Affordable price and overall good performance are what Acer laptops are known for. This article throws light on one such device, the Acer Aspire 5 that can be called the updated version of their famous Aspire E15-575 series. It is a 15.6-inch slim laptop with a price, ranges between $450 and $700 depending upon the upgradable storage. It comes with Intel Core U hardware platforms, OI, good battery life, easy to type keyboard, surprisingly good audio, lots of ports, and a good-enough screen. However, talking about cut corners, slow Wi-Fi connections, plastic build, and lack of a backlit keyboard can be listed. But these above-mentioned cut corners do not make the deal sour. Luckily, devices like the mentioned above are not only within the budget, but they are also a pendulum between price and performance. That is why, if you wish to have something affordable and future-proof, This is a great example that offers good performance and the latest ingredients. Moreover, armed with updated components, this model satisfies day-to-day computing needs and students participating in in-person and remote learning.
However, as even affordable and best deals have faults, this Acer model has shortcomings such as subpar battery life and average performance that slip it from bests. But if someone is searching for a moderately priced laptop with a transition option, this model will tick all the boxes.
Performance:
As far as its performance is concerned, with its upgradeable storage, is a workhouse that suits your daily school work, documents, YouTube breaks, and emails. Unfortunately, in Geekbench 5.0 and the overall performance benchmark, this laptop scored lower than mainstream laptop averages such as that of the Asus VivoBook and the Lenovo Yoga C740. Moreover, Its speed was 369.4 megabytes per second in the File Transfer Test, which is lower than the Lenovo Yoga C740 and the VivoBook. Furthermore, its Intel integrated GPU is not recommendable for intense gaming. Surprisingly, It comes with the same configurations as Lenovo’s premium Yoga C930, but the latter has a double price, the memory of the former is increasable. It also offers a 48Wh 3-cell Li-ion battery with 8 hours of battery life. However, when tested on the Laptop Mag Battery Test, its battery lasted for about 7 hours that is not par with the Yoga C740 and the VivoBook.
Display:
Its 15.6 inch full HD IPS display with 1920*1080 pixel display has brightness with good color saturation. The matte finish and looking off-angle make one realize its nicely rendered colors. Watching something gives you a profound visual experience. However, the Aspire 5 in the RGB color gamut was equal to the Asus VivoBook and lower than the Lenovo Yoga C740. Moreover, its display with an average of 258 nits of brightness than the Yoga C740 and the VivoBook.
Design:
Coming to its design, Its look makes it pleasing to the eye. Its sleek and thin style does not make it overly flashy. Although its design does not make it your first choice, yet it is tolerable. However, its super-smooth surface makes it difficult to open. Opening it introduces you to a pleasing and subtle design. The minimal black bezel that surrounds the display is the first thing that gets your attention. Next, its full backlit Chiclet-style keyboard above the touchpad adds more style to this laptop.
Furthermore, it comes with a fingerprint scanner that is compatible with Windows Hello. Having this fingerprint allows you to lock and unlock the laptop using your fingertip. However, a shortcoming in its design is that it lacks a camera shutter to provide user privacy. Comparing its design and weight with the Lenovo Yoga C740 and the Asus VivoBook S15 makes it slightly larger and heavier than the former and lighter than the latter. Around the sides, you will find plenty of ports. While there are a microSD card reader and a Kensington lock, you will also find the following ports:
- HDMI output
- Two USB 3.0 ports and a USB 2.0 port
- Combo headphone-mic jack
- Gigabit Ethernet
Keyboard and Touchpad:
As far as its keyboard is concerned, Its full-sized keyboard, though sporting and highly responsive, is not very clicky. Its smooth surface makes it comfortable at performing Windows 10 gestures such as three-finger taps and two-finger swipes.
The large keyboard and touchpad lie at the bottom half of the model. Its plastic surface has a brushed finish. However, it is not as premium as aluminum, but still quite good and pleasant. It is very much responsive to fingerprints. Moreover, the decent size of the keyboard makes typing comfortable for an extended period. Unfortunately, its flat keys and short travel distance are cut corners we find in its keyboard. Coming to the touchpad that lies at the left of the center of the chassis, its large size ensures multi-finger gestures easy and comfortable. Like a keyboard, its plastic touchpad has a cheap feel to it when pushed. Unluckily, except keyboard and touchpad, the Acer Aspire 5 avoids that.
Specifications:
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1.60Hz Intel Core i5 8250U |
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Intel Kaby Lake Core i7-7500U CPU |
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802.11ac Wi-Fi; Bluetooth 4.1 |
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Decree:
Calling the Acer Aspire 5 a game-changer would be wrong. Its low-spirited design is hardly noticeable. Moreover, its performance due to the Core i5 processor and integrated graphics is not excellent. But in doing your day-to-day computing, it gets the job done well.