Chromebook Plus test: how Google’s added specs and features perform

Google has introduced a new label called Chromebook Plus. Advanced minimum requirements will be incorporated in laptops with Chrome OS, and they’re supposed to have an extended range of uses. So I took the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 to see what it’s all about.

My test device has the following features:

We currently only have one model with a CH keyboard in our range, which has 16 gigabytes of RAM, but is otherwise identical.

Notebooks

Acer Chromebook Plus 514

14", AMD Ryzen 3 7320C, 16 GB, 256 GB, CH

1

Notebooks

Acer Chromebook Plus 514

14", AMD Ryzen 3 7320C, 16 GB, 256 GB, CH

1

Power for everyday tasks

About a year and a half ago, my work computer unexpectedly died on me. Spontaneously, I tried to switch to a Chromebook that we happened to have lying around. The outcome was disheartening. I couldn’t open all the apps and tabs I needed in the browser. With three programs and ten websites, the hardware was overwhelmed at the time.

Fortunately, things look much better with the Chromebook Plus. Although Acer only fulfils the minimum requirements with the 514, the hardware didn’t fall to its knees during my work this time. Everyday office work – with Google services – is no problem on the Chromebook Plus 514.

Apps, on the other hand, are still proving to be a problem. I can install almost all Android apps from the Play Store. However, most of them are designed for touchscreen operation. With only the Chromebook and its touchscreen in front of me, that’s fine. It’s not like the screen is far away from the keyboard. But working productively with a mouse and keyboard is harder.

Mediocre benchmarks

I ran several benchmark tests so I could use numbers to create an impression of what it’s like working. Unfortunately, I don’t have any comparative values from the Chromebook mentioned and have to fall back on two benchmarks, Geekbench and PC Mark, which are actually designed for Android. The values should be comparable among Chromebooks at least.

If I compare the results of the Chromebook Plus 514 with those of smartphones, it’s in the mid-range cell phone range with the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C. In terms of graphics performance, the AMD Radeon 610M outperforms the smartphones mentioned, but doesn’t come close to the top models. They already reach five-digit values with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

In comparison to Android devices, PC Mark confirms Geekbench’s findings: with 11,543 points, the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 is among mid-range smartphones or even lower. The Edge 40 Neo from Motorola achieves a total of 14,889 points in Work 3.0 with its Dimensity 7030. The Galaxy S24 Ultra with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 even achieves 18,461 points and outperforms the Chromebook in every area.

For me, this is more a sign of how strong smartphones have become than how weak the inexpensive notebook is.

CrXPRT 2 is a benchmark that was specially designed for Chromebooks and runs in the browser. However, I can’t categorise the 164 points my Chromebook Plus 514 achieved. If you have a Chromebook, you now have a value to compare at hand.

Bonus features of a Chromebook Plus

The higher hardware requirements needed to be considered a Chromebook Plus ensure that software functions run on the notebooks. Only the visual adaptations of the overarching Material You design concept, which also applies to Android, can be seen on all Chromebooks.

Time-of-day screensaver

One of the special features of Chromebook Plus is a screen saver that adapts its lighting to the time of day. I’m a little disappointed that there are only two motifs to choose from. Plus, the lighting doesn’t synchronise with the current sunset where I live at all. In addition, I tend to put a notebook into standby mode with a dark screen and don’t use a screen saver at all. I’d prefer various changing background images.

Image and video editing with Photoshop and Lumafusion

With a Chromebook Plus, you can use Photoshop on the web. Although the image editing program doesn’t offer the full scope of the installed program, it provides significantly more functions than the Android app Photoshop Express. The problem is, to be able to use Photoshop on the web, you need a Creative Cloud subscription from Adobe. An Internet connection is also required. But you’d have to expand the Chromebook’s internal memory for larger projects anyway. In the end, browser Photoshop on a Chromebook Plus is a nice extra, but not a tool that’ll convince professionals to use the laptops.

Lumafusion is a widely used and highly acclaimed video editing app for iOS. It’s also been available for Android and Chromebooks since February 2023. The increased minimum performance on a Chromebook Plus should be beneficial for the app. However, given the benchmarks of the Acer Chromebook Plus 514, I’d only recommend it for small projects. You need to be patient with long videos. Plus, the app is designed for touchscreens, so using a mouse or keyboard as additional input devices will be of little benefit to you.

AI at work

The Chromebook Plus has minimum requirements which enable Google to run several AI functions on the notebooks. I already know the magic eraser from Pixel smartphones and find it a nice touch to be able to use it on a notebook. People or other distracting objects can be removed from an image with just a few clicks. If I’m not satisfied with the colours of the sky, I can also colour it.

I’ve already used it a lot and I’m impressed by the small improvements in the lighting of video calls. However, other programs for video calls or webcams offer similar features.

Despite the increased requirements, the storage space of the Chromebook Plus is still small with at least 128 gigabytes. But my work data is stored in the cloud at Microsoft, so I can’t judge how good Google’s AI is at deciding which documents to download for offline use.

Further AI functions to come

At the presentation of the Chromebook Plus, Google announced several AI functions that aren’t available yet. These include:

• Wallpaper generation.
• Text field descriptions.
• Content summaries of documents or web pages.

These are due to appear in the course of 2024. You get to do this every four weeks. This is how often updates for Chrome OS are released. And not just this year. Google plans to provide the Chromebook Plus with updates for ten years.

A battery for the 8-hour day

Google states all Chromebooks, including the Plus models have a battery life of ten hours. The 8:04 hours of YouTube video playback at maximum screen brightness that I measured show an extreme scenario. The Chromebook Plus 514 is therefore below Google’s specification, but it meets it when I reduce the screen brightness.

Compared to other notebooks, however, the 8:04 hours in my test setup are okay to good. The [Acer Swift Go 14](/page/acer-swift-go-14-im-test-mein-erstes-oled-notebook-29287 Acer Swift Go 14 in test: My first OLED notebook) from 2023 only achieves 5:28 hours of video playback despite its OLED display.

Verdict: better, but still not great

The fact remains: Chromebooks are primarily good notebooks for people who mainly use the browser and Google services. With a Chromebook Plus, you get a little more hardware power to complete more demanding tasks. Various AI tools are now also being introduced. However, a Chromebook Plus still doesn’t come close to a powerful PC with Windows or macOS.

The biggest annoyance for me is still the apps. Although there are plenty available, only a few are adapted for notebook usage. They’re missing a view for large screens and the controls are rarely optimised for mouse and keyboard.

A good, average notebook

If you don’t mind the basic criticism of Chrome OS, the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 is a good, average notebook. The display is nice to look at. The keyboard and touchpad feel pleasant. There are plenty of connections and the battery life is decent. Only the sound is mediocre.