Acer Chromebook 514

Updated on January 26, 2026

The Acer Chromebook 514 (CB514-1H/1HT) launched in 2018 with an aluminum chassis, a 14-inch Full HD display, and low-power Intel chips. Its Auto Update Expiration date is June 2027, so it still takes Chrome OS security updates and still handles browsing, documents, and streaming. Acer sold it in three configurations, splitting across 4GB and 8GB of memory with 32GB or 64GB of eMMC storage.

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Acer Chromebook 514 Comparison Chart

	Acer Chromebook 514	Acer Chromebook 514	Acer Chromebook 514
Price	List Price: $399.99 Amazon Prices: Loading prices...	List Price: $499.99 Amazon Prices: Check Price on Amazon	List Price: $349.99 Amazon Prices: Loading prices...
Model number	CB514-1HT-C7AZ / NX.H1LAA.001	CB514-1HT-P2D1 / NX.H1LAA.003	CB514-1H-C47X / NX.H1QAA.001
Performance Rating	2.7	4.1	2.8
Chromebook Plus	No	No	No
Processor	Quad-core 1.10 Ghz (max 2.20 Ghz) Intel Celeron Processor N3450	Quad-core 1.10 Ghz (max 2.50 Ghz) Intel Pentium N4200	Dual-core 1.10 Ghz (max 2.40 Ghz) Intel Celeron N3350
RAM	4 GB	8 GB	4 GB
Internal Storage	64 GB eMMC	64 GB eMMC	32 GB eMMC
Screen Size	14"	14"	14"
Screen Resolution	1920x1080	1920x1080	1920x1080
Screen Type	IPS	IPS	IPS
Touch Screen	Yes	Yes	No
Stylus / Pen	No Stylus Support	No Stylus Support	No Stylus Support
Dimensions width x length x thickness	12.7 x 9.1 x 0.7 inches (322.58 x 231.14 x 17.78 mm)	12.7 x 9.1 x 0.7 inches (322.58 x 231.14 x 17.78 mm)	12.7 x 9.1 x 0.7 inches (322.58 x 231.14 x 17.78 mm)
Weight	3.3 lbs (1.5 kg)	3.3 lbs (1.5 kg)	3.3 lbs (1.5 kg)
Backlit Keyboard	Yes	Yes	Yes
Webcam	1280x720	1280x720	1280x720
WiFi	802.11a/b/g/n/ac	802.11a/b/g/n/ac	802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 4.2	Bluetooth 4.2	Bluetooth 4.2
Ethernet	No	No	No
Cellular Modem	No	No	No
HDMI	No HDMI	No HDMI	No HDMI
USB Ports	2 USB 3, 2 USB-C	2 USB 3, 2 USB-C	2 USB 3, 2 USB-C
Thunderbolt Ports	No	No	No
Card Reader	microSD Card Reader	microSD Card Reader	microSD Card Reader
Battery	3 cell, 3920 mAh, Lithium Polymer	3 cell, 3920 mAh, Lithium Polymer	3 cell, 3920 mAh, Lithium Polymer
Battery Life	12.0 hours	12.0 hours	12.0 hours
Fanless	Yes	Yes	Yes
Auto Update Expiration Date	June, 2027	June, 2027	June, 2027

The build and the battery outclass the screen

The aluminum shell measures 0.67 inches thick and 3.3 pounds, heavier than a current thin-and-light but rigid under the wrists, and Trusted Reviews credited it with structural rigidity a plastic body would not have. There is no fan, so the machine makes no noise at all, which suits a library desk or a shared office. Chrome Unboxed was less taken with the assembly, finding seams that do not align.

The 14-inch Full HD IPS panel handles web pages, document editing, and video without complaint. Trusted Reviews measured 257.9 nits of brightness, enough indoors but below the 300-nit mark that makes outdoor use comfortable. The CB514-1HT models add a 10-point touch layer for Android apps, on a clamshell that has no tablet mode to fold into.

Acer put two USB Type-C ports (USB 3.1 Gen 1, with DisplayPort output and power delivery) on opposite sides, alongside two USB 3.0 Type-A ports. Charging and peripherals work from whichever side your desk favors. The microSD slot matters because the internal eMMC tops out at 64GB and cannot be upgraded. Bluetooth 4.2 covers wireless peripherals and 802.11ac dual-band WiFi covers the network; for a wired link, a USB Ethernet adapter works with either Type-A port.

Acer rated the battery at 12 hours, and measured runtimes come in under that figure. Chrome Unboxed wrote that “at controlled brightness, you can expect 8-10 hours” of use, which covers a school day or a work day away from an outlet. The pack is a 3-cell 3920 mAh unit, and screen brightness is the setting that moves the result most.

Reviewer Insights

Chrome Unboxed: soft keys and seams that do not line up

Chrome Unboxed found the CB514 difficult to recommend at its original $499 price point. Robby Payne noted that while the device “looks really good on a spec sheet,” the real-world experience disappoints in several key areas. He wrote of the keyboard that “The keys are soft, mushy and lack any real and discernible click response.” The trackpad, despite its Gorilla Glass surface, suffers from an inconsistent click mechanism that occasionally registers double-clicks. Build quality, while aluminum, feels cheaper than expected with seams that don’t quite align and edges “sharp enough to cut vegetables with.” At the $499 launch price, the reviewer concluded “I simply cannot recommend anyone buy the Acer Chromebook 514,” though noted it would make more sense around $299.

Ten open tabs is where the multitasking stops

Trusted Reviews awarded the CB514 a 4 out of 5-star rating and recommended it for users with modest computing needs. Thomas Newton wrote that “Everything would slow to a crawl for about five seconds when opening 10+ tabs simultaneously,” establishing the practical limit for multitasking. The review praised the value at the £370 UK price point, describing the Chromebook as “good enough for writing essays, and, at a push, streaming video.” The aluminum chassis earned praise for providing “structural rigidity” and a premium feel despite the budget positioning.

The cheapest configuration is the one Digital Trends would buy

Digital Trends scored it 7/10 and described the machine as “a workhorse laptop that doesn’t even try to show off.” Mark Coppock emphasized that the device is “well-built, adequately equipped, and lasts a long time on a charge.” The review specifically recommended the $350 entry-level configuration with Celeron N3350, 4GB RAM, and 32GB storage as the sweet spot for value. While acknowledging the “boring aesthetic design” and limited CPU performance, the conclusion states “the Chromebook 514 is a safe choice that’s unlikely to disappoint” for users whose performance needs aren’t extreme.

The speakers are the weak point

Android Police found the CB514 to be “perfectly fine” but questioned its value compared to cheaper alternatives. Scott Scrivens tested the device extensively, achieving 9-10 hours of actual battery runtime against Acer’s 12-hour claim. The Chromebook “performed admirably in the face of all that was thrown at it,” handling typical Chrome OS workloads smoothly. However, the bottom-firing speakers earned harsh criticism for sounding “plain awful when laptop rests on lap.” Scrivens concluded that “It’s hard to see where the value lies when comparing against lower-priced competitors offering equivalent performance.”

Customer Reviews

Across 526 ratings on Amazon, the Acer Chromebook 514 averages 4.5 stars, with 88 percent of reviewers landing at four or five stars. Owners keep naming the same four things: the backlit keyboard, the 1920x1080 touchscreen, long battery life, and the aluminum build. David Ben Avraham, a verified buyer, reported “routinely getting in excess of 10-11 hours of battery life with the brightness at about 75%” and called the keyboard feel “very good with just the right amount of key travel depth.” Verified buyer Costello, who had tried three other Chromebooks in this price range first, wrote that this one was “THE BEST by far! Quiet, easy to type keyboard, screen is bright and clear, trackpad is like a Mac’s, sturdy construction.”

The lower ratings point at specific defects. Deborah Tickle, a verified four-star reviewer who liked the machine, returned hers over two manufacturing flaws: a bottom case edge she described as “a sharp edge going all way around” and a trackpad that “rattled slightly” when tapped. Aaron noted his unit ships with Bluetooth 4.2 rather than 5.0, which kept his cheap wireless earbuds from pairing. The most pointed three-star review, from verified buyer Lena in the Mist, faulted not the hardware but Google’s support window: she wrote that “this brand new Chromebook may last me for the next six or eight years, but Google is only going to support it until June 2024,” a limit she did not know about before buying. Read more owner reviews on Amazon.

A light-duty machine worth buying at a discount

Chrome Unboxed put the right price at around $299, and Digital Trends recommended the $350 configuration with the Celeron N3350, 4GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage. At those prices the aluminum shell, the silent fanless design, and a full day of battery cover browsing, documents, email, and casual streaming. Pay much more and the dim panel, the ten-tab ceiling, and the speakers stop being easy to live with. The other thing to price in is time, since Chrome OS updates stop in June 2027 and there is no way to extend that. Buy it only if that window covers how long you expect to keep a laptop. To see which models carry support further out, the Chromebook Comparison Chart lets you filter and sort by specs side by side.

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