Acer has designed and developed a range of Chromebooks that sport the “Spin” moniker. These devices are known for their 2-in-1 form factor and high-class versatility that makes them a fit companion for all spheres of day-to-day life, including the likes of the ever-popular Acer Chromebook Spin 713 and Acer Chromebook Spin 514 (2021) AMD.
Having the new Acer Chromebook Spin 714 at our disposal that belongs to Acer’s Spin family, we’ve taken this new device for a ride to see how much of a worth-buying Chromebook it truly is. The review at hand write-up will cover the major strengths and weaknesses of the Spin 714 so you can come to a firm purchasing conclusion and decide whether the Chromebook is for you.
With no further ado, let’s get right into this detailed Spin 714 review, starting with the tech specs.
Acer Chromebook Spin 714 technical specifications
- CPU: Intel Core 13th-generation i5-1335U (10-Core) processor
- Display: 14″ WUXGA (1920 x 1200p) IPS Display, 16:10 aspect ratio
- Graphics: Intel Iris Xe
- Hard Drive Size: 256 GB SSD NVMe
- RAM: 8 GB
- Camera: Quad HD webcam
- Ports: 2x USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, USB-A port, HDMI port, 3.5mm Headphone Jack
- Battery: Lithium-ion, 10 hrs battery runtime
- Charging Speed: 0-50% in 45 minutes
- Weight: 3.02 lb
- Price: $699
- Buy on Amazon
Acer Chromebook Spin 714 in-depth review
Acer Chromebook Spin 714
We’re going to be fair here—The Acer Chromebook Spin 714 has a ton of pressure to surmount, considering that it comes after the brilliance of the Spin 713, its predecessor. The latter is a mid-range Chromebook that packs all the bells and whistles of a high-quality Chromebook.
Talk about the build quality, the design, performance, battery life, and display—the Spin 713 has it all. That is why it will be hard for the Spin 714 right off the bat to live up to the standard of its older brother or even surpass it. As per our usual reviewing strategy, we’ll gauge the core components of this Chromebook and analyze it along those lines.
Oh, and before we begin, you should know that there are two different variants of the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 (not talking about the configurations). One goes by the model name of CP714-1WN, while the other is CP714-2WN. See the difference there? The latter is the newer model and the Chromebook this review is about.
It’s not too different from its CP714-1WN counterpart, but it’s still worth reviewing and clearing up if you confuse yourself and purchase the wrong Chromebook. Let’s get right down to business with that out of the way.
1. Design
First, the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 looks pretty attractive with the dark color tone it’s been slapped on with. It’s not the flashiest of Chromebooks out there, we’ll be honest, but the Steel Gray color scheme lends some semblance of maturity to the device’s chassis. It’s also available in a color that Acer refers to as Iron, should that interest you more.
The exterior of the Chromebook doesn’t pick up fingerprints too often, and the entire unit looks good while sitting on a workstation to a certain extent. Its screen size, which measures 14 inches diagonally, gives the device an average footprint. As far as the overall real estate of the Chromebook is concerned, expect nothing out of the ordinary.
Build quality and weight
This brings us to talk about the build quality of the Chromebook. Please make no mistake; this is one solid device we’ve got our hands on here. Considering its size and form factor, it’s pretty admirable how compact this device feels daily. Even if you tried hard, the bending or creaking is next to nothing with the Spin 714.
This tells you right from the get-go that the Chromebook in question is an outright premium, considering its $700 asking price. Dimensionally, it’s neither too thick nor crazily thin—relatively just the perfect size that deems the Chromebook sleek and ready to go. Moving on, another fascinating part about the device is its general toughness.
Even if you slide the device into a backpack and put it through its paces for a fair bit, you’ll notice that the device does not catch any scratches or other forms of wear and tear. While the latter takes shape over time, the robust build quality of the Spin 714 can be perceived otherwise.
The device weighs about 3.02 pounds, which happens to be the same figure as the Acer Chromebook Spin 713. If you’ve tested that device out, then you should have a fair estimation of what the successor to that Chromebook will feel like once picked up. Do note that the Spin 714 comprises a metal keyboard and metal top lid but an alloy-like bottom.
That said, all that comes together offers a robust and firm feel that does not make you think, even for a second, that you’re using a non-premium Chromebook. This is an area, therefore, where the Spin 714 seemingly excels. Let’s shed some light on the display of the device now.
Display
The Acer Chromebook Spin 713 pretty much spoiled us and the rest of ChromeOS fanatics with its tall 3:2 aspect ratio and a mesmerizing 2K resolution VertiView display. The Spin 714 hasn’t been made to exhibit that level of a display panel, but it still holds up on its own pretty well.
The device features a 14-inch display with a 1920 x 1200 resolution. The aspect ratio is the regular 16:10, so nothing out of the ordinary there. To judge it on a standalone basis, the viewing angles are excellent, and the overall colors pop off, too. For experiences like Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, we would love the Spin 714 to consume content with.
In addition, this is a convertible device whose hinge can go back 360° to offer a tablet ChromeOS experience. That way, the Chromebook benefits from unparalleled versatility, although this comes across as reasonably understandable with Acer’s “Spin” line-up of Chromebooks.
As for the bezels of this device, expect a nearly nano-edge experience. The bezels on the top, bottom, and sides are pretty narrow and do not get in the way of an optimal viewing experience. That said, the maximum brightness here can cause concern for some. It maxes out at 340 nits, and comparing that to the Spin 714’s 400-nits level cap, this is a downgrade.
This still isn’t much of a deal-breaker, considering how 340 nits are adequate for using your Chromebook, even outdoors on a sunny day. Sure, it’s not as much as some of its other competitors, such as the Lenovo Flex 5i, but we’re still happy with what the Corning Gorilla Glass-protected display offers otherwise.
Keyboard
Simply put, the Spin 714 is one of the Chromebooks with the best keyboards. It is LED-illuminated, not gimmicky, and helpful in typing regularly in dimly lit backgrounds. The key travel is appreciable as well and perfect for those who are touch typists.
The typing is quiet, and the click mechanism is fluid and fun. We tested it and found it up to the mark substantially, so this facet of the Chromebook earns our nod of approval.
Trackpad
Right below the keyboard is where you’ll find the sizable trackpad of the Chromebook. Like the display panel, the touchpad is also covered with Corning Gorilla Glass, so it has a fair bit of protection surrounding it. The surface is also anti-microbial, so don’t worry about getting smudge marks on the peripheral anytime soon.
As for the click mechanism, the trackpad of the Spin 714 is super smooth to use, and we’ve had no complaints about it so far. It also compares to the touchpads of other robust devices, looking into the likes of the Asus Chromebook CX5, Dell Inspiron Chromebook 14, and Asus Chromebook Flip CM5.
Ports
The port selection of the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 is nothing but decent. It comes with a full-size HDMI port to instill ease in the lives of those who have to work around video conferences on apps like Google Meet, Zoom, or Skype, alongside a 3.5 mm headphone/microphone jack.
As for the USB ports, the Spin 714 sports two Type-C Thunderbolt 4 ports and a USB-A port for your legacy peripherals. On the side of the device, there’s also a physical volume rocker to keep the sound level in check while using the device.
Speakers
The speakers of the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 are the least exciting part about it. They sound average but have a fair bit of loudness to their name. It’s not something you’d want to listen to Spotify on for hours on end, but they’ll get the job done—that’s all we’ll say about them. The speakers are upward-firing, so there is no concern about stifling them as you sit the device on a table.
Webcam
The Acer Chromebook Spin 714 differs in this regard because it features a Quad HD webcam. This resolution is much higher than 1080p but still below 4K, so it’s in the middle of the mix here. The results, however, are fantastic and make the Spin 714 one of the Chromebooks with the best webcams.
Unless you want to go professional, you may not even want to grab an external webcam from Amazon for your troubles. Taking a photo and recording a video is a painless process on a Chromebook, and the Spin 714’s top-tier webcam makes it even better. It even features a privacy toggle that obstructs the webcam’s view whenever you want it to.
2. Performance
So, the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 is nice and tight from a design perspective, but how does it fare precisely when it boils down to the performance category? Putting it out front and center, the device at hand is no less than a speed demon, and we’re glad things are this way.
Otherwise, the Spin 714 would’ve just been a beautiful let-down, but again, that’s now how the device aspires in reality. Employing a workhorse-centric 13th-gen Intel Core i5 processor, which happens to be the most prominent upgrade of the device so far, there’s just no running challenge that the Spin 714 can’t overcome.
Since it uses one of the most cutting-edge CPUs in the ChromeOS industry and couples it with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD storage, feel free to run the most daunting of Android apps and high-end Linux software, such as OpenShot Video Editor, GIMP, WordPress, and even other operating systems on the device without breaking a sweat.
Considering that the Spin 714 is equipped with one of the fastest processors in the market right now, this is a future-proof Chromebook we’re discussing here. It also has Intel Iris Xe graphics, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.1 to maintain connectivity levels at the top standard.
Configurations
Acer has listed two different configurations of the Spin 714 Chromebook on its official website. One of them—the base model—is the one we’ve reviewed in this article. The other one, however, is beefier regarding hardware and comes with a $999 price tag.
The improvement in the specs department only covers the CPU part. As opposed to the other model’s i5-1335U (10-Core) 1.30 GHz processor, the $999 variant sports an i7-1355U processor with a 1.70 GHz speed. For $300 more, you can get this version of the Spin 714, but we suggest sticking with the base model since it’s crazy fast just as well.
3. Battery life
Acer advertises the battery runtime of the Spin 714 Chromebook to be somewhere around 10 hours. While most manufacturers usually hand out heightened readings to some extent, depending on their testing, we’re surprised that the Taiwanese tech giant was pretty much spot on this time around.
The Spin 714 will last you 10 hours and then some, even if you put it to taxing use and keep the brightness around 50%. It’s a reliable machine that gives you a sense of security when you take it outside and forget the charger at home.
4. Final thoughts
Our verdict on the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 holds the device in favorable words. This unit has us quite impressed with its performance levels and how it feels when held day in and day out. It’s durable, has good enough I/O, puts up a good show of colors on its display panel, and even has excellent battery life—a whole bag of the good stuff.
If you can afford it, go for it; that’s what we’ll advise you on the Spin 714. The base model of the device costs about $699, which is justified for a unit of this stature. Sure, it does not have advanced features, such as a fingerprint sensor or a garaged stylus, and its speakers are bang average, but the pros outweigh the cons by a mile.
Let us know whether you went with the device in the comments below. Chrome Ready wishes you good luck!
