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Acer Aspire 5: A two-minute review
Looking at Acer’s website, you could be forgiven for thinking that the Acer Aspire 5 is an expensive, high-end laptop that includes a 12th generation i7 processor and a powerful GeForce graphics card. However, as we’ve seen with Acer in the past, the company’s website only focuses on high-end models and leaves you to explore other possible options.
On this occasion, it was announced that the Aspire 5 will be available with different models and specifications – in fact, more than 60 different configurations are listed on the Acer US website, including 17.3-inch and 15.6-inch displays, with both Intel and AMD processors. And, if you wait long enough, you can get the entry-level 14-inch version of the Aspire 5 we’re reviewing here, which is based on an older 11th-generation i5 processor.
That’s obviously a powerful laptop Acer promises for “accelerated photo and video editing performance,” but if you judge the Aspire 5 on its own merits, it makes a perfectly respectable entry-level laptop for casual web browsing and productivity tasks.
List sheet
Here’s the Acer Aspire 5 configuration sent to TechRadar for review:
CPU: Intel Core i5-1135G7 @ 2.4GHz
Graphics: Composite Iris Xe
Random Access Memory: 8 GB DDR4
Storage: 512GB PCIe SSD
Screen: 14-inch, 1920×1080 resolution
Ports: 1 x USB-C, 3 x USB-A (3.2), 1 x Audio, 1 x HDMI, 1 x Gigabit Ethernet
Communication: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0
Camera: 720 p
Amount: 0.71 x 12.9 x 8.8 inches (18 x 327.7 x 223.5 mm)
Weight: 3.75 lbs (1.7 kg)
Acer Aspire 5: Price and Availability
- About $600 in the US, and £450 in the UK
- Now available in the US and UK.
- Wide range of models, some from Acer, some from online retailers
Acer’s pricing and sales information can be a bit confusing. Some of the models listed on the website can be bought directly from Acer, while others are sold through online retailers and high street stores – such as Currys in the UK – so you may need to search online for a specific model. he asks.
As mentioned, we tested the Aspire 5 model with a 14-inch screen, which includes Windows 10 Home, a quad-core i5-1135G7 processor clocked at 2.4GHz (up to 4.2GHz with TurboBoost), 8GB of memory, and 512GB of solid-state storage. – state drive. Acer’s US website actually lists two different prices for that spec – $669.99 or $599.99, depending on which website you look at.
You can’t buy that model direct from Acer in the UK, although it’s available from a number of online retailers for around £450.00. Australia, surprisingly, can get a single Aspire 5 model with a larger 15.6-inch display and i7 processor for just AU$1399.00.
Acer Aspire 5: design
- Bright 1080p display
- Wi-Fi 6 and Gigabit Ethernet
- Only one USB-C
You won’t find a cutting-edge design at this price point, and the Aspire 5 has a fairly conventional clamshell design, with bezels around the edges of the screen that look a bit dated. Acer’s website – unclear as before – suggests that it is available in different colors, but the models sold on the website seem to be all black or silver only.
But it gets its footing right with a sturdy chassis that can handle a few bumps in a bag or purse while traveling. And although it is no ultrabook, the Aspire 5 weighs only 1.7 kg and is 18 mm thick, so it is perfectly portable when needed. The keyboard feels firm and comfortable to type on, and there’s a fingerprint sensor on the trackpad for security. The only real weakness here is the thin L-shaped power connector, which is stuck on the side of the laptop and looks a little exposed.
The 14-inch screen only offers 1920×1080 resolution, but it’s bright and clear with good viewing angles. We’re also happy to see that it has a matte finish to help reduce glare and reflections. The 720p webcam is a bit basic, but the image quality was better than we expected – it gets a little grainy in low light, but some decent daylight produces a good enough image for video calls.
The built-in speakers are a bit weak. The sound is good for watching some videos on YouTube, but if you want to listen to some good music, you need to plug some headphones or speakers into the audio jack on the right side of the laptop. However, connectivity is a bit of a mixed bag, with just a single USB-C, and three USB-A (3.2) ports for connecting peripherals and other devices. Thankfully, the Aspire 5 includes Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 for wireless connectivity, Gigabit Ethernet for wired networks, and HDMI for an external display.
Acer Aspire 5: Performance
- Respectable performance for office software
- Just a casual game
Standards
3D Mark: Night Raid: 12,300; Fire: 3,015; Time Spy: 1,280
Cinebench R23: Multi-core – 4,800
GeekBench 5: 1,417 (single-core); 4,440 (multi-core)
PCMark 10: 4820 points
PCMark 10 Battery Life: 6 hours, 35 minutes
Battery life (Techradar film test) 6 hours, 37 minutes
Instead of the i7 processor and GeForce graphics that Acer boasts on its website, this entry-level model is equipped with a more modest i5 processor, with integrated Iris Xe graphics. Even so, it still delivers respectable performance for a laptop in this price range, with 1,417 for single-core performance and 4,440 for multi-core. For real-world applications, the PCMark 10 test suite gives the Aspie 5 a score of 1280, which qualifies as a perfectly respectable ‘office laptop’. True, that score puts it below the halfway mark in the PCMark 10 scoreboards, but it’s not bad to go for an i5 laptop in this price range, and the Aspire 5 will be fine for web browsing and productivity software like Microsoft Office. .
The Aspire’s integrated Iris Xe graphics won’t win any awards, leaving it in the sub-20fps category overall with 3DMark scores. However, to be fair, 3DMark uses very high graphics settings, so if you don’t mind turning the graphics quality down a bit, you may occasionally find games a bit mundane.
Acer Aspire 5: Battery life
- 6.5 hours for movies
- 6.5 hours for productivity software
Acer’s website goes even further, boasting up to 10 hours of battery life for the Aspira 5. In fact, our tests yielded the same score of just over 6.5 hours for both the movies and apps-oriented PCMark test suite.
Still, that’s not too bad for such a cheap laptop, and if you don’t use Wi-Fi, the Aspire 5 will give you a full day’s work on the go.
If so, buy it…
If so, don’t buy it…
Also consider…
First reviewed June 2022.
We pride ourselves on our independence and rigorous review testing process, paying long-term attention to the products we review and ensuring our reviews are up-to-date and protected – regardless of the device’s release, it’s still on our radar if you can afford it.
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