Acer Chromebook 516 GE review: A cloud gaming powerhouse

At a glance

Expert's Rating

Pros

• Attractive and rigid design
• Excellent CPU performance
• Plenty of wired and wireless connectivity
• High resolution 1600p display

Cons

• Mediocre keyboard and touchpad
• Disappointing speakers, microphone
• Display falls behind in contrast, color vibrancy

Our Verdict

Fast, handsome, and affordably priced, the Chromebook 516 GE is a great do-it-all laptop that’s also ideal for cloud gaming.

Gaming Chromebooks feel like a concept that should have died with Google Stadia, but they’ve persevered. That makes more sense than it seems. Stadia is gone but its competitors, like Nvidia GeForce Now, PlayStation Now, and Xbox Game Cloud, are thriving, and they all work well on Chrome OS. They make the 516 GE a viable gaming machine and, despite a few imperfections, it’s also a pleasant laptop for casual use and office productivity.

Looking for more options? Check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best Chromebooks.

Acer Chromebook 516 GE: Specs and features

The star of the show is the Core i5-1240P processor. Although it’s now a couple of generations old, it has 12 processor cores and a maximum clock speed of up to 4.4 GHz. It’s paired with a reasonable 8GB of RAM and a 256 GB solid-state drive. 

• CPU: Intel Core i5-1240P
• Memory: 8GB LPDDR4x 
• Graphics/GPU: Intel Xe Integrated
• Display: 16-inch 2560×1600 120Hz LED
• Storage: 256GB 
• Webcam: 1080p
• Connectivity: 2x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 with DisplayPort and Power Delivery, 1x HDMI, 1x Ethernet, 1x 3.5mm combo audio
• Networking: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
• Biometrics: None
• Battery capacity: 65 watt-hours
• Dimensions: 14.0 x 9.8 x .84 inches
• Weight: 3.75 pounds
• MSRP: $649.99

The 516 GE, with an MSRP of $650, is towards the high end of Chromebook pricing but remains affordable. This is the only configuration Acer currently offers. 

Acer Chromebook 516 GE: Design and build quality

IDG / Matthew Smith

IDG / Matthew Smith

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    </div></figure><p class="imageCredit">IDG / Matthew Smith</p></div>

My first thought when I unboxed the Acer Chromebook 516 GE was, “Wow, this feels old-school.” Chromebooks are typically associated with portable, lightweight, and inexpensive systems, but the 516 GE is a beefy laptop with a 16-inch display. It’s also far from the slimmest laptop at 0.84 inches thick, and it measures 14 inches wide. Weight deviates from the script, though: at just 3.75 pounds, the 516 GE is light for its size.

It all makes for a laptop that feels a bit outdated, but there are benefits to this design. The most obvious is the build quality. Though it retails for $650 and can at times be found for quite a bit less than that, the 516 GE is solid. The chassis is rigid and even the display lid allows little flex when the laptop is opened and closed.

I also think it’s a handsome laptop despite its old-school vibe. I like the shade of gray chosen for the laptop, and the materials used have a nice metallic luster. I also enjoy the subtle matte stripe that adorns the display lid, giving the laptop a slight flourish without looking garish. 

Acer Chromebook 516 GE: Keyboard, trackpad

IDG / Matthew Smith

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    </div></figure><p class="imageCredit">IDG / Matthew Smith</p></div>

The Acer Chromebook 516 GE has a spacious keyboard without a numpad. Ditching the numpad means Acer can keep the keyboard aligned with the center of the laptop and provides plenty of space around and below the keyboard to make it comfortable. I usually prefer this design, and it feels especially good on a Chromebook, as the operating system’s focus on the web browser makes the numpad less necessary.

Key feel, however, is merely OK. Each key provides a reasonable amount of travel and activates with a thunk, but key action is soft and lacks a pleasant, tactile snap. It’s also quiet, which some people may like, but I prefer more audible feedback from a keyboard. It’s a serviceable and comfortable keyboard but average on the whole.

The same is true of the touchpad, which measures about 5 inches wide and 3 inches deep. That’s enough room to navigate Chrome OS and to activate multitouch gestures, but it’s not a large touchpad for a modern 16-inch laptop. I do appreciate the well-defined border around the touchpad, which made it clear when my fingers had reached the edge of its limited surface.

Acer Chromebook 516 GE: Display, audio

IDG / Matthew Smith

            <div class="lightbox-image-container foundry-lightbox"><div class="extendedBlock-wrapper block-coreImage undefined"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large enlarged-image"><img decoding="async" data-wp-bind--src="selectors.core.image.enlargedImgSrc" data-wp-style--object-fit="selectors.core.image.lightboxObjectFit" src="" alt="Acer Chromebook 516 GE display" class="wp-image-2290668" width="1200" height="800" loading="lazy" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"> </figcaption></figure><p class="imageCredit">IDG / Matthew Smith</p></div>