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Acer Chromebook Plus 515 (2023) Laptop Review

Tested using Methodology v0.8.2
Reviewed Jan 23, 2024 at 01:33 pm
Latest change: Writing modified Sep 18, 2024 at 09:21 am
Acer Chromebook Plus 515 (2023) Picture
7.2
School
4.2
Gaming
6.4
Multimedia
6.0
Workstation
7.0
Business

The Acer Chromebook Plus 515 (2023) is a budget Chrome OS laptop. It's configurable with an Intel 12th or 13th Gen Core CPU, up to a Core i7-1355U. Memory and storage configurations max out at 16GB and 512GB, respectively. It has an FHD IPS display (with or without touch input), a 1080p webcam, Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity, and a 53Wh battery. Ports include one USB-A, two USB-Cs, an HDMI (1.4), and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The USB-Cs support charging and video output.

See our unit's specifications and the available configuration options in the Differences Between Variants section.

Our Verdict

7.2 School

The Acer Chromebook Plus 515 is decent for school use. It has a fairly sturdy build, even though it's made entirely out of plastic, and its compact design makes it easy to carry around. Its Intel CPU can handle general productivity tasks like web browsing and text processing. However, you can only use web apps and Android apps from the Google Play Store on Chrome OS, so it isn't ideal for students needing specialized Windows or macOS applications. You can get through a full school day on a full charge, but depending on your usage, you may need to plug it in briefly. Unfortunately, the display is dim, so glare may be an issue in well-lit rooms, and the keyboard feels a bit mushy.

Pros
  • Thin and light design.
  • Large, responsive touchpad.
  • Battery lasts eight to nine hours of light use.
Cons
  • Dim display.
  • Low-power CPU and integrated graphics can't handle demanding workloads.
  • Slightly mushy keyboard.
4.2 Gaming

The Acer Chromebook Plus 515 is bad for gaming. You can't install DirectX games on Chrome OS, and while you can play Android-based games from the Google Play Store, some might not run properly, as they're designed for Android smartphones and tablets. Also, its low-power CPU and integrated graphics can't handle demanding games, and it has a 60Hz display with a slow response time.

Pros
  • Doesn't get hot or loud under load.
Cons
  • Low-power CPU and integrated graphics can't handle demanding workloads.
  • 60Hz display with slow response time.
  • No VRR to reduce screen tearing.
  • Limited game selection.
  • Soldered RAM.
6.4 Multimedia

The Acer Chromebook Plus 515 is mediocre for media consumption. Its 1080p display looks decently sharp; however, its narrow color gamut makes colors look a bit washed out. Glare may be an issue in well-lit settings as it doesn't get very bright, and blacks look gray in dim settings due to the display's low contrast. The speakers get reasonably loud with minimal distortion at high volume levels, but they sound slightly unnatural, with almost no bass. Lastly, while the laptop is portable, its battery lasts only around five hours of video playback.

Pros
  • Thin and light design.
  • Loud speakers.
Cons
  • Dim display.
  • Battery lasts only around five hours of video playback.
  • Display has narrow color gamut and low contrast.
  • Speakers lack bass.
6.0 Workstation

The Acer Chromebook Plus 515 is mediocre for use as a workstation. Its low-power CPU and integrated graphics aren't powerful enough to handle demanding tasks, and you can only get up to 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage. Also, most professional applications don't run on Chrome OS. While you can edit photos or videos using apps from the Google Play Store or web-based apps, the display isn't suitable for color-critical work due to its narrow color gamut. There's no Thunderbolt 4 support, and the HDMI port is limited to the 1.4 standard.

Pros
  • Doesn't get hot or loud under load.
Cons
  • Low-power CPU and integrated graphics can't handle demanding workloads.
  • Soldered RAM.
  • Most professional software don't run on Chrome OS.
  • No Thunderbolt 4 support.
  • Display has narrow color gamut and low contrast.
7.0 Business

The Acer Chromebook Plus 515 is decent for business use. It feels relatively well-built for an all-plastic laptop, and it's easy to carry around, thanks to its compact design. It has a spacious—albeit slightly mushy— keyboard, a large and responsive touchpad, and a great 1080p webcam. Its Intel CPU can easily handle general productivity tasks like text processing, spreadsheets, and presentations; however, know that you can only use web apps or Android apps from the Google Play Store on Chrome OS, so it isn't ideal if your work requires specific Windows or macOS apps. The battery lasts a little over eight hours of light use, so depending on your usage, you may need to plug it in for a quick charge to get through the day. Unfortunately, glare may be a problem in well-lit settings because the display doesn't get very bright.

Pros
  • Thin and light design.
  • Large, responsive touchpad.
  • Battery lasts eight to nine hours of light use.
  • Great 1080p webcam.
Cons
  • Dim display.
  • Most professional software don't run on Chrome OS.
  • No Thunderbolt 4 support.
  • Slightly mushy keyboard.
  • 7.2 School
  • 4.2 Gaming
  • 6.4 Multimedia
  • 6.0 Workstation
  • 7.0 Business
  1. Updated Sep 18, 2024: Added mention of the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE (2024) as an alternative with a higher-refresh rate display Refresh Rate section.
  2. Updated Aug 20, 2024: Added mention of the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 (2024) as an alternative with longer battery life in the Battery section.
  3. Updated Jul 10, 2024: Added mention of the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 (2023) as an alternative with longer battery life in the Battery section.
  4. Updated Jan 23, 2024: Review published.
  5. Updated Jan 11, 2024: Early access published.
  6. Updated Dec 22, 2023: Our testers have started testing this product.
  7. Updated Dec 06, 2023: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  8. Updated Nov 13, 2023: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

We tested the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 (model CB515-2H-31NY) with an FHD (non-touch) display, an Intel Core i3-1215U CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. The display, CPU, RAM, and storage are configurable; the available options are in the table below. Our review applies to the CB515-2H and CB515-2HT models.

Screen
  • 15.6" IPS 1920 x 1080 60Hz
  • 15.6" IPS 1920 x 1080 60Hz Touchscreen
CPU
  • Intel Core i3-1215U (6 cores/8 threads, up to 4.4 GHz, 10MB cache)
  • Intel Core i5-1235U (10 cores/12 threads, up to 4.4 GHz, 12MB cache)
  • Intel Core i3-1315U (6 cores/8 threads, up to 4.5 GHz, 10MB cache)
  • Intel Core i5-1335U (10 cores/12 threads, up to 4.6 GHz, 12MB cache)
  • Intel Core i7-1355U (10 cores/12 threads, up to 5.0 GHz, 12MB cache)
GPU
  • Intel UHD Graphics (integrated, Core i3)
  • Intel Iris Xe (integrated, Core i5 and i7)
Memory
  • 8GB LP-DDR5x
  • 16GB LP-DDR5x
Storage
  • 128GB UFS (Universal Flash Storage)
  • 256GB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD
  • 512GB SSD PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD
Color
  • Steel Gray

See our unit's label here.

Compared To Other Laptops

The Acer Chromebook Plus 515 is a decent budget Chromebook. Its Intel Core processor is noticeably faster than the Celeron or Pentium CPUs typically used in similarly-priced models, providing a snappy and responsive desktop experience. It also provides a relatively good user experience overall with a large, responsive touchpad and a great 1080p webcam. However, its display is quite dim, which can be problematic in well-lit settings, and its battery life is short compared to most Chromebooks.

For more options, check out our recommendations for the best Chromebooks, the best student Chromebooks, and the best budget and cheap laptops.

ASUS Chromebook Plus CX34 (2023)

The Acer Chromebook Plus 515 (2023) and the ASUS Chromebook Plus CX34 (2023) are very similar overall. The ASUS is more portable since it's a smaller 14-inch device, and it has one more USB-A port. However, the Acer has a slightly better keyboard, and its battery lasts a bit longer.

Acer Chromebook Spin 714 (2022)

The Acer Chromebook Spin 714 (2022) is much better than the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 (2023) for most uses. The Spin 714 has a sharper, brighter, and more colorful display, a better webcam, and a wider port selection with Thunderbolt 4 support. It's more versatile because it's a 2-in-1 convertible with stylus support, and its battery lasts almost five hours longer than the Plus 515.

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i Chromebook 14 (2023)

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i Chromebook 14 (2023) and the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 (2023) are both budget Chromebooks. Choosing between these two laptops depends on what you care most about. The Lenovo has a sharper, brighter, and more colorful display, a better webcam, and a much longer battery life. It's also more portable since it's a smaller device. However, the Acer has a better keyboard and touchpad, and it's available with much faster CPUs, so it feels more responsive and can handle more demanding workloads.

Acer Chromebook Plus 514 (2023)

The Acer Chromebook Plus 514 (2023) and the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 (2023) are both budget Chromebooks that provide a similar user experience overall. The 515 feels snappier and more responsive because its Intel CPUs are faster than the 514's AMD Ryzen processors; however, it has shorter battery life, lasting around eight hours of light use, almost two hours shorter than the 514. The 514 has arguably a better display—although both laptops have an FHD panel, the 514 looks sharper since it's a smaller screen. Also, the 514 has a 16:10 aspect ratio, which is better suited for productivity than the 515's standard 16:9 format, as you can see more information at once when reading a document or website.

HP Chromebook 14 (2021)

The Acer Chromebook Plus 515 (2023) is better than the HP Chromebook 14 (2021) for most uses. The Acer has a sturdier build and a much better webcam, and it's available with significantly faster Intel Core CPUs to provide a smoother and snappier desktop experience. On the other hand, the HP is more portable since it's a smaller 14-inch device, and its battery lasts over 16 hours of light use, which is almost twice as long as the Acer's.

Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 (2024)

While the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 (2024) and the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 (2023) have different form factors, they both target general productivity users. The 714 is a 14-inch 2-in-1 convertible featuring Intel's newest Meteor Lake CPUs. These CPUs feature an NPU (Neural Processing Unit), which accelerates AI-based tasks like blurring backgrounds during video calls. It generally performs better than the 515 and offers a better user experience overall. By contrast, the 515 is a budget offering in a 15.6-inch clamshell form factor. It's a good choice for anyone who wants a larger screen for browsing the internet. However, be aware that the display isn't as good as the one on the 714.

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Test Results

perceptual testing image
Design
Design
Style
Form Factor
Traditional (Clamshell)

The Acer Chromebook Plus 515's design looks clean and professional but somewhat cheap due to its plastic chassis and thick, protruding bezels. It has an island-style keyboard with speakers on each side and a centered, plastic touchpad. There are air vents on the bottom and at the back of the keyboard deck. This laptop is only available in the Steel Gray color.

7.0
Design
Build Quality

The Acer Chromebook Plus 515's build quality is decent. It feels relatively sturdy despite its all-plastic chassis, and there are no obvious gaps in the construction. However, there's a fair amount of flex on the keyboard deck. The lid and display also flex, albeit not as much as the keyboard. The finish is fairly scratch-resistant and doesn't pick up many fingerprints and smudges. The whole device feels pretty heavy and clunky for a low-power Chromebook with a plastic chassis, as the weight isn't evenly distributed.

5.8
Design
Hinge
Range
180°
Stability
Decent
One Finger Lift
No

The Acer Chromebook Plus 515's hinges have a wide range, allowing you to place the screen flat on a surface, which can be handy when you need to show the content to someone opposite you. The hinges feel smooth when opening and closing the lid, and they're fairly stable, exhibiting very little wobble when moving the laptop or typing aggressively. However, they have too much resistance to allow for a one-hand lift.

8.0
Design
Portability
Size
15.6"
Thickness
0.8" (2.0 cm)
Width
14.2" (36.0 cm)
Depth
9.4" (24.0 cm)
Volume
105.4 in³ (1,728.0 cm³)
Weight
3.6 lbs (1.7 kg)
Charger Size
8.0 in³ (130.5 cm³)
Charger Weight
0.6 lbs (0.3 kg)

The Acer Chromebook 515 Plus and its power adapter are compact and lightweight.

4.3
Design
Serviceability
Ease Of Access
6.5
RAM Slots
0
Storage Slots
0
Replaceable Battery
Yes
Replaceable Wireless Adapter
Yes

Accessing the internals is fairly straightforward; you only need to remove some Philips screws and undo the bottom panel's clips with a prying tool. Unfortunately, the memory isn't user-replaceable. The storage depends on the configuration; the 128GB model uses a soldered UFS drive, but the 256GB and 512GB models have an M.2 PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD.

See the user manual here.

Design
In The Box

  • 65W USB-C power adapter and cord
  • Documentation
  • Laptop sleeve

Display
Display
Screen Specs
Resolution
1920 x 1080
Aspect Ratio
16:9
Pixel Density
141 PPI
Panel Type
IPS
Touch Screen
No
Screen-To-Body Ratio
81%

The Acer Chromebook Plus 515 is available with the following displays:

  • 15.6" IPS 1920 x 1080 60Hz
  • 15.6" IPS 1920 x 1080 60Hz Touchscreen

A 1080p resolution looks decently sharp on a 15.6-inch panel. You can see individual pixels up close, but this isn't a problem at typical viewing distances. The 16:9 aspect ratio is great for media consumption since most videos are in that format; however, a taller 16:10 ratio would have been better for productivity, as the increased vertical space lets you see more information at once, reducing the need to scroll. The touch-sensitive panel looks identical.

5.9
Display
Refresh Rate
Refresh Rate
60 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
No

The Acer Chromebook Plus 515 is only available with 60Hz displays. The response time is very slow, causing noticeable ghosting behind fast-moving objects. The touch-sensitive display is identical. If you want a Chromebook with a higher refresh rate display, consider the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE (2024).

7.0
Display
Contrast
Native Contrast
1,112 : 1

The contrast ratio is decent for an IPS panel but is still relatively low compared to other display technologies like VA and OLED. This contrast level makes blacks look gray in dim settings. The touch-sensitive display will perform similarly.

6.0
Display
Brightness
Maximum Brightness
225 cd/m²
Minimum Brightness
19 cd/m²

The display's maximum brightness is sub-par. It's fine for most indoor settings but isn't ideal for well-lit rooms or outdoors in broad daylight. It gets very dim at the lowest brightness setting, which is great for dark room viewing as it causes less eye strain. The touch-sensitive screen has the same brightness.

6.8
Display
Reflections
Screen Finish
Matte
Total Reflections
5.98%
Indirect Reflections
3.4%
Calculated Direct Reflections
2.58%

The display's reflection handling is passable. Mirror-like reflections aren't a problem due to the matte coating. However, bright light sources, like a lamp or open window in broad daylight, can be distracting. These bright reflections are visible, even when viewing bright-color content with the screen at maximum brightness.

6.9
Display
Black Uniformity
Uniformity (Std. Dev.)
1.394%

The display's black uniformity is okay. There's some clouding throughout the screen, and a small amount of backlight bleed along the bottom edge. These uniformity issues are only visible when viewing dark-color content in a dim setting.

6.5
Display
Horizontal Viewing Angle
Color Washout From Left
25°
Color Washout From Right
21°
Color Shift From Left
48°
Color Shift From Right
51°
Brightness Loss From Left
26°
Brightness Loss From Right
24°
Black Level Raise From Left
60°
Black Level Raise From Right
60°
Gamma Shift From Left
24°
Gamma Shift From Right
21°

The display's horizontal viewing angle is okay. The image dims and washes out quickly as you move to the side. You can still share the screen with someone else for text documents and other casual content; however, it's best to be directly in front of the screen if you need perfect accuracy for color-critical work. There's more color shift on the right side of the display than on the left, though this could be only on our unit, so your experience may vary.

6.4
Display
Vertical Viewing Angle
Color Washout From Below
24°
Color Washout From Above
25°
Color Shift From Below
32°
Color Shift From Above
41°
Brightness Loss From Below
24°
Brightness Loss From Above
26°
Black Level Raise From Below
45°
Black Level Raise From Above
45°
Gamma Shift From Below
23°
Gamma Shift From Above
25°

The display's vertical viewing angle is passable. Like the horizontal viewing angle, the image dims and washes when viewing from above and below, so you need to look at the screen more or less straight on to see an accurate image, which can be challenging in tight places where you don't have much room to tilt the screen, like on a bus or airplane.

6.9
Display
Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy
Avg. White Balance dE
2.64
Avg. Gamma
2.19
Avg. Color dE
4.41
Avg. Color Temperature
6,483.5 K

The display's accuracy is okay out of the box. The white balance is great, but many colors are visibly off due to the display's narrow color gamut, especially the primary colors. The gamma doesn't follow the curve at all; dark scenes are too dark, and bright scenes are too bright.

4.5
Display
Color Gamut
sRGB xy
69.74%
sRGB uv
57.05%
Adobe RGB xy
52%
Adobe RGB uv
49.65%
DCI P3 xy
51.67%
DCI P3 uv
46.03%
Rec. 2020 xy
37.1%
Rec. 2020 uv
33.62%

The display's color gamut is bad. It doesn't have full coverage of the commonly used sRGB color space, meaning most content will look slightly washed out. This panel isn't ideal for color-critical work like photo and video editing. The touch-sensitive display has the same color gamut.

10
Display
Flicker
Flicker-Free
Yes
Flicker Frequency
No Flicker
Flicker Active Below
0%

The display is entirely flicker-free, which helps reduce eye strain.

Interface
6.3
Interface
Keyboard
Typing Quality
7.5
Numpad
No
Backlighting
No
Operating Force
66 gf
Actuation Force
33 gf
Pre-Travel
1.05 mm
Total Travel
1.69 mm

The Acer Chromebook Plus 515's keyboard is passable. The layout feels spacious and is easy to get used to. Key stability is okay, though the keycaps feel cheap. The overall typing experience is good; the keys have a good amount of travel and don't require much force to actuate, but they're a tad mushy, partly due to the amount of flex on the keyboard deck. Unfortunately, there's no backlighting, which isn't ideal if you like working in the dark.

7.7
Interface
Touchpad
Tracking Quality
7.5
Size
16.2 in² (104.3 cm²)
Material
Plastic
Dedicated Buttons
No

The Acer Chromebook Plus 515 has a good touchpad. It's relatively large and feels smooth. It tracks all movements and gestures well, though the edges don't feel quite as responsive as the center. There's no issue with palm rejection. The buttons feel tactile, but you can only click in the bottom half of the touchpad. Acer advertises this touchpad material as 'OceanGlass', which is just recycled plastic.

6.8
Interface
Speakers
Max Volume
79 dB SPL
Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
7.1 dB
Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB)
1.4
Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.)
354 Hz
Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.)
14 kHz
Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol.
2.0 dB

The speakers get reasonably loud and don't distort at high volume levels. They sound clear but slightly unnatural, with almost no bass whatsoever.

8.3
Interface
Webcam & Microphone
Video Quality
8.0
Resolution
1080p
Position
Top Center
Privacy Cover
Yes
Face Unlock
No

The webcam is great. The image looks sharp and reasonably detailed, but it's slightly overexposed. Also, some colors don't look quite true to life. Voices sound loud and clear, albeit a bit nasal. The privacy cover is only a physical barrier; it doesn't disable the camera at the software level.

Connectivity
6.5
Connectivity
Ports
USB-A Ports
1
USB-C Ports
2
Thunderbolt
No
USB-C Charging
Yes
USB-C Display Out
Yes
HDMI
1.4
DisplayPort
No
3.5mm Jack
Combo mic/headphone
Card Reader
No
Ethernet
No
Proprietary Port
No
Security Lock
Yes

The Acer Chromebook Plus 515's port selection is okay. The USB-A port supports USB 3.2 Gen 1 data transfer speed of up to 5Gbps. The USB-Cs also support USB 3.2 Gen 1 data transfer speed, as well as charging and DisplayPort.

Connectivity
Wireless Communication
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Bluetooth
5.1

The wireless adapter is an Intel AX211NGW. Wi-Fi 6E has faster speeds, lower latency, and less signal interference than previous Wi-Fi standards. However, you need a router that supports Wi-Fi 6E to benefit from these features.

Configuration
Configuration
CPU
Brand
Intel
Model
Core i3-1215U
Core Count
6
Thread Count
8

The Acer Chromebook Plus 515 is available with the following CPUs:

  • Intel Core i3-1215U (6 cores/8 threads, up to 4.4 GHz, 10MB cache)
  • Intel Core i5-1235U (10 cores/12 threads, up to 4.4 GHz, 12MB cache)
  • Intel Core i3-1315U (6 cores/8 threads, up to 4.5 GHz, 10MB cache)
  • Intel Core i5-1335U (10 cores/12 threads, up to 4.6 GHz, 12MB cache)
  • Intel Core i7-1355U (10 cores/12 threads, up to 5.0 GHz, 12MB cache)

All five are low-power processors designed for general productivity tasks like text processing, web browsing, and video playback, not demanding workloads like video editing or gaming. Intel's 12th and 13th Gen CPUs have a similar hybrid design with a mix of performance and efficiency cores. The core count remains the same between 12th and 13th Gen; the Core i3s have two performance and four efficiency cores, while the Core i5s and i7 have two and eight, respectively. The Core i3s are more than adequate for people with a light workload, as Chrome OS runs well on low-end hardware. The i5 and i7 will provide a snappier experience and give you more headroom for heavier multitasking and intensive applications. The difference between Intel's 12th and 13th Gen processors is very small; the 13th Gen CPUs are faster, though the difference is hard to notice in regular use.

Configuration
GPU
Brand
Intel
Model
UHD Graphics
Dedicated/Integrated
Integrated
VRAM Size
N/A

The Acer Chromebook Plus 515 is only available with integrated graphics. The Core i3 has Intel UHD graphics, while the Core i5 and i7 have Intel Iris Xe. These GPUs can only handle light productivity tasks. You can play some games from the Google Play Store, but you may need to play with low settings for smooth gameplay.

Configuration
RAM
Capacity
8 GB
Modules
2 (Soldered)
Type
LP-DDR5x
Speed
N/A

You can configure this laptop with 8GB or 16GB of RAM. The memory isn't user-replaceable.

Configuration
Storage
Advertised Capacity
128 GB
Usable Capacity
100 GB
Drive 1
SanDisk SDINFD04-128G
Drive 1 Type UFS
Drive 2
No 2nd Drive
Drive 2 Type No 2nd Drive

You can configure this laptop with 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB of storage. The 128GB model uses a soldered UFS (Universal Flash Storage) drive, while the 256GB and 512GB models have a user-replaceable M.2 PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD.

Performance
7.4
Performance
Geekbench 5 (Synthetics)
CPU Single-Thread
1,419 points
CPU Multi-Thread
4,807 points
GPU Compute
7,552 points

The Acer Chromebook Plus 515's overall score in Geekbench 5 is decent. The Core i3-1215U has good single-thread performance, but its multi-thread performance is on the lower side as it only has six cores. That said, this level of performance is more than enough to handle almost anything you'd need to do on a Chromebook. If you're a heavy multitasker or run more intensive, multi-threaded applications, getting a Core i5 or i7 model is best, as they have more cores to provide a smoother experience. As for GPU computing tasks, the integrated graphics processor performs poorly and isn't suitable for demanding workloads.

not tested
Performance
Cinebench R23 (CPU Rendering)
Single-Thread
N/A
Multi-Thread
N/A

Cinebench R23 doesn't run on Chrome OS.

5.9
Performance
Blender (3D Rendering)
CPU Render Time
7.6 min
GPU Render Time
N/A
GPU Render Time (Optix)
N/A

The Acer Chromebook Plus 515 performs poorly in Blender. The CPU is slow to render 3D images, and GPU rendering isn't supported. If you need to render images, it's best to get a Windows laptop with a discrete GPU or a MacBook Pro with Apple silicon, like the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023).

4.3
Performance
Basemark GPU (Game Scene)
Overall Score
11,691

The Intel Core i3-1215U's integrated GPU performs poorly in the Basemark GPU benchmark, as it's a low-power graphics processor designed for light productivity tasks. You can play some mobile games from the Google Play Store, but you may have to play with low settings to get smooth gameplay. Even then, performance can vary depending on the game because most games from the Google Play Store are designed for Android smartphones and tablets with an ARM processor, so some may not run properly or lack keyboard, mouse, and controller support. The Core i5 and i7's Iris Xe iGPU is faster than the Core i3's and will provide a better gaming experience with higher frame rates. There's no difference in performance graphics-wise between the 12th and 13th Gen CPUs.

4.3
Performance
Storage Drive Performance
Sequential Write Speed
152.7 MB/s
Sequential Read Speed
461.6 MB/s
Random Write Speed
1.6 MB/s
Random Read Speed
6.9 MB/s

The 256GB UFS drive performs poorly. Its sequential read speed is passable, so the system still boots up and launches apps relatively quickly; however, its slow write speeds mean it'll take a long time to write anything to the drive. The 256GB and 512GB PCIe Gen 4 SSDs are likely much faster.

6.9
Performance
Battery
Capacity
53 Wh
Battery Life (Web Browsing)
8.7 hrs
Battery Life (Video Playback)
5.2 hrs
Battery Life (Gaming)
2.2 hrs
Charge Time
2.2 hrs

The Acer Chromebook Plus 515's battery life is okay. You can get through a typical 8-hour day on a full charge, but just barely, so you might have to plug it in for a short time, depending on your usage. That said, an 8-hour battery life is low for a Chromebook, as Chrome OS devices typically last much longer. Check out the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 (2023) if you want a similar laptop with longer battery life. Or, if you're interested in a 2-in-1 convertible Chromebook with better battery life, consider the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 (2024).

0
Performance
Borderlands 3
Avg. FPS
N/A
1% Low
N/A
0.1% Low
N/A
1% Low Delta
N/A
0.1% Low Delta
N/A
Avg. FPS On Very Low
N/A

Borderlands 3 doesn't run on Chrome OS. This laptop's integrated graphics can't handle such a demanding game, anyway.

0
Performance
Civilization VI
Avg. FPS
N/A
1% Low
N/A
0.1% Low
N/A
1% Low Delta
N/A
0.1% Low Delta
N/A
Avg. FPS On Minimum
N/A
Avg. Turn Time
N/A

Civilization VI doesn't run on Chrome OS.

0
Performance
Counter-Strike 2
Avg. FPS
N/A
1% Low
N/A
0.1% Low
N/A
1% Low Delta
N/A
0.1% Low Delta
N/A
Avg. FPS On Low
N/A

Counter-Strike 2 doesn't run on Chrome OS.

0
Performance
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
Avg. FPS
N/A
1% Low
N/A
0.1% Low
N/A
1% Low Delta
N/A
0.1% Low Delta
N/A
Avg. FPS On Lowest
N/A

Shadow of the Tomb Raider doesn't run on Chrome OS.

8.8
Performance
Thermals And Noise
Keyboard Temp While Idle
31 °C (87 °F)
Keyboard Temp Under Load
38 °C (101 °F)
Fan Noise While Idle
25.0 dBA
Fan Noise Under Load
34.0 dBA
Power & Fan Control App
No

The Acer Chromebook Plus 515's keyboard is relatively cool when idle and only gets mildly warm under load. The fan is audible at full speed, but it's barely a whisper and isn't distracting.

not tested
Performance
Performance Over Time
CPU Temp (Cinebench)
N/A
CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench)
N/A
GPU Temp (Heaven)
N/A
GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven)
N/A

We can't test the performance over time because UNIGINE Heaven and Cinebench R23 aren't compatible with Chrome OS. There's likely some thermal throttling on the CPU and GPU, as this is a relatively compact laptop with a single fan.

Additional Features And Software
Additional Features And Software
Software
Operating System
Chrome OS
Additional Software
Yes

The Acer Chromebook Plus 515 runs on the 64-bit version of Chrome OS. Every Chromebook has an 'expiration date' at which it stops receiving software updates, and according to Google's official document, the 515's end-of-life is June 2032. Google may extend this date as they have for other Chromebooks; it's best to check their official document for any changes.

Additional Features And Software
Extra Features
RGB Illumination
No
Touch Pen
No
Secondary Display
No
Biometrics
No