The Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE (2024) is a 16-inch cloud gaming Chromebook. It's available with Intel Core CPUs (Raptor Lake refresh - Series 1) up to a Core 7 with integrated graphics, 16GB of RAM, and 2TB of storage. It has a 120Hz QHD+ (2560 x 1600) IPS display, Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity, and a 1080p webcam. This laptop has one USB-A port, two USB-C ports, a headphone jack, an HDMI port, and an Ethernet port. The USB-C ports support video output and charging but not Thunderbolt 4.
See our unit's specifications and the available configuration options in the Differences Between Variants section below.
Our Verdict
The Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE is good for school use. While its 16-inch form factor may make it difficult to fit into some bags, it offers all-day battery life, so you can leave the charger at home. The overall user experience is good. Its large screen gives you plenty of real estate for multitasking, and it's bright enough to use in almost any indoor setting. The keyboard is easy to use, and while the touchpad is good, it's not great; most gestures and inputs are fine, but it often struggles with dragging and dropping files. Finally, while the Intel Core CPUs offer good performance, these laptops are limited by ChromeOS' software compatibility; if you need any specialized software for your courses, make sure to check OS compatibility.
- Bright display.
- All-day battery life.
- Good keyboard.
- Solid build quality.
- Finish prone to scratching.
- Touchpad struggles with dragging and dropping items.
The Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE is not a gaming laptop in the traditional sense. Instead, it's designed for gaming using cloud gaming services like NVIDIA GeForce Now. It has a nice 120Hz display and a comfortable keyboard, and it doesn't get hot or loud under load. It has Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity and an Ethernet port, which is great as cloud gaming performance will depend heavily on your internet connection. However, if you want to game locally, this laptop lacks several features you'd want in a gaming laptop. For example, it's only available with low-power CPUs and integrated graphics, which aren't powerful enough to handle demanding games. You can play some Android-based games (they may not all run properly as they're primarily designed for Android devices) or light puzzle games, but that's it. Also, its IPS panel has a slow response time, causing noticeable ghosting, and there is no VRR to reduce screen tearing.
- Laptop stays quiet and cool under load.
- 120Hz display.
- No VRR support.
- Only available with low power CPUs and integrated graphics.
- Limited to 16GB of RAM.
- No user-replaceable RAM.
- Slow SSD despite using PCIe Gen 4 drives.
The Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE is decent for multimedia consumption. The screen gets bright and offers full coverage of the sRGB color space, so streaming content looks great. Its battery life is also good, so you don't need to worry about keeping the laptop plugged in to enjoy your favorite shows. That being said, the laptop is quite large, so it isn't the best choice for watching videos or streaming content on the go. Finally, while the speakers get loud and have almost no distortion at maximum volume, they lack bass and sound boxy.
- Bright display.
- All-day battery life.
- Speakers sound boxy and lack bass.
The Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE isn't designed as a workstation. While the low-power Intel Core processors offer good performance, they aren't ideal for handling demanding tasks. Additionally, you can only get this laptop with an integrated GPU and a maximum of 16GB of RAM — the memory isn't user-replaceable, further limiting functionality. In addition, many workstation applications aren't compatible with ChromeOS.
- Laptop stays quiet and cool under load.
- Limited to 16GB of RAM.
- No user-replaceable RAM.
- Slow SSD despite using PCIe Gen 4 drives.
The Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE is decent for business use. It offers great performance for general productivity tasks like spreadsheets and word processing. Its keyboard and touchpad are also easy to adapt to and comfortable to use, though the touchpad struggles with dragging and dropping items. Its battery life is great at just under 10 hours of light use on a single charge. The webcam is good, offering a clear image, but the microphone isn't great, though; it has a lot of static and is quiet. Additionally, while the 16-inch display is large and offers additional vertical screen real estate for multitasking, this larger form factor makes it more cumbersome to carry around with you; it may not be to everyone's taste.
- Bright display.
- All-day battery life.
- Good keyboard.
- Poor microphone performance.
- Finish prone to scratching.
- Touchpad struggles with dragging and dropping items.
Changelog
- Updated May 07, 2025: We've updated this review to Test Bench 0.8.3, which removes the viewing angle tests and adds a GPU Total Graphics Power comparison in the GPU section. The Pen Input test in the Extra Features section has also changed, as it now shows whether the laptop supports pen input rather than the inclusion of a stylus in the box. See the changelog for more details.
- Updated Sep 20, 2024: We've corrected a mistake in the Serviceability and Storage sections. The storage drive is user-replaceable; the slot supports M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSDs.
- Updated Sep 18, 2024: Review published.
- Updated Sep 11, 2024: Early access published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE (model number CBG516-2H-59S4) with a QHD+ IPS Display, an Intel Core 5 120U processor, integrated Intel Graphics, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. Our review applies to all versions of the CBG516-2H model. The CPU, memory, and storage are configurable; you can see the options in the table below:
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Check out our unit's label for more information.
Popular Laptop Comparisons
The Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE is a decent Chromebook overall. It has a better display than most Chromebooks on the market because it's designed for gaming, and its battery life is much improved over the previous generation Acer Chromebook 516 GE (2022). That being said, while light and rather thin for a 16-inch gaming laptop, this isn't the most portable Chromebook, and its CPU isn't as powerful as the 2022 model.
For more options, see our recommendations for the best gaming laptops, the best budget and cheap gaming laptops, and the best Chromebooks.
The Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE (2024) and the ASUS Chromebook Vibe CX34 Flip (2023) are very different Chromebooks. The ASUS is a 14-inch 2-in-1 convertible; this smaller form factor makes it more portable. It also has a 144Hz FHD+ display that's faster and brighter than the Acer. That being said, you only get the high refresh rate when the laptop is plugged in; the display is capped at 60Hz when running on battery. The Acer is a larger 16-inch laptop with a sharper QHD+ display. This makes it a better choice for multitasking. Also, its battery life is much better, so despite its size, it's better for on-the-go use.
The Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE (2024) is the newer generation of the Acer Chromebook 516 GE (2022). Overall, these two gaming Chromebooks are very similar. They offer similar user experiences with a bright 120Hz display, a good keyboard, and a decent touchpad. Where the newer Plus model excels is in battery life, as it lasts almost 10 hours on a single charge, making it the better choice for on-the-go use. By contrast, the older Chromebook 516 actually offers better CPU performance overall.
The Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE (2024) and the ASUS Chromebook Plus CX34 (2023) are very different Chromebooks. The ASUS is more portable since it's a smaller 14-inch device and has one more USB-A port. The Acer is a cloud gaming Chromebook and comes with a few nice features in this regard. You get a 120Hz display that's brighter and more color-accurate. It also has much better battery life and a wider port selection, including an Ethernet port to help keep latency in check while gaming.
The Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE (2024) and the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 (2024) are very different. The Spin 714 is a 2-in-1 convertible that's more portable since it's a smaller device. It's the better choice for on-the-go use. The Spin 714 also supports Thunderbolt 4, allowing you to transfer files quickly and connect up to two 4k displays at 60Hz with a single cable. By contrast, the 516 GE has a better and larger display; it's sharper, is brighter, and has a 120Hz refresh rate with a much faster response time. As this Chromebook has cloud gaming in mind, the higher refresh rate will help deliver a smoother gaming experience.
Test Results
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