Acer Chromebook 514 (2022, Kompanio 828) Review

The latest Acer Chromebook 514 ($459.99) pulls off a tricky balancing act. If you're in the market for a Chromebook, you might find yourself struggling to decide between chunky compacts made for K-12 classrooms and more stylish models whose prices seem a bit high for what amounts to an internet browsing and Gmail machine. But at well under $500, the Chromebook 514 looks as good as any premium laptop, offers all-day battery life, and is more powerful than budget Chromebooks for kids. In fact, while other Chromebooks with ARM rather than Intel or AMD processors we've tested have been notably slow, the 514 is one we'd recommend.

A Premium Design

The Acer Chromebook 514 seen here (model CB514-2HT-K0FZ) is part of a larger lineup of Chromebooks carrying the 514 designation. It's a 2022 model with an eight-core MediaTek Kompanio 828 processor, but other models are also offered that use both ARM and Intel Core CPUs. Silicon choices include the MediaTek MT8192T, the dual-core Intel Core i3-1115G4, and even the quad-core Intel Core i5-115G7. Prices range from $399 up to $779 for the top Intel systems. (Check out our recent review of the Core i3-based Chromebook 514 to see how it fared in testing.)

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(Photo: Molly Flores)

Equipped with 8GB of memory and 64GB of eMMC flash storage, the Kompanio 828 model is similar in design to the Core i3 version. The dimensions are much the same (0.66 by 12.7 by 8.9 inches, 2.87 pounds), and the overall layout is similar, from the thin-bezel display to the basic chiclet keyboard. One notable but significant difference, however, is the absence of a drop hinge to prop up the laptop during use. The Kompanio processor doesn't generate the same kind of heat as a mainstream Intel chip, and that difference allows the laptop to sit flat on the table and have fewer vents on the chassis.

The Acer's aluminum construction is sturdy and feels more luxurious than you'd expect for an under-$500 Chromebook. The bare aluminum has a silver finish, and the edges are highlighted with a gem-cut chamfer around the corners and a comfortable cutout below the touchpad that keeps the edge of the deck from digging into your wrists.

(Photo: Molly Flores)

The chassis itself uses a mixture of materials from the aluminum on the lid to a plastic polycarbonate for the base and keyboard deck. However, unlike the Core i3 Chromebook 514, the balance is much better, and the laptop doesn't feel as if it's ready to tip over at the slightest nudge. 

That stability will come in handy using the 14-inch, full HD display's touch capability. It's also a boon to anyone wanting to use Android apps on their Chromebook, whether for productivity or gaming. And the system comes with a padded sleeve for transportation.

(Photo: Molly Flores)

On either side of the keyboard is a grille for the Chromebook's built-in stereo speakers, and below the keyboard is a generously sized touchpad covered in Corning Gorilla Glass. Both the keyboard and touchpad offer a pleasant enough user experience, and the backlit keyboard makes it easy to see what's what even in darker environments.

Overall, the Acer 514 has a very basic design, but one that's extremely functional and straightforward. The webcam above the screen includes a bright green indicator light, so there's never a question about whether your camera is on or off. The webcam's 720p sensor offers decent image capture, but colors look a little washed-out, and it's not great at handling high-contrast lighting.

(Photo: Molly Flores)

Port selection is not quite as generous as we'd like. On the left, you'll find a single USB 3.2 Type-C port that doubles as a charging port for the laptop, along with a USB Type-A port and a combination headphone/headset audio jack.

(Photo: Molly Flores)

On the right is a single USB-C port. That's not as robust as the Core i3 model we sampled, which added HDMI video output and an SD card slot.

A More Mature Chrome OS

Chrome OS has grown considerably over the years, not only in its number of users—it pulled ahead of Apple's macOS last year—but also as a relatively robust laptop experience.

The Chrome environment is still one that's online first, relying on cloud-based apps like Google Workspace instead of locally stored software, but that paradigm has expanded to include all manner of productivity and management tools, making it a viable choice for both casual surfers and business professionals.

Cloud apps and Chrome browser extensions take the place of most traditional programs, but the addition of Android support also makes Chromebooks tempting for mobile users who rely on their smartphones for work and play, bringing all sorts of tools to bear through the Google Play Store.

At this point, you can do pretty much everything you need to do (except professional workstation apps) on a Chromebook, provided you're willing to be flexible about what tools you use to get to the finished product.

Testing the Acer Chromebook 514: Performance Without the Premium

For our testing I compared the Kompanio 828-powered Acer Chromebook 514 to a handful of other Chrome OS laptops. In addition to the abovementioned Intel Core i3 variant, I included Chromebooks with similar processing power like the Intel Celeron-based Dell Chromebook 11 and the Asus Chromebook Flip CM3, which uses a different MediaTek CPU. That left one spot for the Editors' Choice award-winning Acer Chromebook Spin 713, so we could see how the Kompanio fared against a high-end Core i5 Chromebook. You can see the contenders' specs below.

For Chromebook performance testing, we rely on three benchmarks—one native to Chrome OS, one Android-based, and one purely online. The first is Principled Technologies' CrXPRT 2, which measures everyday performance in a variety of common tasks such as applying photo effects, graphing a stock portfolio, analyzing DNA sequences, and generating 3D shapes using WebGL.

The second test, UL's PCMark for Android, runs a number of productivity benchmarks in a smartphone-style window. Finally, Basemark Web 3.0 is a browser-based test that combines low-level JavaScript calculations with CSS and WebGL content to measure the online productivity that's so central to the Chromebook experience. Higher scores are better in all three.

The 514's MediaTek Kompanio processor outperformed the low-end processors of the Asus and Dell. But it couldn't match the beefier Intel Core CPUs of the other Acers, which delivered higher scores across the board—and have higher prices to match.

Next, we test a Chromebook's CPU and GPU performance directly using Primate Labs' Geekbench and GFXBench 5.0 respectively. The first simulates real-world applications ranging from PDF rendering and speech recognition to machine learning to stress multi-core processors. The second leverages a laptop's integrated graphics to test graphics and compute shaders in both low-level routines like texturing and high-level, game-like image rendering, with results measured in frames per second (fps).

Finally, to test the battery, we loop a 720p video of the open-source Blender movie Tears of Steel with screen brightness set at 50%, volume at 100%, and Wi-Fi and keyboard backlighting disabled until the system quits. For Chromebooks like the 514 whose local storage is too small to hold the file, we play the video from an external SSD plugged into a USB port.

Again, we saw performance that edged out the inexpensive Chromebook CPUs but trailed the Core i3 and Core i5 systems. The MediaTek Kompanio 828 offers a good middle ground for users who want decent performance without the premium they'd pay for a more powerful Intel chip.

And our test unit really delivered in battery life, not finding a middle ground between the cheap and premium ends of the Chromebook category but managing an 11-hour runtime that matches the best in the category. That gives you more than enough juice to get through a full day of work or school without bringing along the AC adapter.

(Photo: Molly Flores)

A Surprisingly Posh Budget Play

What the Kompanio 828-based Acer Chromebook 514 brings to the table is an elegant machine that offers much of what you want in a premium Chromebook, including stylish construction and relatively perky performance, but still sells for a budget-friendly price. At $459.99 it's far more affordable than a $700-or-more Intel Chromebook, while handling everyday apps capably and boasting hours of battery life. It's not the best Chromebook you can buy, but this Acer 514 may be the best midrange Chromebook under $500.