Acer Chromebook Plus 515 (15.6-Inch, 2023)

Low price ; Considerably improved ChromeOS ; Core i3 CPU and UFS storage perform like Core i5 and SSD ; Wide array of ports and 1080p webcam

Screen could be brighter ; Shallow, nonbacklit keyboard ; HDMI 1.4, not 2.0

Acer's Chromebook Plus 515 can't escape one or two compromises for its $399.99 price, but is genuinely impressive. Google's new Chromebook Plus platform stands head and shoulders above the previous generation.

Potent AI-infused performance ; Great keyboard ; Sturdy design ; Attractive ; Super affordable

Expected better battery life

This $399 Acer Chromebook Plus 515 is a steal thanks to Google leveraging AI. The specs may not impress you, but the performance will.

Temporal noise reduction was great ; Improved performance ; Speakers are upward-firing

No backlighting keyboard ; Only 250 nits of screen brightness ; Boring design

Google's Chromebook Plus initiative looks quite promising when paired with the Chromebook Plus 515. This laptop is a prime example of everything you need that won't let you down in conference calls while managing your day-to-day tasks. The battery life...

Great build quality ; USB-C charging ; Stacked specs for the price

Sluggish trackpad ; 60Hz non-touch display

The Acer Chromebook Plus 515 fixes many of the issues of not only the Chromebook space but the budget laptop space as a whole. It succeeds in the brand’s mission of simplifying the buying process for a great productivity machine and takes steps to...

Lightning-fast start-up and multitasks well ; Both native and stream-based gaming ; Tons of software options ; Lovely display ; Great sound

Okay battery life ; Limited by Google Play Store ; Specs around the same as previous models

The Acer Chromebook Plus 515 is both a solid productivity machine in its own right, with specs tailor-made for work, and a surprisingly balanced laptop that can handle light editing and even native gaming. Its main downfall is that its battery life...

Great performance-to-price ratio ; LPDDR5X and PCIe Gen4 memory ; Chromebook Plus features appreciated in a maturing ChromeOS ; Incredible value at the budget end of the spectrum

Could have come with a more modern power adapter ; 1080p webcam still just a webcam ; Okay spec lines stick with pricier configurations ; 6 hours of real-world use

Acer slides into the 15.6-inch space for an Intel-powered Chromebook Plus. Oddly enough, some SKUs of the Chromebook Plus 515 feature newer, faster PCIe storage than the AMD-toting Chromebook Plus 514.

Powerful and long-lasting ; Sharp, colourful display ; Right amount of connections

Styling could be snappier ; No touchscreen

A welcome hardware step up for Chrome OS. If Chromebooks were a familiar sight at school, the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 will make the ideal everyday upgrade.