The Acer Aspire name has always been smart branding, since the series is marketed as a better-than-average choice among budget laptops—a notebook you can afford, but with the features and performance you want. Even though it hasn’t always hit the mark, the company has been able to make good choices for the economy year after year.
The latest Aspire 5 has a processor from Intel’s 12th Generation and enough RAM and storage space. It works pretty well and has a good battery life, but as you might expect, some features are kept simple to keep the price down.
[content-egg-block template=offers_logo hide=price]Specifications
- CPU: Intel Core i5-1135G7
- Memory: 8GB
- Graphics/GPU: Intel Iris Xe
- Display: 14-inch 1080p LCD
- Storage: 256GB PCIe solid state drive
- 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 barrel plug
- Networking: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5
- Biometrics: None
- Battery capacity: 53watt-hour
- Dimensions: 0.71 x 8.88 x 12.9 inches
- Weight: 3.75 pounds
Where to get Acer Aspire 5 A515 laptop?
If you go to Jo-Anne Fabrics and ask for a 14-inch laptop, you’ll get the Acer Aspire 5. They’ll roll it out, cut it, roll it back up, and give it to you in a tall paper bag. When you get it home, it’s up to you to iron out any wrinkles.
The laptop’s lack of style is made up for by the fact that it feels strong and durable. I’ll even say that the laptop is kind of like a potential suitor on The Bachelorette: it’s generic, but it’s also pretty. The silver and black trim looks like it belongs in a business setting, and the black keycaps look nice.
Well, there’s one strange thing. The top of the screen is a slightly darker shade of bronze than the rest of the laptop. In real life, it’s not that clear, but the difference is clear in photos.
The computer weighs 3.75 pounds and is.71 inches thick. It’s not as light as a feather, but it’s small enough to fit in most laptop bags and light enough to make you forget you’re carrying it. The power adapter is small enough to fit into a small pocket on a backpack, messenger bag, or purse.
The silver-gray case is made of both metal (the lid) and plastic (base unit). Acer uses surfaces that are matte and smooth. Even though both the base unit and the lid can be turned a little, there are no signs of poor finishing. When you take off the bottom case, you can get to the screwed-in battery and the other parts inside. There is no mechanical cover for the built-in webcam (0.9 MP, max. 1280 x 720 pixels).
The computer has a USB-C slot and three USB-A ports (one USB 2.0 and two USB 3.2 Gen 1) (USB 3.2 Gen 1). The latter doesn’t support DisplayPort or Power Delivery over USB-C. That means the HDMI connection can only be used for one video output. There is also no memory card reader.