Acer Chromebook Plus CB514-4H review: A solid laptop with long runtimes and Gemini AI support

The Acer Chromebook Plus CB514 4HT left a solid total impression on us. It features a decent display that may not have a particularly high brightness or vivid color depiction, but it is sufficient for everyday tasks. Its input devices—keyboard and touchpad—are good and allow for comfortable working. Its plastic case looks nice and the laptop is lightweight, weighing in at only 1.4 kg. 

The Chromebook's performance is completely adequate for typical fields of use. Its Intel Core i3-N305 processor, in combination with 8 GB RAM and a 128-GB SSD, ensures a smooth working experience. The 11 hours that our test device managed during our WLAN test are excellent and allow for mobile use over the course of the entire day.

Another plus is the Google One AI Premium trial subscription, which is currently included in the price and allows users to enjoy the benefits of artificial intelligence in Google products for a year. Costing $399.99, the Acer Chromebook Plus CB514 4H is also one of the most affordable Chromebooks to earn the title "Chromebook Plus".

Chrome OS has developed into a mature operating system in recent years, which for many users is a fully-fledged alternative to Windows or macOS. If you are still missing software, you can upgrade it via the Linux platform. It is now also compatible with a number of Windows applications.

You can currently purchase the Acer Chromebook Plus CB514-4H via the manufacturer's website for just under $400.

Acer has a wide range of Chromebooks on offer, which can be roughly divided into three categories: The cheaper models of the 300 series, the slightly better-equipped devices of the 500 series and the 700 series which is aimed more at business customers. For some time now, the devices in the last two groups have been able to call themselves Chromebook Plus.

The term "Chromebook Plus" stands for devices that offer higher performance, more storage space and better features compared to conventional Chromebooks. This requires at least a Core i3 processor or a Ryzen 3 processor, a Full HD display, 8 GB RAM and a fast SSD.

Our test device, the Acer Chromebook Plus CB514 4H, belongs to the 500 series and is equipped with an Intel Core i3-N305 processor. This delivers sufficient performance for a Chromebook in most application areas.

The Acer Chromebook Plus CB514 4H is a Chromebook with a silver lacquered plastic case (A, B and D covers). The rounded corners on the front give its design a modern look. The screen is matte and is surrounded by a black frame. The display lid has a partially brushed look and features light branding consisting of the chrome Acer logo and Chromebook Plus lettering.

Handy: When opened, the base lifts slightly, which ensures a better typing angle and better cooling. The hinges are tight and hold the display securely in place, but they are too stiff to open the laptop with one hand. Our points of criticism are the uneven gaps on the touchpad and the display lid, which can be twisted quite easily. This produces a crackling noise. The keyboard also yields slightly under pressure, but this isn't a problem.

The Acer Chromebook Plus CB514 4H features a good selection of ports. In addition to two modern USB-C ports with DisplayPort and PowerDelivery, there are two USB-A ports (3.0, 5 GBit/s). It is particularly nice that these ports are spread out between both sides of the Chromebook. Headphones can be connected via the 3.5 mm jack connection, and you can secure the Chromebook against theft using a Kensington lock slot. A microSD card reader lets you expand its storage. As there is no HDMI port, a corresponding adapter will be required if necessary.

Its Full HD webcam provides acceptable image quality for video conferences—plus, it has a privacy shutter. The Intel AX211 Wi-Fi module with Wi-Fi 6E support ensures a stable and fast Wi-Fi connection.

Chromebooks are known for running smoothly even with less powerful hardware, as Chrome OS is a slim and resource-efficient operating system. The Acer Chromebook Plus CB514 4H is equipped with an Intel Core i3-N305 processor, an entry-level CPU with 8 E-cores that doesn't use multithreading. It doesn't feature P-cores, as found in more powerful processors. Its integrated Xe graphics unit with 32 EUs is sufficient for simple tasks and video playback.

With 8 GB of RAM running in single-channel mode, there is enough to use several tabs and applications at the same time. The laptop's 128-GB NVMe SSD ensures fast system and program start-ups and offers enough space for documents and files.

This puts the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 4H at the upper end of the Chromebook range.

The Intel Core i3-N305 processor inside the Acer Chromebook Plus CB514 4H is a solid entry-level processor that offers more than sufficient performance for most Chromebook applications. During everyday use, you can surf the web, edit documents and stream videos smoothly without the processor ever reaching its limits. It is interesting to note that inside the Chromebook Plus CB514 4H, Acer doesn't run the Core i3-N305 at its maximum TDP, but limits its performance somewhat. As a result, it clocks at a maximum of 3 GHz, but produces less waste heat and the fan stays nice and quiet.

In comparison, the same processor in the Acer Aspire Go 15 is supplied with slightly more power, which leads to a slightly higher performance in our benchmarks concerning pure processor performance. However, as a Windows laptop, the Aspire Go 15 needs this extra performance. Thankfully, the performance of the Core i3-N305 inside the Chromebook Plus CB514 4H is completely sufficient for typical Chromebook tasks. In general, the processor is hardly ever fully loaded and the operating system itself only uses a tiny fraction of its performance. As a result, the Chromebook performed significantly better during the system performance benchmarks.

The Acer Chromebook Plus CB514 4H is fitted with a 128-GB NVMe SSD from Kingston. Although this SSD isn't one of the fastest models on the market, it still offers significantly better performance than the eMMC storage that is often used in Chromebooks. This means faster system and program start-ups and an overall smoother working experience. Of the 128 GB, users have just over 100 GB available for storing apps, documents, images, videos and other files. This should be sufficient for most people, especially in view of the fact that Chrome OS relies heavily on cloud storage.

The graphics unit integrated into the Intel Core i3-N305 is an Intel Xe with 32 Execution Units (EUs). It is one of the less powerful GPUs, but is completely sufficient for the basic tasks you'd expect from a Chromebook. Surfing the web, playing videos and simple image processing are no problem for the Intel Xe. For the most part, you can also play lots of Android games smoothly.

However, if you want to play demanding 3D games via Steam, the Intel Xe will reach its limits. Although Steam can be installed on the Chromebook Plus CB514 4H via the console (keyword: "insert coin"), most current games will not run smoothly.

On the positive side, its graphics performance isn't throttled in battery mode. So you can work and play on the move without any loss of performance.

The Intel Core i3-N305 processor in the Acer Chromebook Plus CB514 4H isn't exactly supplied with a lot of power. As a result, not much waste heat is generated during operation. Despite its low-key fan concept, this results in a comfortably low device temperature. Even under load, the Chromebook hardly heats up noticeably. The maximum temperature we noted on the top was around 35 °C. This ensures comfortable working conditions even during prolonged use. The Chromebook can therefore be used on your lap or desk without getting too warm.

The Acer Chromebook Plus CB514 4H's speaker performance is mediocre. With a maximum volume of 78 dB(A), they are sufficient for watching a movie or listening to music in a small room. However, the speakers lack bass, which makes the sound seem a little lacking. Mids and highs, on the other hand, are balanced, making speech easy to understand.

The Chromebook's speakers aren't terribly suitable for true audiophiles. Even so, they are enough for video conferences or occasionally watching videos. If good sound is more important to you, you should use headphones or external speakers. These can be connected via a 3.5 mm jack or Bluetooth.

Our test device's maximum power consumption is just 33 watts. When idling, its consumption even drops to just six to nine watts. At 45 watts, the included power supply unit offers sufficient power to charge the Chromebook even under load.

Overall, the Chromebook Plus CB514 4H is an energy-efficient device, as you would expect from a Chromebook. Such a low energy consumption is not only easy on your wallet, but also on the environment.

The Acer Chromebook Plus CB514 4H is equipped with a 52 Wh battery. With the laptop's low energy consumption values, this results in quite long runtimes. The Chromebook achieves up to 14 hours of battery life in idle mode, i.e. with minimal load. During the practical WLAN web surfing test, in which the Chromebook called up various websites using a script, it still managed a good 11 hours of runtime.

This makes the Chromebook Plus CB514 4H a reliable companion for a whole working day or a long flight. It's perfectly possible to leave the power adapter at home and use the Chromebook on the move all day long.

The Acer Chromebook Plus CB514 4H is a solid Chromebook that boasts a good range of features, long battery life and quiet operation. It is ideal for anyone looking for a reliable device for everyday tasks such as surfing the web, word processing and video streaming.

A special highlight is its twelve-month Google One AI Premium trial subscription, which is currently included in the price and is worth around $270. This allows users to take advantage of artificial intelligence in Google products such as Google Photos and Google Assistant. The offer is valid until January 31, 2025.