Tag:

Acer

Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 review: the new go-to 2-in-1 Chromebook
Product Reviews

Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 review: the new go-to 2-in-1 Chromebook

by admin


I was cautiously optimistic about Acer’s Chromebook Plus Spin 514 when I tested a preproduction model last month, but the final unit is here now and it sticks the landing. Well, mostly.

Acer’s latest convertible Chromebook has zippy performance and oodles of battery life, along with a good touchscreen with stylus support. But crappy speakers and no fingerprint sensor make its $700 price tougher to swallow, and prevents it from dethroning the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14, our current favorite Chromebook.

$699

The Good

  • Excellent battery life
  • Speedy performance
  • Stylus support

The Bad

  • Crummy, muffled-sounding speakers
  • No biometric login
  • Feels slightly pricey at $700 when a Lenovo with OLED and more RAM is just $50 more

Our review unit of the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 is the base $699 config. It has MediaTek’s Kompanio Ultra 910 processor (same as the recent Lenovo), 12GB of RAM, and 256GB of UFS storage. Its 14-inch 1920 x 1200 IPS touchscreen has a 120Hz refresh rate and reaches 300 nits of brightness. And it supports USI 2.0 styluses, though they’re sold separately and there’s nowhere on the laptop to stow them. Acer sells a $799.99 spec with 16GB of RAM and a 2880 x 1800 resolution display that’s slightly brighter at 340 nits, but that upcharge doesn’t really solve the Spin’s biggest downsides.

  • Screen: C
  • Webcam: B
  • Mic: C
  • Keyboard: B
  • Touchpad: B
  • Port selection: B
  • Speakers: D
  • Number of ugly stickers to remove: 2 (including a huge one)

I wish the screen was much brighter (400 nits or higher, ideally), and I always prefer OLED and 2.5K resolution, but this is a nice-looking IPS panel. I maintain that 1920 x 1200 resolution is fine (not ideal, but the minimum tolerable spec) for a 14-inch screen if everything looks good color- and contrast-wise. And that’s the case here. It doesn’t look nearly as vivid, bright, and contrasty as the OLED on the Lenovo, but the faster 120Hz refresh is a decent consolation. Stylus sensitivity for note-taking on the Spin 514 in tablet mode is good, though palm rejection could be just a little bit better. I’ve had some rare cases where the knuckle of my pinky finger drew a small line. But this is a solid screen with a nice, fast refresh rate, and it’s attached to a sturdy 360-degree hinge.

The Spin 514’s star feature is its Kompanio Ultra 910 processor. The Arm-based chip is speedy enough for everyday productivity tasks and typical ChromeOS web apps, and it easily lasts well over a full workday on battery power. Unlike Lenovo’s Chromebook Plus with the same chip, the Spin has a cooling fan. It seemed to result in slightly better benchmark scores than Lenovo’s Chromebook Plus 14, but in regular usage I rarely hear the fan spin up at all. I can work an eight-to-nine-hour day consisting of Slack, Google Docs, playing music on Spotify, lots of messaging, many open Chrome tabs across virtual desktops, etc., put it to sleep for the evening, and get through nearly half of the next day before having to charge. I love that kind of freedom.

1/7Not bad for an IPS screen.

As for essential components like the keyboard, trackpad, and ports, the Spin 514 is solid across the board. The keyboard isn’t quite as tactile and nice as its Lenovo counterpart, but it feels good to type on, and key travel is adequate. The mechanical trackpad is just as good as the one on the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14, but with a better, more dampened sound. And its two USB-C ports are twice as fast as the Lenovo’s.

Laptop

Geekbench 6 CPU Single

Geekbench 6 CPU Multi

Geekbench 6 GPU (Vulkan)

Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 (2025) / MediaTek Kompanio Ultra 910 8C / 12GB / 256GB2496772618244Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 / MediaTek Kompanio Ultra 910 8C / 16GB / 256GB2448754817995Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus (2024) / Intel Core 3 100U 6C / 8GB / 256GB186056938785

The webcam on the Spin 514 is a monumental upgrade from the last Acer laptops I tested. Instead of an overprocessed, crunchy image, the 5-megapixel camera here is sharp and adequately contrasty. It handles mixed and low light well enough, though it instead sometimes struggled with really bright scenes near a window, taking a moment to determine that my face was blown out and needed to be toned down. But on average, this is a very good webcam.

Where Acer falters is the Spin 514’s speakers and lack of biometric login. If you use an Android phone you can save yourself from putting in your lockscreen PIN every time by having your phone connected and nearby. But that’s no substitute for quickly unlocking your laptop with your fingerprint. The speakers are equally irksome, and being on the flanks of the keyboard they fire away from you in tablet / tent mode. But even when oriented toward you, they sound muddy and muffled. You can always circumvent poor speakers with headphones or external speakers, but it’s a blight on this otherwise great laptop.

USB-A to the right of me.

USB-C to the left.

Stuck in the middle with these bad speakers.

The Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 isn’t the new king or queen of Chromebooks, but it’s a respectable duke or duchess. These new Arm-based Chromebooks strike that just-right balance of great performance and long battery life, and I don’t see much reason to sacrifice one or both with an Intel-based model unless you’re really price sensitive.

If I were buying a high-end Chromebook myself right now, I’d pick the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 for $50 more. I like 2-in-1 convertibles like the Acer because they let me occasionally get the keyboard out of the way to watch stuff, but I don’t mind sticking to a clamshell form factor in exchange for an OLED display, good speakers, and a fingerprint sensor. If the price delta were greater, I might rethink things. And that’s likely just a matter of time. Acer laptops often go on sale, and Kelly Odle, media relations for Acer, told me this $699 laptop will likely get regular discounts as low as $599.99 at Best Buy. I can still recommend the Spin 514 at its full price to someone who really wants a convertible Chromebook. It’s a very good 2-in-1 that’ll be more broadly compelling if and when it goes on sale.

2025 Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 (as reviewed)

  • Display: 14-inch (1920 x 1200) 120Hz IPS touchscreen with USI 2.0 stylus support
  • CPU: MediaTek Kompanio Ultra 910
  • RAM: 12GB LPDDR5X
  • Storage: 256GB UFS
  • Webcam: 5-megapixel fixed focus with privacy shutter
  • Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
  • Ports: 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C (10Gbps), 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A (5Gbps), 3.5mm combo audio jack
  • Weight: 2.99 pounds / 1.36kg
  • Dimensions: 12.32 x 9.13 x 0.61 inches / 31.29 x 23.19 x 1.55cm
  • Battery: 70Wh
  • Price: $699

Photography by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge

Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.

  • ChromebookClose

    Chromebook

    Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.

    PlusFollow

    See All Chromebook

  • GoogleClose

    Google

    Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.

    PlusFollow

    See All Google

  • Laptop ReviewsClose

    Laptop Reviews

    Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.

    PlusFollow

    See All Laptop Reviews

  • ReviewsClose

    Reviews

    Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.

    PlusFollow

    See All Reviews

  • TechClose

    Tech

    Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.

    PlusFollow

    See All Tech



Source link

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Acer GN100 AI Mini Workstation
Product Reviews

Acer unveils Project Digits supercomputer featuring Nvidia’s GB10 superchip with 128GB of LPDDR5x

by admin



Acer has unveiled its own version of Nvidia’s Project Digits mini-supercomputer, the Acer Veriton GN100 AI Mini Workstation, which is geared toward developers, universities, data scientists, and researchers who need a compact and high-speed AI system. North American pricing starts at $3,999.

The Veriton GN100 is a compact mini-PC (measuring 150 x 150 x 50.5mm), that comes housed in a black chassis with a silver grill on the front. The system features Nvidia’s GB10 Grace Blackwell Superchip, which has 20 ARM CPU cores (10 Cortex-X925 and 10 A725 cores), and a Blackwell-based GPU sporting one petaFLOP of FP4 floating point performance. The GB10 Superchip is fed by 128 GB of LPDDR5x memory and can house up to four 4TB of M.2 NVMe storage with self-encryption capabilities.

Image 1 of 3

(Image credit: Acer)(Image credit: Acer)(Image credit: Acer)

Thanks to the inclusion of Nvidia’s GB10 chip, the GN100 benefits from Nvidia’s AI software stack — giving AI developers all the tools they need to develop and deploy large language models and other AI-based tools. Nvidia’s software stack includes the CUDA toolkit, cuDNN, and TensorRT, and supports popular AI frameworks, such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, MXNet, and Jax.

Acer’s Veriton GN100 is one of several third-party variants of Nvidia’s Project Digits mini-supercomputer. Acer, Lenovo, Asus, and Dell have built their own versions of Project Digits featuring different chassis designs. This is similar to the way Nvidia partners with third-parties for its graphics cards — Nvidia’s Project Digits is the “Founders Edition,” while Acer, Lenovo, Asus, and Dell will offer third-party variations with identical specs and performance. Third-party versions can offer benefits, such as better warranties and extra software support, and are often discounted cheaper than Nvidia’s OEM version.

These new Nvidia-powered mini-computers are designed to provide a high-speed, local AI solution for users who don’t want to deal with the footprint or headache of a full-blown AI supercluster. A high-speed AI system can be useful for keeping sensitive data offline, minimizing latency, and optimizing performance.

Some might argue that building an RTX 5090-powered gaming/workstation system might be better — and, on the surface, that’s probably true. But Nvidia’s GB10 supports 128GB of system memory and has native support for Nvidia’s proprietary NVFP4 — two important factors for dedicated AI work, which the RTX 5090 cannot provide. The extra memory allows users to run AI models that would be impossible on a single RTX 5090, and NVFP4 is a new FP4 standard that can significantly improve processing efficiency in AI workloads (with accuracy that approaches BF16).

This makes Nvidia’s Project Digits architecture much more attractive for dedicated, professional AI developers. As of this writing, Acer has yet to announce an exact release date for the Veriton GN100, though it has said that availability will vary by region.

Follow Tom’s Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!


You may like



Source link

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
DAAPrivacyRightIcon
Product Reviews

What to expect from Samsung, Acer, Lenovo and more

by admin


IFA, Europe’s answer to the CES, kicks off on September 5 in Berlin, Germany. The show likely won’t be the biggest source of news in September — Apple’s iPhone launch event is officially happening on September 9 — but it is usually home to its fair share of announcements. IFA 2024 featured new “AI PCs” from ASUS and Dell, including the first Inspiron laptop with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Plus chip. There were plenty of more unusual ideas, too: Honor used the show to introduce a laptop with a detachable webcam, for example.

Based on the companies that are confirmed to have presence at the show, similar themes will be woven through IFA 2025. AI and features enabled by it will likely be everywhere, especially in home appliances. Laptops, whether they’re running Intel’s Panther Lake chips or something Arm-based, are sure to be in the mix. And smart glasses will likely continue to be a going concern. Below are the companies who are confirmed to be holding events at the show, and what we think they might announce.

Samsung

With the Galaxy S25, Galaxy Z foldables and Galaxy Watch 8 in the rear view, there aren’t many personal electronics Samsung has left to announce this year. That could be why the company’s IFA press conference seems focused on the smart home. Samsung’s IFA presentation, dubbed “AI Home: Future Living, Now” is supposed to be focused on the company’s home appliances. Specifically, Samsung says it will “highlight the transformative potential of AI in the home.” Samsung already showed off how AI plays into its new Bespoke AI home appliances at CES 2025, so it’s possible the company could have new additions to the lineup. It’ll hopefully also share when its Ballie robot will be available for purchase.

We also know for a fact that Samsung is hosting a virtual Unpacked event on September 4, which could point to some other products the company will show off at IFA 2025. All signs point to the next Unpacked being about tablets and midrange phones. Samsung is rumored to be announcing both the Galaxy Tab S11 and S11 Ultra, which will carry over the general look and feel of the company’s past tablets with a few important tweaks, according to WinFuture. Besides battery improvements and Android 16, the biggest change Samsung is reportedly making is using a MediaTek Dimensity 9400 chip in the tablets rather than its own Exynos models or something from Qualcomm. The Snapdragon 8 Elite is considered the top of the line, so opting for MediaTek could raise questions about performance, but we’ll have to use the tablets to know for sure.

Samsung is also rumored to be announcing the Galaxy S25 FE at the event. It becomes less clear by the year what “FE” or “Fan Edition” means, but the Galaxy S25 FE is expected to have some meaningful improvements over the Galaxy S24 FE. Alongside a Samsung-designed Exynos chip, the S25 FE is rumored to feature an improved 12MP selfie camera and a 4,900mAh battery with 45W charging, according to SamMobile.

Acer

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Like Samsung, Acer is hosting its own press conference at IFA 2025. The company’s description of the event is frustratingly vague, but does suggest announcements focused on both productivity and gaming. At IFA 2024, Acer introduced multiple Copilot+PCs, including updates to the company’s Swift and Aspire lines with the latest Intel Core Ultra chips and Windows AI features. Updates to both lineups seem highly likely at IFA 2025. Don’t be surprised if Acer shows off some more concept devices, too. The company’s Acer Project DualPlay, a laptop with a detachable game controller, was a big hit at last year’s show, and something the company is bound to top.

When it comes to handheld gaming PCs, Acer’s detailed its plans to sell three different sizes of handheld, the Acer Nitro Blaze 11, Blaze 8 and Blaze 7, but yet to release them all globally. It might make sense to use IFA 2025 to finalize that and tease whatever it’s working on next.

Lenovo

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

When it comes to Lenovo, the company has a tried and true playbook for events like IFA. It demoes a slew of new laptops, updates its non-foldable Motorola phones and introduces one or two absolutely bizarre concept devices. The pattern seems like it’ll repeat for IFA 2025.

If the stars of last year’s show were a 16-inch Legion gaming laptop and an “Auto Twist” concept that swivels with a voice command, this year Lenovo’s looking at a different kind of rotation. Leaker Evan Blass shared images at what looks like a new concept laptop with a display that can be rotated into portrait orientation. Blass also shared images of three new Moto phones, and two new Lenovo tablets.

Lenovo has a new handheld PC of its own to announce, too. The company released the Lenovo Legion Go S earlier this year, and now it’s reportedly ready to announce the Lenovo Legion Go 2. The new handheld is rumored to feature a new AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip, the same detachable, Switch-style controllers and more RAM. If Lenovo announces the handheld, it’ll likely be the most powerful handheld gaming PC available for purchase, with a price tag to match.

Hisense

According to the event description for Hisense’s IFA 2025 press conference, the company plans to “further upgrade its RGB-MiniLED TV with powerful hardware improvements and AI-driven software.” Hisense introduced the 116-inch UX RGB-MiniLED TV back in July, what the company claims is the first mass-produced television with dedicated red, green and blue LEDs. The approach lets the TV reach a peak brightness of 8,000 nits, among other benefits.

Detailing how much the TV will cost, and what kind of features its “Hi-View AI Engine X” chip will power makes sense. Don’t be surprised if Hisense also takes time to talk about the even bigger 136-inch MX MicroLED TV it announced at CES 2025, too.

Anker

Valentina Palladino for Engadget

With Google fully embracing Qi2 charging on its Pixel 10 phones, there’s never been a better time for Anker to announce new Qi2 chargers. Given that the company’s IFA press conference is supposed to feature “major product launches that bring intelligence into everyday life,” it seems like AI features are a safe bet. That likely means Anker’s Eufy or Soundcore brands could be the real focus. Maybe the company has new AI improvements for its Eufy robot vacuums, or audio improvements for its Soundcore headphones? We’ll have to wait for IFA to start to find out.



Source link

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Close