Most people out there usually look for either high-end laptops or the most budget-friendly ones. However, that somehow makes them overlook some of the best available options at mid-range prices, like the Acer Aspire 5. Frankly speaking, we have been using and testing this laptop for quite a while now, and it has impressed us pretty well.
If you want to explore more about this laptop, and want to know how it actually performs, we recommend you read this article until the end.
In this review, we will be going through all the essential aspects such as build quality, connectivity options, performance, etc. Just so that you can get a decent idea of how this laptop will perform in your hands.
So, without wasting time anymore, let’s take a quick glance at the key specifications of the Acer Aspire 5.
Key Specifications:
PROS
- Affordable Pricing
- Decent Performance while gaming
- Does not heat too much
- Commendable Battery life
CONS
- Touchpad placement is odd
- Touchpad clicks are not satisfying
- Not very lightweight
Design:
People would hardly buy any laptop which doesn’t look visually appealing, and Acer knows it pretty well. Thus, the Acer Aspire laptop is designed to impress! You will definitely fall in love with its 0.7” slim design, especially because of the Aluminium casing which is the main reason why this laptop feels so solid.
As soon as you open up the lid, you will notice the visually stunning thin-bezels offering an 85% screen-to-body ratio. The best part? We personally like the elevated hinge design of this laptop as it inclines up to 130-degrees, and elevates the laptop at the same time.
This is one big reason which helped Acer to improve the heat management, as well as provide a comfortable typing experience to the users. Moreover, when the base is elevated, the underlying speakers sound even better!
Connectivity
Although the laptop is completely usable without the need for any attachments. Still, having the necessary connectivity ports is a critical element to have on any laptop. Well, in the case of this laptop here, Acer didn’t miss a single thing to include which is quite impressive, especially considering its price point.
On the left side of this hefty machine, there are plenty of ports such as an Ethernet port, HDMI port with HDCP support, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Ports, and a USB 3.2 Type-C Gen 1 port, and the charging port as well. Whereas, the right side of the laptop is not much crowded as you will only find a single USB 2.0 port along with a Kensington lock and a headphone/mic combo.
On the left side of this hefty machine, there are plenty of ports such as an Ethernet port, HDMI port with HDCP support, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Ports, and a USB 3.2 Type-C Gen 1 port, and the charging port as well. Whereas, the right side of the laptop is not much crowded as you will only find a single USB 2.0 port along with a Kensington lock and a headphone/mic combo.
Mentioning the Wireless connectivity options, it boasts Intel Wireless AX201 802.11ax Dual-Band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) WiFi 6, with 2×2 MU-MIMO technology support that makes it reach up to max speeds up to 2.4Gbps. And, not to forget, it does have Bluetooth 5.1 as well.
Display
Remember we mentioned the attractive 85% screen-to-body ratio, this laptop offers you plenty of screen space to handle multitasking like a pro! With its 15.6” Full HD (1920x1080p) display, we don’t think you will find any flaws in its display. While we compare it to the competition, there are hardly any good laptops out there that offer an IPS Widescreen LED-backlit Display like the Acer Aspire 5.
Combining such a beautiful display with Acer Color Intelligence, you can consider it one of the best-looking displays out there. However, the refresh rate of the display is just about 60Hz, quite average, right? But, the fact is that this laptop is not primarily designed for gaming, so that didn’t bother us much, and neither should it bother you.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The typing experience is one of the most crucial factors to consider, especially if you are a student or spend almost 6-8 hours a day working in the office. Well, we have tested it that way, and the LED-backlit chiclet keyboard didn’t fail to impress us here either. Each and every key-stroke feels pretty tactile and gives an overall amazing typing experience.
Even if you type fast on this keyboard, all the clicks are registered nicely and accurately. In fact, a pretty little detail to notice is that the power button on the keyboard has an embedded fingerprint sensor that allows you fairly quick access.
On the other hand, we didn’t feel the same for the touchpad though. Personally, we didn’t like the touchpad placement as it comes in the way where the hands usually rest. So, that might result in misclicking sometimes. However, that’s not a deal-breaker at all since you will get used to the design after a few days of usage
Processor and Graphics performance
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room! The performance of this laptop is the biggest reason why you would consider this over other laptops. In terms of hardware components, Acer has loaded it with all the latest ones, including an Intel Core i5-1135G7 Processor. This processor offers max boost clock speeds up to 4.2GHz, which is considerably way more than older processors.
Not just that, there are 4 cores and 8 threads along with an 8 MB Intel Smart Cache. Hence, you can comfortably use this laptop for multitasking and run heavy software without a fuss. On the other hand, the Aspire 5 boasts Intel Iris Xe Graphics which can run games but promising a smooth experience would be slightly tough. But, running basic graphics-intensive tasks like word processing, or using software like PhotoShop is no big deal for this laptop, you will surely have a comfortable experience.
Storage and RAM
Laptop components are generally not upgradeable, but, when it comes to RAM and storage, there’s some room. This laptop comes equipped with 256GB NVMe SSD which undoubtedly offers commendable boot timings and read/write speeds. But, in case you feel like the laptop is running out of storage, you can use the additional hard drive bay to expand the overall storage capacity.
Speaking of the RAM, primarily this laptop features 8GB DDR4 Memory onboard, which is quite decent for most tasks. Still, if you have more RAM requirements, it is expandable up to 20GBs.
Battery Life
One of the most impressive things about this laptop is surely its battery life. The brand actually claims it lasts for about 8.5 hours. But, if you use this laptop optimally on low-power usage settings, this will fairly last for a few hours more.
Hence, if you usually carry your laptop to college or office, you won’t need the charger between the work hours if it’s fully charged already.
Overall Thoughts about the Acer Aspire 5 Laptop
Wrapping up, looking at all the features and specifications offered by this laptop, we are actually impressed, and you should too! For such an attractive price point, the competition for this kind of laptop is barely there. Comprising the latest 11th gen 2.4GHz processor, Iris Xe Graphics, and a stunningly fast WiFi 6 technology, this laptop is a perfect fit for any average user out there to provide a comfortable computing experience at all times.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.