IFA 2018: Acer announces Chromebook 514 with premium features, $349 price tag

Adding to the list of Chromebook announcements at this week's IFA trade show in Berlin, Acer is launching the 514 Chromebook to join new units from Dell and Lenovo. Like Dell's new Inspiron Chromebook 14 and Lenovo's Yoga Chromebook, Acer's model is a "premium" Chromebook, with touches that give it less of a budget feel than the platform is typically known for.

That's not to say that the 514 is going to approach Google's luxury Pixelbook in either price or performance. Instead, it looks to provide a slightly sturdier build quality for a slightly higher price than its $199 competitors.

For instance, rather than a plastic chassis, the 514 is made from aluminum with a mere 6mm bezel. It comes with a full HD (1,920x1,080) 14-inch display instead of a lower-resolution screen, and features a touchpad made from Gorilla Glass. You also get a pair of the latest USB-C ports, including one with charging capabilities.

Acer has been stingy with other specs, however. While it is claiming 12-hour battery life for the 514, it hasn't revealed the processor managing that battery life (or the RAM or storage amounts). Given the $349 starting price, the 514 shouldn't be expected to possess a high-powered Intel Core CPU like the Pixelbook, but with the low overhead requirements of the Chrome OS, it doesn't necessarily need to.

Acer says there will be a touchscreen option for the 514, which suggests multiple configurations and possibly a number of processor choices. We'll find out more about the full specs when the Chromebook goes on sales next month.