At IFA in Germany this morning, Acer announced a ton of new products: the Acer Swift 5 (an ultralight 15″ notebook), OJO 500 (a Windows-based mixed reality headset), Predator Thronos (a fully integrated gaming chair platform), Z 24 (an all-in-one), Swift 13 (13″ notebooks), updates to the Aspire 3,5, and 7 notebooks, a 27″ Acer Nitro gaming monitor, and a brand-new Chromebook – the Chromebook 514.
While all those other products are personally exciting, that Chromebook is somewhat related to Android – so we’ll focus on that. The Chromebook 514 has a number of appealing features, including a Corning Gorilla Glass touchpad (though Acer doesn’t say which type of GG), USB-C charging, a 12-hour battery life, and narrow bezels on the (touchscreen-optional) Full-HD LCD display.
Acer also updated the look and design of its Chromebook line. The 514 features a full aluminum frame, making it at once stylish, light and durable. Its backlit keyboard makes it easy to type even in dim conditions, and the Gorilla Glass touchpad makes for a smooth, durable component that’s often overlooked in Notebook design. As a huge fan of Apple’s MacBook touchpad, I can’t wait to see how Acer’s stacks up.
We don’t have any details on RAM or processing power yet. Those are two very important aspects of a Chromebook, and aspects that could easily make the 514 a must-buy or a hard pass at its price point. We’ll keep you informed on that front, as always.
Speaking of pricing, the Acer Chromebook 514 will go on sale in October in North America for $349. That’s pretty inexpensive when you look at the excellent design and hardware. Hopefully Acer made the right choice and squeezed some decent specifications into the 514, too.
