Acer Chromebook Plus 514 (CB514-6H) review

Full review

If most of what you do happens in a web browser, a Chromebook is often a better buy than a cheap Windows laptop, and the 2025 Acer Chromebook Plus 514 is one of the most sensible. The Chromebook Plus label means Google has set minimum standards for speed, screen and webcam, so you avoid the very slow machines that gave Chromebooks a bad name.

This CB514-6H version runs Intel's eight-core Core 3 N355 with 8GB of memory, which is plenty for ChromeOS. It starts and wakes almost instantly, updates itself quietly in the background and does not need antivirus software. Google's own AI tools, such as help with writing and Google Photos editing, are built in.

Acer fits a 14-inch 1920 x 1200 anti-glare screen, a 1080p webcam with a shutter and a generous set of ports: two USB-C, two USB-A and full-size HDMI. Its 53 Wh battery is rated for up to 15 hours.

The downsides are worth knowing. Acer does not publish a brightness figure, so check the screen in a shop if you will use it near windows. Base models use 128GB of slower eMMC storage, which is fine if you keep files in Google Drive. Microsoft Office desktop apps and most Windows games will not run.