A couple months ago, I decided to try out a Chromebook as a secondary device to compliment my 2019 16” MacBook Pro. While I love my MacBook Pro, it’s a beast to carry around. As a writer, I often find myself working in different coffee shops or even a co-working space and I figured a Chromebook would do everything I needed as a writer and give me the portability I was looking for.
After several weeks of research, I chose to pick up the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 for several reasons:
Plus, the reviews I saw gave both the previous model (the 713) and the 714 pretty high praise so I figured why not?
I’ve had the device for about a month now and I wanted to share my thoughts.
Design
The design is really the biggest downside of the Spin 714. Overall it’s…fine. There’s definitely nothing about it that stands out - it’s not super thin, it’s made from plastic and aluminum, and it’s a pretty standard dark gray color.
One noticeable upgrade the 714 got over the 713 was an upward firing speaker that runs the whole length of the laptop right above the keyboard. Again, the speaker is nothing that will blow your mind but it’s nice that’s it’s not shooting down into your desk or lap so you can hear it clearly without having to max out the volume.
As the ‘Spin’ name might suggest, the 714 can flip around a full 360 degrees to function either as a tablet or as a tent if you wanted to watch some Netflix. I admittedly don’t use the tent feature too often but I use the tablet mode, especially when shopping or browsing online.
I was impressed by the port selection on the 714 – there are 2 USB type C ports with Thunderbolt 4, 1 USB type A port, a full-sized HDMI port and a headphone jack. The USB type A and HDMI ports are welcome additions when most high-end laptops (particularly ultrabooks) are shipping with just USB-C.
I have one main gripe with the design but it’s really only an issue when I use it on my lap, which depending on how you use your laptop means your mileage will absolutely vary. Basically, the seam where the bottom cover attaches to the bottom chassis is quite sharp and digs into my legs whenever it’s on my lap.
As you can see in the pictures, that seam is almost entirely flat, forming a 90 degree angle with the back of the chassis. On most other laptops, and certainly on more premium computers, the bottom chassis is either one complete machined piece or the edges are curved enough so as not to dig into your legs when on your lap.
I’m not sure if this design choice was necessary to accommodate the 360 degree hinge or if it was just an oversight somehow but it’s really quite annoying, so much so that I can’t rest it on my legs for very long (which kind of defeats a key purpose of a laptop).
Now wearing pants or using a pillow or lap desk will alleviate this problem, but it’s still annoying to have and I shouldn’t have to do those things so my laptop doesn’t hurt my legs. I also never had any other Acer laptops so I’m not sure if this is a one-off design choice or if anyone else has experienced the same issue.
Performance
One of the reasons I chose the Spin 714 was for the spec sheet:
12th Gen Core i5-1235U with Iris Xe GPU
8GB RAM
256GB SSD storage
And a host of other future-proofed specs like Wi-fi 6e and Bluetooth 5.2 and so far, I’ve been really impressed with the performance – nothing I’ve thrown at it has slowed it down. Granted, as this is a secondary device mostly meant for writing, I’m really only using it to check email, message, browse the web, and the occasional YouTube video.
That being said, being a writer means a lot of research and every tool I use for all my clients are all web-based so I typically have quite a few Chrome tabs running while I’m doing everything else. I’ve also setup the Linux distribution on it and downloaded some Linux apps and so far it’s continued to hum along smoothly. And not just run, but this thing is quick. I wasn’t expecting like gaming PC levels of performance, but this is just as fast as my MacBook Pro and XPS 13 at everything I do with it.
That also being said, there have been a few software…quirks. Firstly, it has randomly frozen on my like twice with no noticeable pattern or cause. Also, after it goes to sleep when I close the lid or just let it time out, the Bluetooth just won’t turn back on. As with most laptops, when they sleep the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turn off to save battery, but they’re supposed to automatically turn back on as well. The Wi-Fi will turn back on but not the Bluetooth.
Both of these issues started after the latest update to ChromeOS 105 so they are both totally software issues – which can be fixed by Google so I’m not counting it out or anything. One of the biggest benefits of Chromebooks is the regular monthly software updates so I’m hopeful it will be fixed soon.
Keyboard and trackpad
Let’s start with the great – the keyboard! I’m a writer so I type quite a lot every day and for the past several years, I’ve used a mechanical keyboard at my workstation. While the keyboard on the 714 isn’t nearly on the level of a full-sized mechanical keyboard, I still really enjoy typing on it. I’ve used many laptops over the years including my MacBook Pro and most recently a Dell XPS 9310 and Surface Laptop 3 for work (Dell in my current job, Surface in my last job).
All three of those machines have excellent keyboards in their own right, but I dare say I might enjoy the keyboard on my 714 more. It has great key travel, good responsiveness, and a very sturdy build. I would even say that it’s pretty on par, if not better, than the new Logitech MX Mechanical low-profile keyboard that came out earlier this year that I’ve been using since it launched. The only ‘issue’ I’ve had is that occasionally I’ve noticed an unintentional double space as I’m typing but I’m willing to chalk that up to my still getting used to using it lol.
All in all, I’m a fan. The trackpad however, is a different story. It’s pretty small, although about the same size as the one on my 13 inch Dell XPS, but certainly much smaller than my MacBook Pro and smaller than I’d expected for a computer with a 16:10 display. A lot of space is taken up by the new speaker at the top and while not a deal breaker, it’s still something to note.
What might be more of a deal breaker for some people is that while the trackpad is glass and is quite smooth to use, it feels a bit loose to the touch. Essentially there’s an audible and noticeable rattle if you tap with even just a little bit of force and while it’s not like sliding around or anything, it’s certainly annoying. Chrome Unboxed has a great video on how to fix it, but it still requires some DIY work so keep that in mind. Personally, I don’t think I should have to open up my laptop to fix that, but if you’re willing to, go for it.
It also requires a bit more force than I’d like for a trackpad so there’s that. Again I wouldn’t consider it a deal breaker, but it’s something to keep in mind.
Display
When the 714 was first making the rounds with reviewers, some of them were a little critical of the fact that on paper, the 714’s display is worse than the 713. I say on paper because the 713 had a QHD 3:2 display that was very highly reviewed and consistently listed as one of the main reasons why it was so highly recommended.
I never had one, but I’m sure it was lovely, and I’m quite happy with the display on the 714. Firstly, I LOVE the 16:10 aspect ratio and firmly believe it’s time for 16:9 screens to forever die on laptops. On a pro-level machine that is specifically catered to film editors and video professionals, sure it’s fine, but for every consumer-focused machine, 16:10 or 3:2 or nothing at all. It doesn’t seem like that big of a difference, but it’s a game changer for me.
Also, I definitely don’t mind the FHD (technically 1920 × 1200) resolution. Some places I read were a little nervous about this resolution on a 16:10 screen but it’s been fine for me. Again, all I do is read, write, and the occasional video and for that it’s more than fine. I also think it has had a very positive effect on battery life.
Other notes
Battery life
Ok so this thing is a battery champ. Acer quotes 10 hours of usage and I didn’t time it or anything, but that seems about right to me though. But since this is a secondary device for me, with light usage, I can get 2 full days from this guy and the 30W quick charging lets me get 4 hours of use with just 30 minutes of charge time. I’ve not specifically tested that out, but it charges plenty fast for me.
Stylus
This was another main reason why I went with the 714. It has a built-in stylus housed in the chassis which means it’s always there and I never have to wonder if It’s still there or about my kid dragging it off somewhere (an ongoing concern with my Apple Pencil). It’s not quite as good as a full-sized dedicated USI Pen or anything like that, but it’s great for reading long articles, signing documents, taking quite notes, and navigating around – all the things it was intended to do. If you do need a more full featured writing instrument, the 714 is USI 2.0 compatible so just grab a pen and you’re good to go.
Webcam
I’ll just say it: VGA or even 720p webcams in 2022, in a hybrid/work-from-home environment is simply unacceptable. Thankfully the 714 has a 1080p webcam which I am quite impressed with. It’s definitely better than any other laptop I’ve used and almost as good as my dedicated webcam my company purchased for me. I’m a fan. The physical privacy shutter is also a welcome touch.
Final thoughts: ChromeOS is still ChromeOS
Overall, for a bit over $600 (the retail price is listed at $729 but it’s already been on sale regularly for $629 and even less), this is really solid machine. It doesn’t try to push any boundaries and there’s nothing flashy or fancy about, but that’s fine. It does what it’s meant to do and does it well, in my opinion.
Everyone’s needs are different so do your research before buying anything, but for me, this has been a great secondary device. If this was my primary device, my thoughts might be a tad different, but mostly that’s because of ChromeOS itself, not because of the hardware.
My views on ChromeOS are basically my thoughts on iPadOS – it’s great for about 85% of what I need to do, but that last 15% I either just can’t do, or it’s much more tedious and frustrating to do than on a fully-fledged OS like Windows or MacOS. Obviously, things like photo and video editing are much better suited for those ‘big-boy’ operating systems, but more relative to my usage is file management.
Sure, you can do file management on a Chromebook, but it’s mainly through Google Drive so finding other files from other places are a bit tricky. Especially when apps or website can’t open the Google Drive folder on your machine and want to look on the desktop or somewhere else for files and you can’t find what you need.
More annoyingly, the file manager on ChromeOS will only sync with one Google Account at a time. That’s right, if you have a personal and work Google Account, or even more than one personal account, it won’t sync with both at the same time. True, you can simply navigate all this from a browser, but I just prefer a more traditional and full-featured file manager when managing a lot of files (as I do when uploading articles).
Anyway, the Spin 714 is a really solid machine for anyone who needs a well-built laptop that’s relatively inexpensive and doesn’t need more than ChromeOS or someone looking for a secondary device.
