THESE DAYS, THERE are two types of Chromebooks: the original concept of simple laptops that are cheap to produce and cheap to buy; and the more recent, more powerful premium Chomebooks, embodied by Google’s own Pixelbook (Shopper 368). The Acer Chromebook 514 is the first we’ve seen to take a third approach, aiming to occupy the space in between.
How does Acer square that circle? Essentially, by putting basic innards into a chassis with elegant looks, plus some nice little extras, aiming for a stylish and feature-rich Chromebook that won’t break the bank. To that end, a 1.1GHz dual-core Intel Celeron N3350 processor is paired with 4GB of RAM, and pitted with a 14in, Full HD touchscreen, a metal frame, a Gorilla Glass-topped touchpad and backlit keys.
If anything, it looks more MacBook than Chromebook. Together with Chrome OS’s more limited functionality, Acer will be hoping that you won’t notice that a three-year-old CPU is running the show.
SHELL GAME
For the most part, admittedly, it works. The aluminium chassis is very stylish when closed, and it’s reasonably lightweight at 1.5kg. When opened, things get a bit more utilitarian, with sharp angles and quite wide bezels top and tailing the screen, although the ones to the side are impressively narrow, measuring just a few millimetres.
Denne historien er fra November 2019-utgaven av Computer Shopper.
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Denne historien er fra November 2019-utgaven av Computer Shopper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
XIAOMI Mi Mix 3 5G
VERDICT This is the most affordable of the first 5G smartphones, but even with great hardware, the service isn’t yet worth the expense
RHA T20 Wireless
VERDICT They’re not cheap, but these well-designed earphones deliver superb sound quality
Protect And Preserve
Data might be A Valuable Commodity, But It’s Remarkably Easy To Lose Or For Others To Get Their Hands On. Mike Bedford Provides Guidance On How To Preserve, Recover And Destroy Data, And Looks At The Technologies Involved
NZXT H510i
VERDICT Some qualities shine through, but this is an underwhelming case from a maker we know can do better
Kicking Off A New Era Of Football?
With the new football season well and truly under way, David Crookes talks to Jon Hare about reviving the spirit of Sensible Soccer with a new, more sociable offering that he hopes will avoid an own goal
NAIM Mu-so 2
VERDICT A luxurious and fine-sounding slab of metal, but for most homes it won’t be worth the expense
Motorola One Vision
VERDICT The One Vision comes close to being a brilliant mishmash of tech – shame about the camera
JBL Xtreme 2
VERDICT With top-quality sound and a versatile design, this is a great – if expensive – rugged Bluetooth speaker
HUAWEI MateBook 13
VERDICT What the MateBook 13 lacks in flourish, it makes up for in value and performance
GIGABYTE X570 Aorus Master
VERDICT A loaded and forward-thinking motherboard, but not one that fully justifies its high price
