Acer Chromebook 515 – Price, Specs & Review

acer chromebook 515 review

The Acer Chromebook 515 is a business-oriented ChromeOS laptop that combines Google’s lightweight operating system with a minimalist, productivity-oriented design.

Acer Chromebook 515 CB515-1W CB515-1W-393L 15.6" Chromebook - Full HD - 1920 x 1080 - Intel Core i3 11th Gen i3-1115G4 Dual-core (2 Core) 3 GHz - 8 GB Total RAM - 128 GB SSD
  • Intel Core i3 3 GHz works smartly and well responsive to let you swiftly use multiple applications
  • With 8 GB memory, you can multitask between various applications without issue
  • 15.6" display with 1920 x 1080 resolution showcases movies, games and photos with impressive clarity
  • Chrome OS gives you instant access to the internet, cloud storage, emails and all your favorite apps
  • 10 Hours battery run time helps you stay unwired and work longer non-stop

That means a strong, basic chassis, a large, comfy keyboard (with a number pad! ), an Intel Core i5 processor, and enough RAM.

However, because ChromeOS is centered on the web, horsepower becomes less important, preventing this from being the finest Chromebook for anyone other than those who want to try out Chrome gaming on the go.

Acer Chromebook 515 review: Price and config options

acer chromebook 515 review

The Acer Chromebook 515 model that I examined costs $999 as configured from third-party merchants and Acer’s website(opens in a new tab).

You’ll receive a 2.6 GHz Intel Core i5-1145G7 CPU with 16GB of RAM for that price. features a 15.6-inch display and 256GB of storage

Alternative options begin at $649.99 and include Core i3 and Core i5 processors with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. For $699.99, you can get a Core i3 model with a touchscreen display. (prices can vary according to discounts)

Acer Chromebook 515 review: Design

The chassis is simple and utilitarian, weighing approximately 4 pounds.

With a military-grade durability rating, its design is built to last.

As befitting a box presumably designed for business, the Chromebook 515 is a little on the simple side. I’d be hard-pressed to pick it out of a line-up of business-oriented workhorses if it weren’t for the “Chromebook” emblem etched on the top left corner of the lid.

A utilitarian design, on the other hand, fits the Chromebook ethos, as this computer feels designed to serve up the web while remaining out of the way.

That isn’t to suggest Acer hasn’t tried to save money. The body is solid, with a metal cover that doesn’t flex no matter how much I twist and pull on it. The display remains firmly in place as I tap away at the keyboard because the hinge is similarly rigid. 

The Chromebook 515 also has a military-grade durability rating of “MIL-STD-810H,” indicating that it can withstand more than normal misuse. The Chromebook 515 isn’t particularly small or light, weighing just under 4 pounds and measuring barely an inch thick, but it’s thin and light enough to toss into a bag with ease.

Acer Chromebook 515 review: Ports

  • The healthy port selection
  • A microSD card reader, USB-C, USB-A, HDMI out, and a microSD card reader? It makes you happy to see it.
  • A USB-C and HDMI output connector, as well as a 3.5 mm headphone jack, are located on the left side of the Chromebook 515.
  • A Kensington security lock, another USB-C port, a USB Type-A port, and a microSD card slot are all on the right.
  • The machine is charged through USB-C (which is nearly required for me these days), and it can be charged from either port.

Acer Chromebook 515 review: Display

  • Bright and functional for both work and play
  • Colors that aren’t very appealing.

The Acer Chromebook 515’s 15.6-inch screen has a 1080p resolution, which is disappointing but not necessarily a deal-breaker. It’s an otherwise good display: colors are a touch flat and desaturated, which could be a problem if you’re doing a lot of photo editing, but it’s perfect for viewing videos or browsing the web.

If you prefer ChromeOS on the go, the display is bright and easy to see. And because the viewing angles are strong even at odd angles, you may lay the display fully flat and contort awkwardly on the couch, as I frequently do.

We observed that the laptop had an average brightness of 263.4 nits, with a maximum brightness of 273 nits in the upper-left quadrant, when we got it into our lab. By the standards of most similarly priced laptops, that’s not particularly bright, but it’s approximately in line with what we expect from Chromebooks in this price range.

For example, the Asus Chromebook Flip CX5500FE ($872 as reviewed) we recently examined has a brightness of 250 nits.

The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 offers a stunning 1080p display that gets quite a bit brighter, up to an average brightness of 390 nits, if you want something a little more dazzling.

The display on our Chromebook 515 evaluation model only covers 65.8% of the sRGB color gamut (100 percent or more is desirable), which is disappointing and confirms my experience with flat, undersaturated colors.

Acer Chromebook 515 review: Performance

  • On Chrome OS, you’ll have enough power for whatever you need to do.
  • This Chromebook has Steam installed and can play Steam games.

Because ChromeOS is primarily a web-based operating system, and the Google Play store is your primary source of programs, an Intel Core i5 processor and 16GB of RAM are overkill. I like to spread myself across my devices, opening many windows and tabs to keep the items I’m looking for or working on separated.

This gear proved to be more than capable, humming away quietly (and smoothly) under normal operation.

The ChromeOS-compatible version of Adobe Lightroom was taxing enough to get the Chromebook 515’s fans buzzing, yet it ran (relatively) smoothly.

Acer Chromebook 515 CB515-1W CB515-1W-393L 15.6" Chromebook - Full HD - 1920 x 1080 - Intel Core i3 11th Gen i3-1115G4 Dual-core (2 Core) 3 GHz - 8 GB Total RAM - 128 GB SSD
  • Intel Core i3 3 GHz works smartly and well responsive to let you swiftly use multiple applications
  • With 8 GB memory, you can multitask between various applications without issue
  • 15.6" display with 1920 x 1080 resolution showcases movies, games and photos with impressive clarity
  • Chrome OS gives you instant access to the internet, cloud storage, emails and all your favorite apps
  • 10 Hours battery run time helps you stay unwired and work longer non-stop

Acer Chromebook 515 review: Verdict

The Acer Chromebook 515 is a tough sell, for such a high price as our review model. It’s a good computer in its own right, with a good keyboard and trackpad, enough battery life to get you through a workday, and a huge, bright display that’s simple to see.

However, you’re paying for hardware that the operating system can’t utilize (unless you want to play a bunch of Steam games), so the performance boost isn’t worth it.

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That is the crux of the issue: value. The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2, for example, isn’t nearly as well equipped as the majority of the top Chromebooks we’ve tested.

However, when you’ve created it for online browsing, a Core i3 and 8GB of RAM turn out to be plenty.

So, if the screen and speaker quality are vital to you, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 would be a better choice. Acer’s Chromebook 515, on the other hand, is a robust Chromebook that should serve you well if you value port selection and a comfortable keyboard for optimal work.

Consider choosing a cheaper model if you don’t plan on playing Steam games; the $300 or so you’ll save can go toward a quality webcam or headphones.

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