Chromebooks have passed the stage of cheap netbook replacements with too small dimensions. Acer’s Chromebook Spin 513, for example, has a usable 13-inch format and a full HD screen. How pleasant is the Spin 513 to use?
Acer Chromebook Spin 513
price € 449, – (4 GB ram), € 499, (8 GB ram)
Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c
RAM 4 or 8 GB
Display 13.3 inch (1920 x 1080 pixels, touch screen)
Storage 64 GB eMMC
Operating system Google Chrome OS
Format 31 x 20.9 x 1.6 cm
Weight 1.29 kg
Battery 36 Wh
Connections USB (3.2 Gen 1), 2x USB-C (3.2 Gen 1, charging and video output), 3.5mm audio jack
Wireless Wifi 5 (2×2), bluetooth 5.0
Website www.acer.com
8 Score 80 
- Pros
- Twice usb-c
- Good battery life
- Nice keyboard (with lighting)
- Foldable screen
- Relatively light and compact
- Negatives
- Performance
- Screen lid could be firmer
The Acer Chromebook Spin 513 is a laptop with a silver-colored casing. It turns out to be made of two different types of material. The screen lid is finished with aluminum, the housing itself is made of plastic. In terms of color, the plastic is almost the same as the aluminum, so it is hardly noticeable that the housing consists of two materials. The plastic part also comes across as sturdy. The aluminum plate on the back of the screen could have been a bit stiffer in my opinion. There is some movement in that. With a weight of 1.29 kilos, the Spin 513 is not only compact, but also pleasantly light. All in all, it looks neat for a relatively cheap laptop.
In terms of connections, Acer has provided two USB-C, USB-A and a 3.5mm sound connection. It is nice that both USB-C connections are suitable for charging and video output and that a USB-C connection is placed on both sides. Handy, because you can connect the included USB-C charger on both sides depending on the situation.
Specifications
The Chromebook Spin 513 includes a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c which uses the arm architecture. This chip was designed by Qualcomm for relatively cheap laptops and is equipped with eight cores. Two cores are a faster version while the other six cores are a bit slower. Designed for laptops may sound fast, but that’s not really true for this chip. In terms of configuration, this Snapdragon 7c is comparable to the Snapdragon 730 used in smartphones that you will find in mid-range cars. Depending on the chosen version, the processor is assisted by 4 or 8 GB of ram and 64 GB of eMMC storage. We have tested the 4GB version.
The Snapdragon 7c makes relatively cheap laptops with good battery capacity possible. Another advantage of this platform would be that it is relatively easy for notebook manufacturers to equip the device with a 4G modem. However, the versions of the Chromebook Spin 513 that initially appear on the Dutch market are not equipped with 4G. A 4G variant has been announced. The used WiFi chip also comes from Qualcomm and supports WiFi 5. Unfortunately no WiFi 6, but fortunately a chip with support for two data streams. That is not bad, the usefulness of WiFi 6 on a Chromebook is limited.
Foldable
The Acer Spin 513 is, as the name suggests, a device with a folding hinge. You can fold the screen all the way back, after which you have a large tablet in your hands. You can also place the Spin 513 in different ways, for example as a ‘tent’. With this, the device takes up little surface while the screen is upright. Handy for tight situations or if you want to work with a separate keyboard. The hinge is tightly adjusted, so the screen hardly moves if you touch the screen while working. However, this makes it impossible to open the laptop with one hand. Completely folded over, there appears to be no magnet in the Spin 513 to leave both halves stuck together. This causes the back of the screen to clack slightly against the back of the laptop, although we’ve seen worse at similar form factors.
Chrome OS
Chrome OS is Google’s desktop operating system that was once little more than a web browser, but nowadays can be used for all kinds of light tasks. You can also do a lot on a modern Chromebook without an active internet connection. Google’s own office software can be used offline and so are some other web-based applications. For a really large offline range you can go to the Play Store, which gives you access to the majority of the range of Android apps. Android is now standard integrated into Chrome OS and Android apps you install appear seamlessly in the Chrome OS environment. Most apps work well, although not every app. The Android version in Chrome OS used by Google is Android 9, but with the most recent security patch. In addition, you can also get started with Linux software, although that will probably continue to be a bit of a pioneer for the target group of a Chromebook. Either way, you have to work with the shell to get something done with it. Understandably, therefore, the Linux capability is still in beta.
Chrome OS now shows when a device will receive updates and in the case of the Chromebook Spin 513, Google will provide updates until June 2029.
Pleasant work
While working with the Spin 513, the keyboard stood out in a positive way. The keys may be made of a somewhat cheap-feeling plastic, but they do have a pleasant keystroke and travel. So you can type comfortably on this Chromebook. The keyboard is also equipped with key lighting, although with a Chromebook you always have to think about how to set this (alt + screen brightness). You can choose from five brightness levels, more than you see on many other laptops. A glass touchpad with a size of 10.5 x 6.5 centimeters has been placed under the keyboard. This touchpad works well and multi-touch gestures are also well recognized. In short, the basic functionality of a laptop is perfectly organized.
The Chromebook Spin 513 has a 13.3 inch screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The panel uses IPS technology and is certainly a good screen for what this laptop costs. The viewing angles are good and the brightness is also high enough. Given the form factor, it is of course a touch screen and this gives the screen a glossy finish. Something that is of course not useful in every situation.
Performance
As mentioned, the Acer Chromebook runs on an arm processor from Qualcomm. In the benchmark CrXPRT, this Chromebook scores 101 points. That is a lot slower than the Chromebooks with an Intel processor. Acer’s own Chromebook 314 LTE, which is equipped with the not very impressive Intel Pentium Silver N5030 in itself, scores 162 points in the same benchmark. In this benchmark, the Spin 513 is about ten percent faster than the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet, which is equipped with a MediaTek arm processor.
In Geekbench 5, the laptop scores 539 points in the single-core test and 1583 points in the multi-core test, which is, as expected, in line with the scores of the aforementioned smartphone counterpart Snapdragon 730.
The Snapdragon 7c is certainly not a very powerful processor. That is not really bad, because Chrome OS is a light operating system and in practice I have no complaints when working on the Spin 513. Chrome Os itself is mainly suitable for light office work and that works fine on this arm processor. Acer promises that the battery with a capacity of 36 Wh has a battery life of 14 hours. In practice, about 10 hours is easily achievable so that you can work all day without charging in between.
Conclusion
Chromebooks are clearly on the rise and with the Chromebook Spin 513, Acer proves that in combination with Chrome OS you can have a pleasant and usable device for typical office tasks at home for 449 euros. The Spin 513 is light, is firmly put together, ticks nicely and has a full HD screen that you can also touch. You must of course be able to deal with the limitations of Chrome OS itself and, for example, especially want to use Google’s office software. Thanks to Android support and a Linux option that is still a bit pioneering, you can use all kinds of apps and software.
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