With back-to-back stunners in the ChromeOS space, such as the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 and Acer Chromebook 516 GE, which, by the way, is our personal favorite, the Taiwanese manufacturer has claimed a solid name for itself in the industry, proving how it’s one of the best Chromebook manufacturers in the game.
However, we’ve got our hands on yet another device that seemingly appears to be first-rate. The Acer Chromebook Vero 514 is advertised as eco-friendly and looks pretty impressive on paper. In this review article, we will gauge whether the device lives up to Acer’s reputation or misfires to a certain extent this time around.
Let’s dive right in with no further ado.
Acer Chromebook Vero 514 technical specifications
- CPU: I2th Generation Intel Core i3-1215U processor, 4.4 GHz speed
- Display: 14″ FHD (1920 x 1080p) IPS display with anti-glare, 16:10 aspect ratio, 60 Hz refresh rate
- Graphics: Intel Iris Xe
- Hard Drive Size: 128 GB SSD NVMe
- RAM: 8 GB
- Camera: 1080p webcam, 1.2 megapixels
- Ports: 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports, x1 USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, HDMI port, 3.5mm headphone jack
- Battery: 3-cell Lithium-ion, 10 hrs battery runtime
- Charging Speed: 0-50% in 35 minutes
- Weight: 3.20 lbs (1.45 kg)
- Price: $350 at the moment for the entry-level variant, $499.99 MSRP
- Buy on Amazon
Acer Chromebook Vero 514 in-depth review
Right off the bat, and we mean pretty much the moment you purchase the device, much about this Chromebook piques our interest. First, it comes in an atypical box, with its upper portion lifting off the top instead of housing the unit inside. It also negates the usage of traditional packaging material and instead employs fibrous materials.
Acer Chromebook Vero 514
Next, what truly takes us aback is Acer’s shift of focus on ChromeOS instead of what it has kept up doing on the Windows side of things. The manufacturer’s Aspire Vero line-up of Windows laptops has a multitude of configurations to their name. Still, all emphasize going green using PCR (Post-Consumer Recycled) material to reduce e-waste and carbon emissions.
While that has seemingly worked great for Acer for years on end, it’s also applied the same formula now for its 514 Vero Chromebook to introduce that stuff in the ChromeOS space. This is undoubtedly a step in the right direction by Acer and positively impacts the environment in the grand scheme of things.
1. Design
The Acer Chromebook 514 Vero is an environment-conscious Chromebook and thus carries a design that is conscious of that statement. It employs the eco-friendliness of PCR, an acronym for Post-Consumer Recycled, plastic for its chassis, screen bezel, and keycaps, saving the world one Chromebook at a time.
Acer has even specified the amount of PCR material that has gone into the Chromebook. The keycaps and the audio speakers house 50% PCR plastic, while the screen bezels and exterior comprise 30% of the good stuff.
The 514 Vero has two fantastic color options – Cobblestone Gray and Iron. Cobblestone Gray seems to be the more popular one. You’ll notice a “Post Consumer Recycled” mark on the trackpad, which is pretty neat! The “Chromebook” and “Acer” logos are etched onto the chassis without any colors, giving it a classy look.
Given the material that the device packs, you’ll find its texture sandy and a little unusual compared to the rest of the Chromebooks out there, but this is certainly understandable. However, it’s not uncomfortable to use—the chassis is still fairly polished to touch and glide your fingers on.
Lastly, you’ll notice another unique part of the Vero 514’s design. There are patches of green, yellow, and white dispersed all over the device, including its top and bottom lids, bezels, and the rest of the unit’s footprint. This quickly makes the Chromebook stand out as a head-turning machine, one that attracts passers-by on a day-to-day basis.
Build quality and weight
Moving onto the build quality of the Vero 514, we’d say the machine passes the test with good numbers, considering its purposeful all-plastic build. There is a bit of a flex to the chassis, though, and you can slightly bend it in some areas. However, the overall outlook isn’t too drastic, and the unit’s build holds its own remarkably well.
We say the latter because the Acer Chromebook Vero 514 is a rugged unit and is duly mil-spec tested to offer military-grade durability. This means that the Chromebook has undergone several different endurance tests that revolve around drops, shocks, vibrations, temperatures, and other travel hazards.
The compliance with the MIL-STD 810H standard means that this device will likely stand the test of time as you push it up against the rigors of daily life and, perhaps, travel with it. The portability factor is something to consider when you try to think of moving around with your device; fortunately, this one is a reasonably lightweight affair.
Weighing about 1 and a half kgs and measuring 0.81 by 12.3 by 8.8 inches dimensionally, the Vero 514 slides into backpacks like a dream, offering you zero trouble and even surviving whatever happens in there in the form of scratch resistance. The premium build of the model shows here, and there’s no countering it.
Display
The specs sheet tells us that the Acer Chromebook Vero 514 comes with a screen that should be pretty good. After all, it’s a standard-size 14-inch display with In-Plane Switching (IPS) tech and a 16:9 aspect ratio. Moreover, the resolution is FHD (1920 x 1080p), so quality colors and good viewing angles are typically expected.
Thankfully, all of that holds up to be nothing but true. The display of the Vero 514 is one of its best-selling factors. We love how bright it can be and the fluidity of the overall unit. Acer does not say how many nits the screen is in total, but we suspect it to be somewhere in the 300-350 nits range.
The device’s form factor is non-convertible; only a standard clamshell Chromebook is what we have at our disposal here. A higher-priced version of the device is touch-enabled, though, and the screen’s responsiveness is something we can vouch for, having tested multiple Acer touchscreens in the past.
Furthermore, the component is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass and has military-grade durability factoring. Just don’t go and strike the screen with Thor’s Mjolnir or something of the like—you know, laptop screens, no matter if they’re mil-spec rated, have their limits. In the price bracket of $499, although you can get it for much cheaper nowadays, the Vero 514 has one of the best displays out there.
Keyboard
Getting to the keyboard of the Vero 514, we’re pretty happy with what we’ve used so far. Acer has gone on to prove that using recycled material doesn’t necessitate a device turning out poor in overall quality. As iterated earlier, the Chromebook’s keycaps are born from 50% PCR, but they still manage to dish out a highly workable typing experience.
You’ve got a keyboard with comfortable typing here and keys spaced out well from each other. The click mechanism is excellent, too, and you can quickly tell right from the get-go that the keyboard of the Vero 514 is first-rate, thereby joining the party of Chromebooks that come with the best keyboards in the business.
In addition, Acer has included one semblance of the device’s ecologically understanding build. The “R” and “E” keys on the keyboard are green in color, signaling toward the initials of the words “Reuse” and “Recycle.” For reference, the Chromebook’s packaging comes from 100% recyclable materials, and the keycaps, speakers, chassis, and bezels employ reused plastic. Subtle yet impressive.
Lastly, it’s pretty surprising that even the entry-level model of the device comes with a backlit keyboard, not a shabby one, but quite the real deal. The LED illumination of the keys has no gimmicks and instead works perfectly. It’s visibly bright enough in lit settings and has remarkable utility when the lighting is dim around you.
Trackpad
The success story of the Vero 514 Chromebook continues with its trackpad, which has been significantly focused on by Acer. This is an OceanGlass touchpad made from Ocean Bound Plastic (OCB), so it’s another facet of the Chromebook that goes down the noble path of saving the world.
To give you a little background on the material used here, Ocean Bound Plastic is characterized as plastic waste meant to end up in the ocean. However, some companies are actively trying to reuse this form of material in their products, thereby reducing the waste in essence and creating something to sell side by side.
On the other hand, the trackpad of the Vero 514 isn’t at a disadvantage in the wake of this development. The OceanGlass touchpad of the device feels glass-like. However, it isn’t and manages to dish out a great user experience with a great click mechanism, smooth top surface, and a large enough size to accommodate users effortlessly.
Ports
The port selection on this device is yet another area where the Vero 514 excels. Before we tell you more, the Vero 514 is missing a microSD card reader slot for further storage expansion, so you will have to settle with the default configuration of whatever variant you buy.
On the flip side, though, it comes with two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports, a single USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port for legacy devices, a 3.5 mm headphone jack as well, and to our surprise, a full-size HDMI port that lets you hook up your Chromebook to external monitors in a pinch and all that kind of stuff, including better video conferences.
If your work requirements aren’t over the top, you won’t need a USB-C hub to give you more port options and I/O methods.
Webcam
The Acer Chromebook Vero 514 utilizes a high-quality webcam cut above the rest in its price bracket. It’s a 1080p camera with a megapixel count of 1.2, so its shot is relatively rich in color and has a decent amount of clarity to its name. The camera has a privacy shade you can slide on and block out the webcam’s vision.
We’re happy with what the camera has to offer here, and it’s not like you will necessarily need to, per se, settle for something purchased from the outside, such as a professional-quality webcam. Video conferences on Google Meet, Zoom, or Skype will presumably go well, considering the 1080p resolution.
Speakers
The bottom-firing speakers of the Acer Chromebook Vero 514 aren’t that great, honestly speaking. Sure, they can be clear enough, but we were barely impressed as far as loudness is concerned. Acer does advertise the speakers to have DTS Audio, which is supposed to make the audio quality more immersive, but that barely makes itself noticeable.
Moreover, there’s a built-in Smart Amplifier in the Chromebook, which is supposed to make the audio quality loud, among other advantages, but there’s still not a lot here worth writing home about. What they will do, however, is get you by. If it makes you feel better, there’s a keen rarity of Chromebooks that come with fantastic speakers.
2. Performance
We always tell our readers—that a device is no good, no matter how flashy it is from the perspective of looks, if it does not run well, and we’ll say it now too. Fortunately, things don’t have to boil down to that, where one has to pick up all the other positives of the Vero 514 and comfort themselves with them.
Sporting an Alder Lake 12th-gen Intel Core i3-1215U processor, 8 GB RAM, and 128 GB NVMe storage, the device runs fantastic and is quite speedy. Of course, the way it’s priced and the type of hardware that Acer has gone with for the Vero 514, this was expected, but in reality, the unit’s performance goes well over expectations.
It can handle multiple tasks on the fly, should you choose to run a dozen different Chrome tabs on the machine or desire to simultaneously work with resource-intensive Android apps and games, such as PUBG and Asphalt 9: Legends, not to mention the added expanse of Linux software, like Scrivener, OpenShot Video Editor, or even Lightworks.
This puts the Vero 514 in one of the higher echelons of the performance department, allowing you to split the screen into multiple windows and work on various things simultaneously, which is basically multitasking like a pro. Now, Acer has doled out various configurations of the device. Feel free to look into them ahead.
Configurations
The Various Configurations of the Acer Chromebook Vero 514
Acer lists a total of seven different variants of the Vero 514 on its official storefront, and all of them have some differences from one another. You should now have a fair idea of the base model of the device, which is what we’ve discussed in the review. It’s typically priced at $499, but some storefronts currently have it on sale for about $350.
The Vero 514 provides a range of options to suit different budgets and performance needs. The base model, priced at $599, includes a 256 GB storage upgrade and an improved Core i5 processor, compared to the Core i3 of the lower-end model. The subsequent models all feature either a Core i5 or Core i7 processor.
For an additional $200, users can unlock the touchscreen feature, which offers more input options and access to a broader range of Android apps. The $849 model includes a RAM upgrade to 16 GB.
At the top end, the most advanced Acer Chromebook Vero 514 model costs around $950. It boasts a powerful deca-core Intel i7-1255U CPU with a processing speed of 1.70 GHz, 16 GB of memory, 256 GB NVMe storage, and a touch-enabled display. However, it is also the priciest option available.
3. Battery life
The battery life of the Acer Chromebook Vero 514 is advancing the various review parameters we’ve outlined here. We’re glad to report that the device in question has one of the best battery runtimes in the industry, lasting 11 to 12 hours on a single full charge of its 3-cell Lithium-ion battery.
You never have to keep it plugged in twice daily to charge it entirely unless you’re overworking it to the maximum possible extent, which is unlikely. We’re considerably impressed with the amount of time that the Vero 514 can hold its own, and we see this becoming one of the most sought-after pros of the device.
4. Final thoughts
If your work, school, or entertainment requirements warrant a device that packs enough processing power to rely on consistently, coupled with your morals that entice you to own eco-friendly devices, the Acer Chromebook Vero 514 is the unit you should plunge into.
This Chromebook is a top-notch device that typically begins at $350 for the standard model. Its impressive hardware allows it to handle multiple tasks while you’re on the go. While Acer offers various configurations for the device, we recommend waiting for reasonable prices before making a final decision.
The device’s construction is eco-friendly and made from recycled plastic material. It is solid, firm to hold, and has a mil-spec rating for maximum durability.
At $350, we can easily recommend this Chromebook to even those with various use cases. The cherry on top is the fantastic battery runtime of the unit that lasts you a whole day of work or school and even leaves room for entertainment, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, or anything of the sort.
