Its main downfall is that its battery life can’t keep up with everything it does.
It could easily stand to be one of thebest student Chromebooksand even one of thebest Chromebooksout there.
Missing is an Ethernet port, which would have rounded out the selection nicely.
(Image credit: Future)
The webcam quality is pretty middling, nothing offensive but hardly worth mentioning.
Practical performance between the Plus 515 version of this Chromebook versus the original 515 is like night and day.
It takes mere seconds to start from complete shutdown and practically instantaneous from sleep mode.
As with any other Chromebook, this particular model cannot be reconfigured.
I especially appreciate the width of the keys as it minimizes typos even with larger fingers.
And the touchpad is refreshingly accurate, which is ideal for gaming as I discovered while playingBaldurs Gate 3.
I would have expected it to have a superior port selection.
The sound is clear and crisp, with multiple instruments and even vocals distinctive from each other.
But like many other laptop webcams, without very good lighting it doesnt hold up well.
(Image credit: Future)
But if you need something solely for work, then this is perfectly suitable.
It does have a physical shutter, which is a refreshing rarity among laptops.
The Kraken Javascript, Jetstream 2, and Chromium Github Octane benchmark results are also comparable to similar models.
(Image credit: Future)
Performance outside of benchmarks is even more impressive.
Startup from shutdown is in mere seconds while starting up from sleep mode is nearly instantaneous.
It works quite well, though the fullscreen mode isnt completely stable as of right now.
(Image credit: Future)
And from what I tested so far, it all works quite well.
Even a memory hog like Adobe Photoshop wasnt enough to remotely slow down the Plus 515.
Productivity testing has also proven similar results, with a slightly higher battery life.
(Image credit: Future)
Should you buy the Acer Chromebook Plus 515?
Buy it if…
This laptop is primarily used for productivity work, which was my main method of testing.
(Image credit: Future)
Ive tested out many laptops, including Chromebooks, which gives me plenty of experience with properly benchmarking them.
I also have extensive knowledge of testing out general performance including productivity and benchmarking.
Read more about how we test
First reviewed October 2023
