After debuting for $699.99 last month, one of the first discounts on the 13th-gen Core i5 2023 Acer Chromebook Spin 714 is here. For the next few days, Best Buy is offering this excellent Chromebook for $539.99. And you get an included Acer laptop sleeve as well.
Regular readers know that my daily driver is the prior model with 12th-gen Intel Core i5. I bought it last August, also during a sale, and it’s a pure workhorse. No, it may not be as sexy as the HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook, but if you’ve seen my wardrobe, you know I don’t care about style.
There’s not enough reasons for me to upgrade my own device. And that’s fine because I tend to invest in Chromebooks that I know will meet my needs for several years. If you’re curious though, here’s a comparison spec list between the 2022 and the 2023 Acer Chromebook Spin 714:
| 2022 Acer Chromebook Spin 714 | 2023 Acer Chromebook Spin 714 | |
| CPU | 12th-gen Intel Core i5-1235U Processor with vPro, | 13th-gen Intel Core i5-1335U |
| GPU | Intel Iris Xe | Intelr Iris Xe graphics |
| Display | 14-inch IPS 1920 x 1200 display, 16:10 aspect ratio, 340 nits brightness, external monitor support at 4k at 60Hz, 100% RGB color gamut | 14-inch IPS 1920 x 1200 display, 16:10 aspect ratio, 340 nits brightness, external monitor support, 100% RGB color gamut |
| Memory | 8 GB DDR4x-4266 MHz memory | 8 GB DDR4x memory |
| Storage | 256 GB NVMe M.2 storage | 256 GB NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen 4 |
| Connectivity | 802.11ax (2×2) WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 | 802.11ax (2×2) WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Input | Backlit keyboard, multitouch trackpad, built-in USI stylus, 1080p FHD RGB webcam, with privacy shutter, Dual-array microphones | Backlit keyboard, multitouch trackpad, 2K RGB webcam, with privacy shutter, Dual-array microphones |
| Ports | 2 USB Type-C 3.2 / Thunderbolt 4 ports, 1 USB Type-A, HDMI output, headphone/microphone jack | 2 USB Type-C 3.2 / Thunderbolt 4 ports, 1 USB Type-A, HDMI output, headphone/microphone jack |
| Battery | 3-cell battery expected run-time up to 10 hours | 56 WHr battery, expected run time up to 10 hours |
| Weight | 3.09 pounds | 3.02 pounds |
| Software | Chrome OS automatic updates through June 2030 | Chrome OS automatic updates through June 2031 |
You’re effectively looking at the chipset bump, a slightly better webcam, faster NVMe storage and the expected extra year of software updates.
About the only downgrade is the lack of an included stylus. The 2022 model came with one that you store inside the Acer Chromebook Spin 714. That’s gone with the 2023 version. You can, however, bring your own USI stylus if writing or drawing is your thing.
I’m sure we’ll see this Chromebook drop to $499 or so at least once or twice in the second half of 2023. Black Friday is a good bet for sure. Spending $539.99 now though is still a great buy. I’d be all over this deal if didn’t already have the capable predecessor.
3 Comments
And for those who are comfortable buying a refurbished 2022 model directly from Acer, they can have it for $429:
https://tinyurl.com/2pbb6b3n
Also a great value!
I’d probably go with the refurb (or ‘new’) 2022 model as I’m sure we’ll see more discounts on that one.
I’ve a couple years service left in the Chromebooks I’ve got now.