Chrome OS has been getting more and more refined over the last year, with Chrome OS 89 and 90 each bringing useful new features like the expanded clipboard, the Tote for quick-accessing recent files, and Linux for Chrome OS finally leaving beta. 8GB of RAM absolutely helps with that even when running ten tabs across two screens during a Google Meet video call, the Acer 514 held up quite well. The standout here is the 11th Gen Intel Core processors inside the 514, and Chrome is blazing fast on the i5 inside my pre-production model.

If you need a Chromebook bright enough to use outdoors, you'll want the 450-nit Acer Chromebook Spin 713. Since my review model was a non-touch screen, the matte coating made it slightly easier to use this screen outdoors, but it's still the basic 250 nits brightness, so you'll want to stick to the shade. Screen brightness always plays a factor there, but I kept that between 30-40% for most of my testing. Speaking of long flights, while the Acer Chromebook 514 probably won't last you a full 12 hours, I've been getting 7-9 hours per charge in my use the last few weeks. This is wonderful news for anyone who plans to use a large amount of Linux applications, Android apps, or keep lots of downloaded content for those 12-hour intercontinental flights. If you need more than Thunderbolt, there's also an HDMI port, one USB-A port, and a microSD card slot, not that you'll need it with most 514 configurations, which range from 64GB to 256GB of internal storage. I used the Acer Chromebook 514 with a few Anker docking stations, USB-C hubs by Aukey and Uni, and also with a Dell UltraSharp 27 USB-C Hub Monitor, and it worked fine with all of them except a couple instances of pass-through charging not being recognized. While the Mac-like configuration means that your USB-C hub or docking station will have to plug in on the left side, it also opens up Chromebooks to a much wider range of accessories, since Thunderbolt is the preferred spec for most top-quality docking stations because it supports twice the data transfer speed, meaning you can support more peripherals and external displays through one cable. The Acer Chromebook 514 is the first Thunderbolt Chromebook I've had the privilege to test out, and so far, it's a welcome addition.

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