The Acer Aspire 5 has long been a popular option for those seeking a budget-friendly laptop without sacrificing too much on performance or features. Whether you’re a student, a casual user, or a professional on the go, the Aspire 5 has consistently been a solid choice, delivering great value for money. Let’s dive deep into the details to see what this laptop offers in 2024.
Acer Aspire 5 Build Quality
For a budget laptop, the Acer Aspire 5 punches above its weight in terms of design. It sports a sleek aluminum lid, giving it a premium look and feel. However, the chassis itself is made of plastic, which is a common trade-off in this price range. While the plastic body may not feel as premium as some of the higher-end models, it’s sturdy enough for everyday use.
The laptop weighs around 1.8 kg (4 lbs), which isn’t exactly ultrabook territory but is still light enough for portability. Its thickness (around 18mm) also makes it easy to slide into most backpacks without much bulk.
The hinge mechanism allows the screen to tilt back nearly 180 degrees, which adds some flexibility when adjusting viewing angles. Overall, the Aspire 5’s design strikes a good balance between style, sturdiness, and portability, especially for its price.
Pros:
- Sleek aluminum lid gives it a premium look.
- Sturdy build with decent portability.
- Flexible hinge for better viewing angles.
- Full HD resolution offers crisp visuals.
- IPS panel provides good color reproduction and viewing angles.
- Solid performance for everyday tasks.
- Fast SSD storage ensures quick boot times and file access.
- Upgradable RAM for improved multitasking capabilities.
- Solid battery life for the price, up to 9 hours on light tasks.
Cons:
- Plastic body, though expected at this price point.
- Color accuracy may not be sufficient for professional creatives.
- Integrated graphics limit performance in games and demanding creative work.
- Battery drains faster with heavier workloads or high brightness.
Acer Aspire 5 Display
The Acer Aspire 5 comes with a 15.6-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS display, which is quite impressive for a laptop in this category. The IPS panel ensures good viewing angles and solid color reproduction, making it ideal for watching movies, browsing the web, or working on documents.
That said, the display’s brightness leaves something to be desired. With an average brightness of around 250 nits, the screen may struggle in brightly lit environments or outdoors. Indoors, however, it performs just fine for most tasks.
The color accuracy is decent for everyday use, but it may not be ideal for professional photo or video editing. Nonetheless, for the average user, the display is sharp, vibrant, and clear, providing a pleasant visual experience for a wide range of activities.
Performance Reviews of Acer Aspire 5
Performance is one of the strongest aspects of the Acer Aspire 5. It comes with various configurations, but the most popular ones feature either Intel Core i5-1135G7 or AMD Ryzen 5 5500U processors. These processors, combined with 8GB of RAM (expandable to 16GB) and 256GB or 512GB SSD storage, make the Aspire 5 a capable machine for everyday tasks like web browsing, document editing, and multimedia consumption.
For most users, whether you’re a student or a professional working on lighter applications, the performance is more than adequate. Multitasking is handled well, and apps load quickly, thanks to the SSD storage.
While the integrated graphics (Intel Iris Xe or AMD Radeon Vega) won’t handle intensive gaming or heavy video editing, they are suitable for light photo editing, casual gaming, and media consumption.
Battery Life
The battery life on the Acer Aspire 5 is decent for a laptop at this price point. On average, you can expect about 7 to 9 hours of battery life with moderate use. This includes tasks like web browsing, word processing, and streaming media.
However, if you’re running more demanding applications or using the laptop at higher brightness levels, the battery life will dip to around 5 to 6 hours. It’s not groundbreaking, but it’s sufficient for a full day of work or study with moderate usage.
Keyboard and Trackpad
One of the standout features of the Acer Aspire 5 is its backlit keyboard. This feature is usually reserved for more expensive laptops, so it’s great to see it included in a budget machine. The keyboard offers a comfortable typing experience, with well-spaced keys and decent key travel. The keycaps, however, do feel a bit plasticky, but this is a minor trade-off for the price.
The trackpad is large and responsive, though it’s not as precise as you’d find on more expensive models. It’s more than sufficient for general use, but those who require high precision for creative or professional work might prefer using an external mouse.
Acer Aspire 5 Ports
In terms of connectivity, the Acer Aspire 5 doesn’t disappoint. It comes equipped with a variety of ports, including:
- 1x USB-C
- 2x USB-A 3.1
- 1x HDMI
- 1x Ethernet port
- SD card reader
- Headphone/microphone combo jack
The inclusion of a USB-C port is a plus, as many budget laptops still lack this feature. Additionally, the HDMI port allows you to connect to an external display, which is great for presentations or multi-monitor setups.
The Aspire 5 also supports Wi-Fi 6, which is a major advantage for those seeking faster internet speeds and more reliable connectivity. This future-proofs the laptop to some extent, ensuring that it remains relevant in terms of wireless performance for the foreseeable future.
Acer Aspire 5 Audio Quality
The Aspire 5 features stereo speakers positioned at the bottom of the laptop. The audio quality is sufficient for casual listening, but it’s not going to impress audiophiles. The sound is clear enough for video calls, music, and streaming videos, but it lacks depth and bass, which is common in laptops of this price range.
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Here is a comparison table between the Acer Aspire 5 and the Acer Swift Go, highlighting their main features and differences.
| Feature | Acer Aspire 5 | Acer Swift Go |
|---|---|---|
| Design | Plastic chassis with aluminum lid | All-aluminum chassis, premium ultrabook |
| Weight | ~4 lbs (1.8 kg) | ~2.6 lbs (1.2 kg) |
| Display | 15.6″ Full HD (1920 x 1080), IPS | 14″ or 16″ OLED (2880 x 1800 or higher) |
| Brightness | ~250 nits | ~400 nits (OLED models) |
| Processor Options | Intel Core i5-1135G7 / AMD Ryzen 5 5500U | Intel Core i5-1335U / AMD Ryzen 7 7840U |
| Graphics | Intel Iris Xe / AMD Radeon Vega | Intel Iris Xe / AMD Radeon 780M |
| RAM | 8GB (upgradable to 16GB) | 8GB or 16GB LPDDR5 (non-upgradable) |
| Storage | 256GB or 512GB SSD | 512GB or 1TB SSD |
| Battery Life | 7-9 hours (moderate usage) | 10-12 hours (moderate usage) |
| Keyboard | Backlit, full-sized | Backlit, full-sized |
| Port Selection | 1x USB-C, 2x USB-A, 1x HDMI, Ethernet | 2x USB-C (with Thunderbolt 4), 1x USB-A, HDMI |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6 | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Price Range | $500 | $900 |
| Target Audience | Budget users, students, casual users | Professionals, content creators, power users |
| Build Quality | Good for budget, but plastic-heavy | Premium, lightweight, ultra-slim |
Key Differences:
- Build Quality & Design: The Acer Swift Go is more premium with an all-aluminum design, while the Acer Aspire 5 is heavier and uses a mix of plastic and aluminum.
- Display: The Swift Go offers a higher-resolution OLED display, providing more vibrant colors and better brightness, whereas the Aspire 5 has a Full HD IPS panel.
- Performance: The Swift Go is more powerful, with newer 13th Gen Intel or AMD Ryzen 7 options, compared to the Acer Aspire 5’s older Intel or Ryzen processors.
- Portability: The Swift Go is significantly lighter and more compact, making it better for users on the go.
- Battery Life: The Swift Go tends to offer longer battery life thanks to its more efficient processors and OLED display.
Value for Money
The Acer Aspire 5 is priced between $500 and $700, depending on the configuration. At this price point, it offers excellent value for money, delivering a combination of decent performance, good battery life, and solid build quality. It competes well with other budget laptops in the market and even outshines some in terms of features like the backlit keyboard and Full HD display.
For students, professionals, or casual users who don’t need high-end specs but still want a reliable laptop, the Aspire 5 is one of the best options in this price range.
Final Verdict: Is the Acer Aspire 5 Worth It?
The Acer Aspire 5 is an all-around great laptop for budget-conscious users. It offers solid performance, good battery life, and a variety of useful features at an affordable price. While it has some limitations, such as average brightness and integrated graphics, these are minor drawbacks for most users.
Overall, if you’re looking for a reliable, well rounded laptop without spending a fortune, the Acer Aspire 5 is an excellent choice.