15.6" Full HD IPS Display, AMD Ryzen 7 3700U, RX Vega 10 Graphics, 8GB DDR4, 512GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Windows 10 Home, A515-43-R6DE
Professionals
👉Below average webcam
👉Nasty bloatware is pre-installed
👉Using the touchpad is a little trickier
Disadvantages
👉Cheap price
👉Nice keyboard
👉Good selection of ports
Our judgment
With its low price, decent performance and solid construction, the Acer Aspire 5 is a good budget option for most people.
Are you looking for a laptop with Windows? Don't want to spend more than $ 500? Then the Acer Aspire laptop is probably at the top of your list. Aspire laptops have always been at the top of Amazon's best-selling laptops, with some models as low as $ 369.99. The model we are testing for this review is the best of both worlds. It is reasonably priced and gives good performance.
Enter the Acer Aspire 5. This notebook is equipped with an Intel Core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM and is one of the best in the Aspire range. But that doesn't mean it's expensive. Its suggested retail price is $ 499.99 and sometimes sells for only $ 479.99. A Windows laptop with a new Core i5 processor for less than $ 499.99 can actually look pretty good. Acer is definitely sacrificing to achieve this goal. However, the Aspire 5 is a decent and fun laptop.
Details and features Acer Aspire 5 A514-54-501Z
Acer Aspire 5 is paired with Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor with 8 GB RAM and PCIe SSD. Buyers interested in graphics performance should be aware that the Core i5-1135G7 includes Intel Iris Xe graphics with 80 output units and a maximum clock speed of 1.3 GHz. It's not the fastest integrated graphics card from Intel, but it's a huge leap over the Intel UHD graphics you'll find on most 10th generation Intel Core hardware.
👉CPU: Intel Core i5-1135G7
👉Memory: 8GB
👉Graphics / GPU: Intel Iris Xe
👉Display: 14-inch 1080p LCD
👉Storage: 256GB PCIe SSD
👉Webcam: 720p
👉Connectivity: 2x USB 3.2 Type-A, 1x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C (data only), 1x Ethernet, 1x HDMI 1.4, 1x 3.5mm combo audio, 1x DC-in connector
👉Network: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5
👉Biometrics: None
👉Battery capacity: 53 watt hours
👉Dimensions: 0.71 x 8.88 x 12.9 inches
👉Weight: 3.75 kg
As already mentioned, Acer supplies hardware at the lowest prices. A quick tour of Amazon shows that alternatives from HP, Lenovo and Dell are often more expensive, with most base models ranging between $ 499 and $ 599. Acer has an advantage over cheap shoppers, but does it remain under control?
The Acer Aspire 5 is what you get when you show up at Jo-Anne Fabrics and order a 14-inch laptop. They roll up, cut, roll back and give you in a tall paper bag. It's up to you to iron out all the wrinkles when you get them home.
What the laptop lacks in taste is forgiven for its strong and robust feel. I even admit that the laptop has one thing in common with the potential moderator of The Bachelorette: it's generic, yes, but of course cool. Silver-black edging for business and black keys look attractive. Well, there's one weird one. The display cover is slightly more bronze than the rest of the laptop. In reality, this is not obvious, although the difference is obvious in the pictures.
The notebook comes in 0.71 inches and 3.75 pounds thick. It's not light, but it fits easily in most laptop bags and is light enough for you to forget you're wearing it. The power adapter is small and fits in a small backpack, bag or handbag.
The Acer Aspire 5 has a nice keyboard. The layout of the keys is wide and the individual key path is important. The key feeling is a bit vague, but it's not bad enough to ruin the experience. I spent a lot of time writing and found it to be fast, accurate and fun. At least as long as the lights are on.
The keyboard has no backlight. Its price is usually not $ 500, but it is still worth mentioning because it makes it difficult to use a laptop in a dark room.
The touchpad surface, which measures about 4.25 inches wide and 2.5 inches deep, is typical of laptops in this price range, but is tight next to more expensive machines with larger touchpads. Windows multi-touch actions, such as using a five-finger clip to minimize open windows, can be difficult to use due to lack of space. His face felt like a palm rest, so my fingers kept searching for him.
The Acer Aspire 5 is most enjoyable when mounted on a desktop with an external mouse attached. This will allow you to enjoy the hard keyboard and ignore the missing touchpad.
Acer Aspire 5 includes a 14-inch display with 1080p resolution and a matte layer. It is basic, but not unusual, because it is once better and worse than expected. Let's start with the wrong one. The display has a limited base color and reaches only 64 percent of the sRGB scale. Color accuracy is slightly worse than usual, although not terrible. Narrow color and medium accuracy dampened the enthusiasm of the display.
The unsatisfactory color display is associated with a strong contrast ratio of up to 1300: 1, which is respectable for a cheap laptop. Good lighting, measures up to 290 rivets. This is high enough to make the matte display usable with almost any interior lighting.
Don't forget the 1080p display resolution. This may be standard for enthusiasts, but affordable customers will often find that they receive laptops with a low 1366 x 768 display. Thanks to the 1080p combination, the Aspire 5 is easy to use and provides sharp and sharp text. A pair of down-facing speakers delivers sound to the laptop. They are loud at maximum volume and focused on a clean, fresh midrange. Speakers are a great combination for podcasts, YouTube and some streaming because the dialogues are always visible. Maximum volume can compete with mild ambient noise, such as a large fan or office HVAC system.
The Acer Aspire 5 has a standard 720p webcam and microphone. Both have worked well for most zoom calls, but have never been so impressive. Those who hope to look fresh on video conferencing should have the budget for a decent external webcam.
Good News? The top of the Aspire 5 is strong, so most external webcams can land on it without hindrance. The notebook also does not overturn a heavy webcam, such as the Dell Ultrasharp 4K, which is included. The Acer Aspire 5 uses its thick frame to provide space for multiple connections from the old school. There are a total of three USB Type-A ports (two USB 3.2 and one USB 2.0), USB 3.2 Type-C with bandwidth support up to 5 Gbps, HDMI, Ethernet and a 3.5 mm combo audio jack. The connection can be ideal for most buyers. Anyone looking for a cheap laptop is likely to use devices that require USB-A and HDMI connections.
Wireless is a common combination of Wi-Fi 6 with Bluetooth, both provided by MediaTek's MT7921 wireless LAN card. The Wi-Fi display is reliable in my house. I have no problem connecting the Bluetooth mouse and headphones.
