Acer is adding a Chromebook to the Vero lineup, which it says is intended to provide laptop buyers with an “eco-friendly” option. Like the (Slightly disappointing) Windows laptop Which came before it, the Chromebook Vero 514 is made using recycled plastic, has a 99 percent recyclable chassis, and comes in 90 percent recycled paper packaging, according to the company. Acer’s press release notes that part of the Chromebook’s packaging can be “converted into a multi-purpose laptop tripod,” if you hate throwing anything out.
Before we jump into the recycle, let’s quickly jump into the specs – it weighs a hair over 3 pounds, which is reasonable for a 14-inch laptop, and is powered by a 12th-generation Intel processor with Xe graphics. You can select it with a variety of processors, including a five-core Pentium Gold 8505 (don’t let the core count fool you, only one for performance while the rest are efficiency cores), Core i3-1215U, Core i5-1235U and Core i7-1255U. These are all relatively low-power chips, suitable for an environment-conscious PC, but if I’m looking for a laptop I’d probably go with an i3 or i5 and avoid the Pentium altogether.
The 1080p display is covered in Gorilla Glass, which makes it look reasonably nice if you opt for the touchscreen model. Its 300 nits of brightness won’t be enough if you’re constantly working in bright sunlight, but it’s still a step above the 227 nits panel found on its Windows counterpart. The 514 should also be improved over Vero’s original color rendering; While a Windows model can only display 66 percent of the sRGB gamut, Acer’s promising 100 percent coverage for its Chromebook is.
When it comes to ports, the 514 has a healthy choice — two USB-C ports, which can be used to quickly charge the battery up to 50 percent in 30 minutes, a USB-A port, an HDMI port, and a headphone jack. . The computer also comes with a 1080p “glare reduction” webcam.
As for the laptop’s environmental footprint, Acer says the trackpad surface is made of 100 percent “ocean plastic,” while the keycaps are made from 50 percent post-consumer recycled plastic. 30% of the chassis plastic is recycled. While that’s not necessarily as impressive as the $1,200 MacBook Air With 100% recycled constructionIt’s good to see Acer provide relatively fine details like Apple. I have not been able to find any numbers that support Asus’ claims of this Chromebook Flip CX5 features an ‘eco-friendly design’ Because of the Included Recycled Materials.
Acer also claims the Chromebook is easy to repair and upgrade, with standard screws allowing you to access memory and storage (which you may need to do, given the biggest SSD you can get with the 514 is 256GB). While this is not at the level What the frame does With a nearly salvageable and upgradeable laptop, this one is almost twice the price; The base model 514, comes with a Core i3, 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD, starting at $499.99.
This is another improvement versus the Windows version, which Starting at $700and doesn’t offer particularly great value at this price point, according to my co-worker Monica Chen Review from last year. The 514 also runs ChromeOS, which is widely considered to be less demanding than Windows – it could help the 514 stay out of a landfill for longer, which is only good news from an environmental perspective.
Overall, Acer seems to have addressed quite a few issues we had with the original Vero laptop. However, I’d like to repeat a note Monica shocked in her review of this PC: It’s hard to waste your way to environmental responsibility, and if you have to buy something, it should last a long time. One option for those looking to get a slightly more eco-friendly PC is to install ChromeOS Flex On an old Windows laptop bought from a local computer store used or dug out of a closet (perform the “reuse” step of reduce, reuse, and recycle). But if you want something with more modern hardware, including conveniences like a fingerprint reader, Acer says the Vero 514 will be available at Best Buy starting “mid-October.”
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