Review: Acer Chromebook Vero 514 wraps ChromeOS in a recycled plastic body

Ben Schoon | May 19 2023 - 11:00 am PT

As recycling becomes a bigger and bigger part of our modern world, Acer is trying to incorporate more post-consumer recycled plastics. That’s the point of its Vero line, which includes the Acer Chromebook Vero 514 – a high-end Chromebook wrapped up in recycled plastics.

The Acer Chromebook Vero 514 is a machine that almost lives in two worlds. On the one hand, it’s a plastic machine that looks a bit cheap, but on the other hand, it’s packing specs under the hood that are considered high-end in the ChromeOS world.

My demo unit of the Vero 514 brought with it an Intel Core i5, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of SSD storage. And those specs combined with the lightweight nature of ChromeOS really make for a machine that flies. Over the past several weeks, I’ve run into no hiccups using this machine, even when throwing over a dozen tabs at it while working on stories for 9to5Google. This isn’t a fanless machine, but the fans on board aren’t all that noticeable in most cases. You’ll have to push it hard to overheat, too.

And working all day on this machine is quite easy. In my use, I’ve been able to get around 8 hours on a charge without hitting single-digit percentages. This will vary depending on your use and screen brightness, but a “full day” of work is easily attainable here. And with USB-C ports on both sides for charging, a fill-up is extra convenient.

The port situation is also solid for almost every scenario. There’s a full-size USB port on the right alongside one of those USB-C ports, with HDMI and a headphone jack on the left side with the other USB-C port. It’s not a lot, but it’s enough to prevent you from carrying around a bunch of adapters and dongles.

The hardware of the Acer Chromebook Vero 514 is the real story, though. The entire machine has a focus on using post-consumer recycled plastic, and it shows. The machine is a bit chunky by modern standards, but the material feel makes up for that. Like the Acer Aspire Vero 15 I recently tested on 9to5Toys, the finish here is durable and grippy, and I like the pale green color, too. The only real downside is that it’s thick, but I didn’t find it thick enough to cause problems with my typical workflow. It still slips into a backpack just fine, and weighing in at just over 3lbs, it’s not overly heavy, either.

Acer says that the body of the machine and the bezel around the screen are made up of around 30% post-consumer recycled plastic. On the outside, this leads to the unique textured look. While using a fully recycled plastic would be ideal, obviously, this is a step in the right direction, and shows that quality doesn’t really have to decline just for the sake of using recycled materials. The entire body of this Chromebook is sturdy, especially the deck which has minimal flex.

The keyboard is another area where post-consumer recycled plastics are used, with 50% of the material being recycled. The keycaps are a bit grippy compared to more traditional machines, but I still found it a joy to type on. Acer also nested a nice little easter egg onto the “r” and “e” keys to signify the recycled materials. There’s also backlighting in place here, which is always useful, and good to see at this price point, but I’d trade it out for a fingerprint sensor.

But on the note of sustainability, it feels frustrating that Acer’s whole pitch here is undermined by two things. Firstly, by nature of being a Chromebooks, there’s a “death date” locked in that will roll around in less than a decade. But, even ignoring that, Acer has built this machine with its storage and RAM locked in. They can’t be upgraded in any capacity, which really hurts longevity. “Reduce” is the real way to benefit the planet. “Recycle” is just a stopgap.

That aside, the screen is one place I have mixed feelings. The 14-inch IPS panel is reasonably crisp at 1080p, and it gets bright enough to be used outdoors. I’m always a sucker for a matte panel, too. But where I was frustrated was the 16:9 aspect ratio. In 2023, taller aspect ratios have become the norm, and they’re so much more useful for getting things done. This device is clearly not made for just media consumption, so the decision to stick with 16:9 was surprising and, if I’m honest, quite annoying. It’s not to say I can’t get things done, but it feels restrictive. Adjusting ChromeOS’ density settings to make on-screen elements smaller helped tremendously.

Overall, the Acer Chromebook Vero 514 is a solid choice, and one that makes a real effort to lessen its environmental impact. I hope to see more Chromebooks take notes from this design in the future.

The Core i3 model of the Acer Chromebook Vero 514 is available now for $499 with 128GB of storage, and you can upgrade to the Core i5/256GB model for $599. In either case, it’s a fair asking price, but the i5 model feels like the better overall value. Though, currently, the i3 model is down to $349 at Best Buy, which is a great deal.