CES 2021 | AMD Ryzen 3000C series APUs debut in the Acer Chromebook Spin 514 and its enterprise counterpart

Last year, AMD introduced Ryzen APUs for Chromebooks with the promise of much better performance compared to their Athlon predecessors. At CES 2021, Acer is now introducing the first Chromebook series that utilize these new Zen+ Ryzen APUs.

The Acer Chromebook Spin 514 is the first Chromebook to feature the Ryzen 7 3700C and Ryzen 5 3500C APU options. These processors allow for significantly greater capabilities and much more performance for running Linux and demanding Android apps compared to conventional Chromebooks. Additionally the Spin 514 can be configured with up to 16 GB RAM and a 256 GB NVMe SSD.

Acer has also ensured that the Chromebook Spin 514 can take on the vagaries of daily usage. The Spin 514's 14-inch FHD screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass. The convertible laptop is also MIL-STD 810H certified. Acer says that the Spin 514 and can survive drops from up to 122 cm and withstand up to 60 kg of pressure.

Connectivity is ensured by two USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C ports that support charging and DisplayPort-out. Also available are a microSD card reader, two USB 3.2 Gen1 ports, and a HDMI port in select models. Dual-band wireless AC with 2x2 MU-MIMO provides network connectivity. Acer didn't specify the battery capacity but said that the Chromebook Spin 514 can offer up to 10 hours of battery life.

Aside from the regular Chromebook Spin 514, Acer is also offering an enterprise upgrade via Chromebook Enterprise. This allows IT departments to enable a secure mobile cloud computing environment while also providing more control over OS updates, app deployment, and more. Both the consumer and enterprise versions of the Chromebook Spin 514 support Android apps via the Google Play Store.

The Acer Chromebook Spin 514 will be available from March starting from €479 while the Enterprise variant will start from €669. Enterprises can also opt to buy the Chromebook Spin 514 as an Acer Device-as-a-Service (DaaS) solution.