Are you trying to find a high-performance Chromebook with a mid-range budget? How does a discounted 12th gen Intel Chromebook for $499 sound? The Acer Chromebook Spin 714 is currently enjoying a $230 savings from its $729 list price. And with the extended holiday return period, you can bring it back through January 14, 2023, for a refund.
The Acer Chromebook Spin 714 is my daily driver as I bought this model in August. I was happy to get it on sale for $629 but maybe I pulled the trigger too early. Oh well. Honestly, I can’t complain because aside from a few very minor aspects, I’ve been thrilled with this ChromeOS laptop. You can read why in my full review.
This discounted 12th gen Intel Core i5 is a workhorse, easily tackling every task I throw at it. I thought I’d need more than the 8 GB of memory inside the Acer, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised that I don’t. Although I prefer a 3:2 aspect ratio for my laptop screens, the 16:10 panel with 1920 x 1200 provides a crisp workspace. And since I keep very few files locally on any Chromebook, the speedy 256 GB SSD is actually overkill for me.
I would have liked to see a fingerprint reader on this configuration, but I can live without it. Obviously, since I am. The trackpad is only average as well. It’s nothing that annoys me; I just know there are better Chromebook trackpads out there.
When the first 12th gen Intel Chromebooks hit the market, prices were, shall we say, higher than expected. The first two options out of the gate, the HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook and the Lenovo ThinkPad C14 Chromebook, started over $1,000. Then we saw Acer and Asus step in with options ranging from $549 to $749. And now we have cloud-gaming Chromebooks with larger, faster displays and the same Intel chips starting at $399.
Given relatively low prices on the new gaming Chromebooks, I expect many of the original 12th gen Intel Chromebooks to see large discounts. Especially in the coming weeks as we enter the holiday season and the approach of Black Friday.
So it’s possible that the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 might see an even lower price in the near future. But this is a really solid deal for a high-performance, if not a little bland-looking, Chromebook. Put another way: If I hadn’t already bought one, I’d jump on this discounted 12th gen Intel Chromebook now.
8 Comments
bluetooth on the 714 is hideous…every single time it goes into sleep mode, bluetooth has to be manually turned on. Biggest disappointment and quite honestly not even worth having even if it was given away for free. acer tech support claim that this is purposeful and it is done to save battery. cretins
Doesn’t that defeat Google’s Smart Lock feature?
Yep. SO FRUSTRATING. I called Acer and said exactly that regarding defeating one of ChromeOS best feature. Their answer “we made it that way to save battery life”. INFURIATING.
P.S. an easy workaround is to change the power settings from sleep to screen off and no sleep mode when lid is closed
Like you I bought the Acer 714 when it was on sale with $100 off. I too, feel the price was a good deal and have not looked back. It is nice to have a 2 in 1 with an onboard stylus. The PC does not have any outstanding traits but is a good solid machine that I feel can be relied upon for years of service. What more could one want for $600 plus bucks.
I have this (typing on it) and I could NOT recommend it
– I agree with Gideon, this is bad: Bluetooth turns off on sleep, which indeed is stupid and Acer answer is stupid
– Speakers crackle all the time, even if sound if OFF and DND is activated. It is infuriating
– after many powerwashes I still have issues with the camera on Google Duo and other Apps using the camera
– screen hinges are very finicky between laptop mode and tablet mode
I wish I could return this device but I am stuck with it…
I know the speaker crackling was reported by the very first buyers. I wonder if there was some production snafu on the early units. Mine has never exhibited that issue. Acer should really RMA any unit with the speaker issue. I haven’t seen any of the other issues you mention but again, I think my device was built after that first run.
I called Acer too. Stupid answers as well.
For your workaround, wont this drain the battery tho?