Acer Debuts Chromebook Designed To Be Recycled & Repairable For Longer Life
Image via Acer
Not all consumer tech products these days are built to last. Not only that, when they’re at their last legs of useful life, you’ll probably hide them in a drawer, never to take them out again.
Acer’s first Chrome OS-powered laptop is designed to help break the unrelenting cycle of electronic waste. Like the other notebooks in the brand’s environmentally-friendly Vero range, the Chromebook Vero 514 is made with sustainability in mind—not just in terms of recycling but also in terms of quality and repairability, which prevent it from being tossed away or neglected too early on.
The laptop’s paint-free chassis and display bezel are constructed out of 30% post-consumer recycled plastic. As for the backlit keyboard and speakers, they contain 50% of post-consumer recycled plastic.
The Chromebook Vero 514’s touchpad surface is wholly built out of ocean-bound plastic, which is plastic found on coastlines, on the verge of entering water bodies. Meanwhile, its 14-inch display is said to be 99% recyclable, making the laptop’s overall environmental impact a mere speck in the grander scheme of things.
Of course, there’s little use in making products eco-conscious if they don’t last. As you go through more gadgets, manufacturers will have to make more to meet this demand—which can’t be good for the environment, either. With that, Acer is ensuring that the Vero 514 is “built to last” with military-grade durability. Being MIL-STD-810H3-verified, the laptop can survive drops of four feet, and not to mention, daily use.
User experience is also key, and the Chromebook hits the mark. The laptop runs on a 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, with 16 GB of LPDDR4x memory and up to 512 GB of ultra-fast M.2 PCle Gen 4x4 NVMe SSD. The device is also said to have a battery life of 10 hours, and it can be charged to 50% within 30 minutes.
Graphic snobs will appreciate that its 1080p display covers 100% of the sRGB color space. The laptop also has two USB-C ports, a single USB-A port, and an HDMI port.
When the Chromebook’s performance eventually wanes, its easily removable bottom cover—attached with standard screws—enables the user to decide what to do with the notebook next. They can simply unscrew the cover for the laptop to be disassembled, repaired, upgraded, or recycled.
Beyond hardware, the laptop is shipped in molded pulp packaging comprising recycled paper, cardboard, and other natural fiber; and its carry bag and keyboard sheet are made from 100% recycled plastic. Further, its inner sleeve doubles as a laptop stand.
The Chromebook Vero 514 is scheduled to launch in the US in October for US$500, before heading to Europe in November.
