Chromebooks, ChromeOS and Google Chrome browser news

Acer recently introduced what I think is quite a groundbreaking product: The Acer Chromebook Vero 514. With a focus on sustainability, this ChromeOS laptop is built mainly with recycled materials. But sustainability is only half of the Acer Chromebook Vero 514 story because of what’s inside.

Eco-friendliness is the main attraction here, and I love the approach. The Acer Chromebook Vero 514 is designed for simple access to repairs, upgrades, and recycling.

“It also uses recycled materials in most areas of the product including 30% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic in the chassis and 50% PCR plastic in the keycaps, 100% ocean-bound plastics on the touchpad surface and 90% recycled paper packaging.”

That’s a generous amount of material reuse. And it provides a unique, unpainted look and feel to this clamshell device not found elsewhere from a Chromebook.

It’s also quite rare to have a ChromeOS laptop that can be upgraded. In the case of the Acer Chromebook Vero 514, you have access to swap out or upgrade the storage. Who needs a microSD card slot when you can pop in a higher-capacity SSD in the M.2 slot?

Aside from the sustainability factor though, what else could make this device stand out from a sea of competing Chromebooks?

How about the value: The first Acer Chromebook Vero 514 model arrives in October for $499 and has the same internals as the base HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook, which costs more than double. Yup, there’s a 12th gen Intel Core i3 inside, along with 8 GB of memory and 128 GB of SSD storage.

Here are the full specs for all configurations, which you can compare to other 12th gen Intel Core i3 Chromebooks that I’ve compiled previously.

Frankly, I’m amazed that the Acer Chromebook Vero 514 at $499 matches up so well against the $1,149 HP. And Acer is doing so with sustainable materials, although I know some may not like the look or feel of them.

Perhaps the first 12th gen Intel Chromebooks were priced with a limited supply of processors in mind. That could contribute to the more than a grand pricing for the HP and the Lenovo ThinkPad C14 Chromebook.

Yes, there are other attributes that add to the cost: design, a haptic trackpad unique to the HP, the beloved ThinkPad keyboard, etc… But Acer is continuing to show the way when it comes to high-value Chromebooks that can easily offer performance for 80% of ChromeOS laptop users. Well done!

Acer plans to offer other configurations of this device ranging up to Intel Core i7 processors, 256 GB of storage, and up to 16 GB of memory. So if you need more “oomph” than the $499 base model will offer, you should have other options after October.

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This is the exact type of Chromebook I’ve been looking for. I wish Acer had released the other price points for this line beyond the entry level. A sustainable recycled shell that can be upgraded which lets me just focus on processor and upgrade other components as needed.

We really need more of these on the market after years of glued together and non-upgrade-able devices that find the trash heap before their service life is realized.

I just picked up the Core i5 10th gen HP Elite Chromebook so it’ll be a while before I upgrade again. But I would absolutely prioritize something like this in the future.

If I do get a Chromebook this year, this will be it. Will likely opt for the base Core i5 version and then purchase 32 GB of Crucial RAM. (Also, my Steam Deck is on the way. If you have any guides on how to put Chrome OS Flex on such a device please share).

I think it looks fantastic. It’s got the processor, it’s got the ports, and I prefer the clamshell form factor. I wish Acer didn’t slap so many damn labels all over it, and why that huge chin under the screen? But still, it’s a very nice design, and a unique product.

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