Acer hopes the Chromebook Spin 714 will entice a broad range of power users. Here are our first impressions.
The Acer Chromebook Spin 714 is one of many products announced by the company at its “next@Acer” event. This convertible Chromebook is aimed squarely at tech lovers who desire a machine that both works hard and plays hard. With a 14-inch screen, the latest 12th gen Intel processors, and high-grade video call capabilities, it can easily bridge the work and home divide. Find out what the machine is like in our early Acer Chromebook Spin 714 preview. The first and most obvious option you’ll have is the display. There are two available. Both are 14-inch IPS LCDs in a 16:10 aspect ratio with 100% sRGB and multi-touch. The primary difference is the resolution, one being 1,920 x 1,200 (WUXGA) and the other being 2,560 x 1,600 (WQXGA). Related: The best Chromebooks you can get
Next up is the list of processors. There are four options available, but the differences are subtle. All four are 12th gen Intel chips with one Core i5 (1235U) and three Core i7 (1215U, 1265U, 1260P) models. You get 8GB or 16GB of LPDDR4x RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of PCIe 4th gen NVMe SSD storage. Intel Iris X graphics support the range of configurations. Acer sent what we assume will be an entry-level configuration of the Spin 714. It includes the standard-resolution screen, Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. Because this is a preproduction unit, we cannot comment on final processor performance or battery life, or otherwise benchmark the device. That said, we can offer our opinion on what potential buyers should expect from the Chromebook. The Spin 714 is a utilitarian-looking piece of hardware. It’s got a two-tone finish with a medium gray top half and lighter gray lower half. Acer opted for a grainy aluminum sheet to protect the top and plastics to form the main chassis with an aluminum undercarriage. The side edges are somewhat sharp and the corners are pointy.
