step backward, one could make the case that a display of this size, which is just 14 inches, does not benefit from higher resolutions.

When compared to a laptop or notebook, which are typically viewed at a distance of about arm’s length, the pixel density of a display on a mobile device, such as a phone or tablet, is a far more pressing issue. I found that the image quality of the Spin 714 panel was good and crisp regardless of whether I was working on documents or watching videos.

while we directed our Klein 10-A colorimeter at it in our testing lab, we observed that the Spin 714 displays 111.9% of the sRGB color spectrum and 78.9% of the DCI-P3 color spectrum with a Delta-E score of 0.31 (the closer to 0, the better). 100% accuracy is achieved while displaying the entire color spectrum. In addition, we discovered that it reaches an average brightness level of 358 nits and reaches a maximum brightness level of 374 nits in the upper-left corner.

Acer Chromebook Spin 714 review: Ports

The Spin 714 has numerous ports, but the two Thunderbolt 4 ones take center stage. Both of these options are suitable replacements for the charging adapter that came with your Chromebook. A single USB-A connector, 3.5mm audio jack, and full-size HDMI port round out the connectivity options on this Acer. On the right, adjacent to the headphone socket, is the power button with an LED indicator. The volume rocker is on the left. At first glance, the Spin 714’s spinning hinge may seem to be the only interesting design choice. However, as can be seen from the Chromebook’s exterior, this is far from the case.

Acer Chromebook Spin 714 review: Graphics

Intel’s 12th Gen chipsets deliver performance gains without forcing you to sell a kidney, in contrast to the HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook. Acer has gone above and above with the Spin 714, eliminating the Core i3 option from every configuration. Instead, it employs a more powerful Intel Core i5-1235U processor with integrated Iris Xe graphics for its “base” model.

During our testing, the Spin 714 was up to every task we presented it with without a hitch. This includes playing games on Steam Alpha and keeping track of the twenty or more tabs I have open in Chrome at any given time.

Acer Chromebook Spin 714 review: Performance

The central processing unit (CPU) that we tested out on the Spin 714 was an Intel i5-1235U chip from the 12th generation. It has a total of 12 threads thanks to its utilization of two performance cores, each of which is capable of two execution threads and a maximum boost frequency of 4.4 GHz, as well as ten efficiency cores that are capable of reaching 3.3 GHz. Graphical power is provided via an integrated GPU found in Intel Xe processors. You have access to 8 GB of LPDDR4X RAM as your system memory, and a 256 GB solid-state drive that is PCIe-based serves as your long-term storage solution.

Even though our review device is the “low-end” model on Acer’s 714 stack, its hardware specifications are still greater than those of many Chromebooks, and it performs like a premium product because of this. The Spin 714 starts up and shuts down swiftly, apps and system windows open in a flash, video playback is flawless, and it has no trouble rendering even the most complex websites.

Battery life and heat

The Spin 714’s three-cell battery has a ten-hour lifespan, according to Acer. In our tests (in which we let the laptop do nothing but browse the web over Wi-Fi until it died), we consistently got around 10 hours and 45 minutes of use, which is just a hair longer than Acer’s claim. It’s worth mentioning, though, that the slightly earlier Acer Chromebook Spin 713 we tested previously lasted a touch longer (11:54) in the same test.

The 16:10 aspect ratio of the Spin 714’s screen makes it better suited for watching movies and TV shows. indulge-watchers, rejoice: a complete season of The Expanse can be streamed on a single charge with the 714. The Spin is perfect for long trips because it can play movies and TV episodes for a long time after they have been downloaded.

Acer Chromebook Spin 714 review: Price

The Spin 714 is one of the more expensive Chromebooks, coming in at over $700. However, it is less expensive than both the ASUS CB9400CEA Chromebook and the Google Pixelbook. There is also an Enterprise version of this computer made by Acer that is aimed at business users and retails for £1,099.99 in the UK and $1049.99 in the US. More memory (up to 16GB) is standard in Enterprise editions, and deployment is simplified with the inclusion of business management software.

Conclusion

The Acer Chromebook Spin 714 has an excellent display, quick powerful performance, and business casual appearance, which makes me rethink my bias against Chromebooks that cost more over $500. I’ve become very fond of the Spin, and it’s become my go-to device for transferring files swiftly and watching videos nonstop.

Acer chromebook spin 714 review: The good and The bad

The Chromebook Spin 714 has a longer battery life than most Chromebooks and greater power than their competitors.

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