Acer Chromebook Spin 714 review: The best business Chromebook gets a refresh

The Acer Chromebook Spin 714 is Acer's successor to the Spin 713; for years Acer's flagship Chromebook and one of the best-loved Chromebooks. While still a compact, convertible Chromebook, the Spin 714 does things a little differently, ditching the square design and screen of the Spin 713 for a more conventional form factor with a widescreen 16:10 display. 

But if you're worried that this spoils this Chromebook's usability, don't. Like its illustrious predecessor, the Spin 714 is one of the best business Chromebooks out there, giving you everything you need to be productive in a lightweight, flexible, and surprisingly affordable package.   

Acer Chromebook Spin 714: Design

At 322 x 224 x 18mm, the Spin 714 is a little bigger than the old Spin 713, which measured 300 x 235 x 17mm. However, it's also slightly lighter, at a very manageable 1.37Kg. It retains the old all-metal build and 360-degree hinge, enabling it to work in a choice of clamshell, tablet, tent, and stand modes, and the MIL-STD 810H construction is as solid and robust as the old model's. If you're looking for a Chromebook that can survive life on the move, the Spin 714 won't let you down. 

Connectivity is up to scratch as well, with two Thunderbolt 4/USB Type-C ports, an HDMI 2.1 output, and a single USB 3.1 Type A. One of the Thunderbolt 4 ports will be out of action while the device is charging, but you always have the option of a USB Type-C or Thunderbolt 4 dock to charge it up and connect your keyboard, mouse, and screen while you're sitting at your desk. You're well covered for wireless connectivity, too, with Wi-Fi 6E to connect to the fastest mainstream WiFi networks and Bluetooth 5.1 for headsets, mice, and keyboards.

The convertible form factor makes this a versatile device, and Acer has included a garaged USI stylus, which slots away neatly in a garage while not in use. It's very capable by Chromebook stylus standards, with 4,096 pressure levels plus tilt sensitivity. It's great for making notes, sketches, and annotations during meetings or presentations.

Like the Spin 713, the Spin 714 has solid ergonomics, with a spacious, well-laid-out chiclet keyboard with large, flat-topped keys and a good-sized trackpad. There's plenty of travel and a nice, light action, though the bounce back after actuation could be slightly snappier. As for the trackpad, it's accurate and responsive whether navigating Chrome OS and cloud-based apps or browsing the Web. You may want a mouse for precision work, but this is a comfortable machine for working all day long. 

Acer Chromebook Spin 714: Display

That's helped by the 14-inch display, which gives you just enough screen space for a good working environment in what's still a very portable Chromebook. While fans of the Spin 713 might miss the old 3:2 aspect ratio and 2256 x 1504 resolution – it always made the screen seem bigger than it was – the Spin 714 still has a 16:10 aspect ratio and a 1920 x 1200 resolution. Text and images look clean without obvious pixelation, and a high brightness level (up to 387cdm2) helps boost clarity and contrast. 

Add the fact that the screen supports 93.6% of the SRGB color gamut and 71% of DCI-P3, and you've got a fine screen for office work, light image editing, or streaming video. With an average Delta E of 1.8, color accuracy is also very good.

The sound is another plus point, with more volume and better clarity than on cheaper Chromebooks as long as you don't whack the volume up too high. The built-in dual microphone array also does a fine job of handling chats and conference calls, while the 1080p webcam gives you well-exposed and detailed videos for Google Meet meetings and Zoom calls.

Acer Chromebook Spin 714: Performance

The Spin 714 is one of the first Chromebooks out there with Intel's 13th generation Core CPUs, and even though our test model came with a Core i5-1335U rather than a high-end Core i7, it's still a very speedy device. With a single-core score of 1387 in Geekbench 5 it's slightly slower than the Asus Chromebook Vibe CX34 Flip, but it makes up for it in the multi-core benchmark with 5704 to 5243.

In Geekbench 6 its scores of 1882 (single-core) and 6568 (multi-core) both put it ahead of the Asus, with 1815 and 6292. In the complex. Multi-tasking Jetstream benchmark, it's the Asus that pulls ahead at 260.655 to 246.922, but given that the Vibe CX34 Flex is the fastest Chromebook that we've tested, that's no disaster. Whether you're planning to stick to Cloud-based apps or explore Android or Linux software, the Spin 714 should handle it all with ease. In everyday use, it's flawlessly fluid and snappy.

If you can't quite stretch to the Core i5 version, there is a Core i3-1315U version available for roughly £100 less. Based on previous experience with Core i3 Chromebooks, this shouldn't feel in any way slow, and you may not notice any difference if you don't keep a few dozen browser tabs open or multitask with Linux apps.

This Chromebook's battery life is absolutely stellar. Left to run with a 1080p video file, it kept going for 13hrs and 16mins before running out of power. Given the high levels of performance and 14-inch screen size, that's impressive, and during testing, we had no issues getting through a full working day of use.

Acer Chromebook Spin 714: Is it worth it?

There are areas in which you could argue the Spin 714 falls behind its predecessor, particularly the lower-resolution screen. Yet overall it still succeeds as a powerful, well-designed Chromebook that can handle hard work, chats and meetings, collaboration, and a little entertainment after hours. It's slightly more expensive than your average Chromebook, but the great build and quality screen are both worth paying the extra for. This is the new champ of reasonably-priced business Chromebooks, and very easy to recommend for enterprises of all sizes.

Acer Chromebook Spin 714 specifications