Acer Chromebook Plus 516 (CB516-1HT-50K1) AZERTY

This is my first Chromebook, and I must say I am pleasantly surprised. I have always had Acer laptops, so it was mainly interesting to see how I liked ChromeOS.

The laptop looks nice. I find the silver-gray color very chic, and the screen is large and bright. That is especially pleasant for movies, series, and working on documents. Despite its size, the Chromebook is also quite light.

Personally, I do find it a bit large for daily use on the couch. My Acer Swift 3 was more compact, making it easier to carry around and use on my lap. This Chromebook can also get quite warm during prolonged use on my lap.

The battery life, on the other hand, is fantastic. Depending on my usage, it lasts me 2 to 3 days. I also find the sound an improvement compared to my previous Acer.

One of my favorite features is Gemini. I used to use ChatGPT a lot, but Gemini is at least as user-friendly. Because it is nicely integrated into the Chromebook, I find it easy to reach for. What I like less is that Word is only available online and that downloading files feels a bit more cumbersome and slower. I also couldn't manage to connect my Bluetooth headphones, whereas they do work with my iPhone and previous Acer.

After a few weeks of intensive use, I am completely won over. Windows updates and hassle are a thing of the past; this Chromebook does exactly what it is supposed to do: work smoothly in the cloud. For this price, you won't find another laptop with such specs and a lightning-fast i3 processor.

Pros explained:

Gemini AI integration: Gemini helps me enormously in Google Drive, Docs, and Gmail. Whether it involves summarizing documents or finding that one invoice in my email lightning fast, it saves me so much time.

Always online, even on the train: Is the Wi-Fi on the go (or on the train) a disaster again? No stress. Thanks to the 'Phonehub', I seamlessly switch to my phone's 5G connection.

Speed: This thing is perfect for work and personal use. Everything runs smoothly in the browser, from Excel to Canva. Point to consider:

The numpad: While handy in itself if you work with numbers a lot, if you have a fixed home office like me with a separate keyboard, it makes the laptop a bit large and unwieldy. Because of this, it didn't fit on my laptop stand – so keep this in mind if you also use a fixed setup.

It is a very nice device. The advantage of the Chromebook is that it is very fast. This is because the intention is that a lot of work is done online, mainly via Google Drive. It also features integration with Gemini. This makes it very easy to use. However, all apps must be installed via the Google Play Store. So, the usage is different. Fortunately, there are many apps in the store! The device is also very light and installation is very fast. The keyboard is also nice to type on. In short, a very nice device if you have to do a lot online!