Acer Chromebook 14
Large displays are an uncommon sight on Chromebooks. The majority of models tend to have an 11.6in screen, which makes them a good option for everyday use while keeping them portable. Acer knows this, as its very popular R11 proves (see our best Chromebooks chart on page 122). But those who desire a bit more real estate for their eyes could well be tempted by Acer’s new offering: the Chromebook 14.
Price
Acer offers two variants of the Chromebook 14: the one we’re reviewing here costs an affordable £199, while upgrading to a full HD display, and doubling the RAM and storage, will take the price to £279. If you’re looking for a 14in screen in particular, then the only other real alternative is HP’s Chromebook 14, which can be picked up for around £220, or its business suited brethren the HP Chromebook 14 G4, which matches the high-end Acer’s appointments and can be ordered directly from HP for £307.
If you don’t mind stepping down a little in size, then there’s a range of good options at the 13in level. One of the best devices around, if you can find one, is the Toshiba Chromebook 2, which usually goes for around £270, HP’s imminent Chromebook 13 is a pricier option that does look very cool, while the Asus C300M can still be picked for around the £200 mark.
Design
If truth be told, Chromebook designs can be a bit on the basic side. Unless you go for the gorgeous but hilariously priced Google Chromebook Pixel (£799), then you’re probably looking at a mainly plastic chassis with a sparse amount of ports and connections. This is fine, as Chromebooks are simple beasts and this is one of the things that makes them so appealing.
It was a pleasant surprise then to take the Acer out of its box and find what looks like a brushed aluminium lid. Scanning through the specs reveals that the chassis is listed as all-metal, with Acer describing it as an aluminium alloy. The effect is a premium-looking device with gently rounded edges, and tapered sides that give the illusion of a wedge-shaped construction.
Strangely, it doesn’t feel like one. The metal is smooth and smart, but does have an air of plastic about it. The solidity and cool to the touch aspect of our office MacBook Air is missing from this device, which is no surprise as it costs about a quarter of the price of Apple’s laptop, so that’s not really something to hold against it, and for the most part the Acer is a good-looking machine that seems a cut above many of its rivals.
With dimensions of 340x236x17mm this Chromebook is reasonably compact and slim, with the 1.6kg weight making it something that wouldn’t kill your shoulders after a day of carrying it around in your backpack.
The extra size of the body over its 11.6in rivals means there’s room for a large trackpad. We’re big fans of Chromebook trackpads in general, as their multi-touch support and smooth operation are always excellent, and this example doesn’t blot the copybook in any way.
The keyboard is another area of strength across the Chromebook range, and while the Acer layout is the standard, spacious one we’ve grown to expect, the key response feels shallow at times, making it less precise than we’d like. It’s not bad, but it’s not up to the high standards we’ve seen in other systems.
Of course, the 14in display is this device’s big selling point, so it’s a shame that the panel itself is little underwhelming. Running at a resolution of 1366x768 is the norm on Chromebooks, but the larger display makes this lack of pixel density more telling.