Verdict
The Acer Chromebook Spin 714 (2023) is a marvellous Chromebook. With some modern design and an honest port choice, it presents a strong all-round package deal for the worth. It presents some nippy efficiency for a Chromebook, in addition to some glorious battery life, too. The one limiting issue is its excessive price ticket, and for creatives, a Home windows laptop computer will likely be higher.
Professionals
- Glossy design
- Highly effective for a Chromebook
- Responsive show
Cons
- Costly
- Skittish trackpad
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14-inch FHD touchscreen show:Encompasses a 14-inch IPS show, full with a Full HD decision, that’s additionally a touchscreen.
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Speedy processor:Powered by an twelfth Gen Intel Core i5 processor which presents glorious relative efficiency with 10 cores and 12 threads. -
Convertible design:It weighs 1.4kg, which is on the heavier facet for a laptop computer this dimension, however ought to be wonderful for these on the go.
Availability
- UKRRP: £799
- USARRP: $729
Introduction
The Acer Chromebook Spin 714 (2023) has so much to stay as much as for a modest Chromebook.
Acer’s Spin fashions of Chromebooks have frequently been featured on our checklist of the very best Chromebooks cash should purchase right now, and for good purpose, too. Prior to now, they’ve provided a modern design with the advantages of tablet-style performance, in addition to good shows, strong efficiency and glorious battery life.
Will all this proceed into the most recent iteration that I’ve acquired right here for testing? Effectively, let’s discover out.
Design and Keyboard
- Trendy seems to be
- First rate port choice
- Tactile keyboard, however skittish trackpad
Proper from the off, the Spin 714 (2023) doesn’t provide a lot in the best way of adjustments in comparison with a number of the older Spin fashions. This isn’t essentially a nasty factor, although, because it presents a modern and stylish look to it that makes it look a bit dearer than the £799 price ticket would counsel. As well as, the additional skinny bezels across the 14-inch show assist alongside its fashionable and slightly premium seems to be
A weight of 1.4kg makes this splendidly gentle for a 14-inch laptop computer, and the Spin 714 goes to be a improbable alternative for these on the go, particularly with its slim building making it straightforward to chuck right into a bag together with all the opposite stuff you want.
As a lot because the Spin 714 (2023)’s slender body helps it provide fashionable seems to be, it means its port choice isn’t the very best it might be. You get a pair of Thunderbolt 4-capable USB-C ports, one in every of which is used for charging, in addition to a singular USB-A, an HDMI out and a headphone jack. It’s a pleasant mix of connectivity, and the Thunderbolt powers are appreciated, though having an SD card slot, or a second USB-A wouldn’t have gone amiss.
The port choice might do with a bit bit of labor, however the identical is certainly not true with the Spin 714 (2023)’s keyboard. It supplies a compact 65% format and keys that supply some glorious tactility over an honest size of journey. Typing on it to put in writing articles for a few weeks was strong, and I’ve acquired no qualms about it. On that word, whereas I’m grateful there’s some white backlighting for after-dark working, it isn’t probably the most even. The trackpad presents some good actual property on your fingers, though feels a bit skittish, being a Gorilla Glass trackpad and all.
Show and Sound
- FHD decision supplies first rate element
- Marvellous colors with strong brightness
- Responsive touchscreen
On some Chromebooks and extra inexpensive laptops, it’s on the entrance of the show the place issues are skimped out on. In comparison with final 12 months’s smaller 13-inch mannequin, the Spin 714 has truly skimped out on its decision, choosing a Full HD panel, versus a QHD one.
With this in thoughts although, the photographs offered comparable to throughout a session of the most recent Grand Tour particular and a few rewatching of James Might: Our Man In Italy on Prime Video, the Spin 714 offered some first rate element, with some excellent colors afforded by it being an IPS show. Acer’s quoted 100% protection of the sRGB color house means it’ll show all mainstream colors for day-to-day working, too.
A quoted brightness of 300 nits hits our goal for laptops and means the Spin 714 (2023) supplies usually vibrant photos. The addition of a 16:10 facet ratio is a step up from another Chromebooks, with extra vertical actual property aiding in making the show of the Spin 714 show a strong pairing with extra fashionable workloads.
As a 2-in-1 system, this panel can also be a touchscreen and presents a responsive expertise when in pill mode, too. The addition of a stylus within the field is useful, and the one offered additionally presents an correct expertise.
As a lot because the show is great, the identical isn’t totally true for the Spin 714 (2023)’s audio system. The very fact they’re upwards firing is useful for making certain that sound isn’t muffled on softer surfaces comparable to a mattress. Nonetheless, they lack so much when it comes to their low-end, lending audio to turn out to be a bit tinny and skinny. This grew to become obvious in my day-to-day testing when listening to music on Spotify.
Efficiency
- Highly effective processor for a ChromeOS system
- Strong RAM and storage combo
- ChromeOS is usually a bit limiting
The Spin 714 (2023) provided up some strong efficiency for the cash right here, too. It’s powered by a twelfth gen Intel Core i5-1235U, bringing with it a complete of 10 cores and 12 threads, in addition to a lift clock of as much as 4.4GHz. That is maybe overkill for a Chromebook, provided that the OS it’s operating on is designed extra for informal computing than intensive workloads.
The addition of such a strong processor for the duty at hand allowed the Spin 714 to supply some high-riding scores within the likes of Geekbench 5 the place this specific Chromebook presents efficiency that’s comparable extra to mid-range Home windows-based laptops than different Chromebooks. It’s a marked enchancment additionally over final 12 months’s Spin 713, with its tenth gen processor.
It carried out particularly effectively in day-to-day duties of net searching and taking part in some music on Spotify, too. The 8GB of RAM does turn out to be useful when having a number of home windows open in Google Chrome, and the Spin 714 wasn’t noticeably sluggish in any respect throughout my time with it. What’s extra, a 512GB SSD supplies oodles of space for storing and can also be a significant enchancment over the smaller and stingier eMMC storage that I’ve skilled in Chromebooks previous.
In the event you’re desirous to spend on a convertible laptop computer comparable to this, the Spin 714 is a good performer – however it’s additionally restricted by the actual fact it runs ChromeOS. There are many apps out there within the Google Play Retailer, however a Home windows laptop computer will provide a better diploma of flexibility in terms of software program downloads with comparable efficiency ranges.
Battery Life
- Lasted for 11 hours and 6 minutes in our battery check
- Able to lasting for 1-2 working days
The Spin 714 additionally proved to supply some glorious battery life in my testing, too. In operating a video loop check and dialling the brightness all the way down to midway, this specific Chromebook lasted for simply over 11 hours.
This makes it appropriate to make use of for a working day while not having to achieve for the charger, and that was the case with my time with the Spin 714. It additionally continues the development Acer has set with its Chromebooks providing strong battery life, particularly these Spin fashions, which have, in a common sense, turn out to be a few of my favourites that I’ve examined.
Newest offers
Must you purchase it?
You need a highly effective Chromebook
If it’s an particularly nippy ChromeOS-based expertise you’re after, the Spin 714 (2023) presents it in spades with its 10-core and 12-thread Intel Core i5-1235U processor.
You need the powers of Home windows
The Spin 714 (2023) is a improbable Chromebook, however the reality it runs ChromeOS could also be limiting for some customers.
Remaining Ideas
I’ve all the time discovered the concept of high-end Chromebooks obscure. Basically, you’re effectively in your strategy to spending almost 4 figures on this occasion for a tool that usually is a improbable laptop computer that’s inherently restricted by its gentle working system.
With this in thoughts, nonetheless, the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 (2023) is a superb Chromebook. It supplies some modern seems to be, with some nice construct high quality, in addition to a snug keyboard and first rate port choice. Its show is probably not nearly as good because the Spin 713 (2022), however Acer nonetheless supplies this 12 months’s possibility with a strong Full HD panel that’s additionally a responsive touchscreen. What’s extra, it supplies plenty of energy for such a light-weight OS, blitzing day-to-day duties, with no actual indicators of slowdown. The battery life on provide right here can also be exemplary.
What this actually comes all the way down to is your preparedness for spending £800 or so on a Chromebook. It’s an terrible lot of cash for what it’s, however the Spin 714 (2023) is greater than well worth the cash for many who might not want the performance of Home windows however don’t need to compromise on the efficiency of the laptop computer itself. Nonetheless not bought? Contemplate some cheaper, or pricier, picks in our greatest Chromebooks information.
How we check
Each laptop computer we evaluation goes by way of a sequence of uniform checks designed to gauge key issues together with construct high quality, efficiency, display screen high quality and battery life.
These embrace formal artificial benchmarks and scripted assessments, plus a sequence of real-world checks, comparable to how effectively it runs fashionable apps.
We used as our fundamental laptop computer for no less than every week.
Examined the efficiency by way of each benchmark assessments and real-world use.
FAQs
Sure, the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 comes with a stylus to work with the touchscreen.
The Acer Chromebook Spin 714 (2023) does include a touchscreen. All gadgets that sport a 360-hinge characteristic a touchscreen to benefit from tablet-like capabilities and utilise styli.
