Acer Aspire 5 Review – Should You Buy?

Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R19L

style: slim 15.6″ laptop, resolution: Full HD 1920 x 1080 pixels, Processor: AMD Ryzen 3 3200U Dual Core , CPU speed: 2.1GHz, chipset: AMD, RAM: 4GB DDR4, internal storage: 128GB SSD, OS: Windows 10 in S mode, Bluetooth: 4.2, wireless: 802.11ac, graphic processor: Radeon Vega 3 Mobile Graphics, battery life: average 7 hours, weight: 3.97 pounds, dimension: 14.31″ x 9.74″ x 0.71″

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The Acer Aspire 5  is perhaps a powerful high-end 15-inch laptop that’s designed to be slim, light, and fair nice. Clad in aluminum, sleek, and extremely portable, this Aspire 5 laptop is set to work all day long. Its 360-degree hinge, backlit keyboard, long battery life, and affordable price make it ideal for college kids and budget shoppers.

The Acer Aspire 5 available on three models, the first: A515-43-R19L (Ryzen 3, AMD Radeon Vega 3 mobile graphics, 4GB RAM, and solid storage (128GB SSD).  The next model, A515-43-R5RE (Ryzen 5, AMD Radeon Vega 8 mobile graphics, 8GB DDR4 memory,  storage capacity 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD). The last is A515-43-R6DE (Ryzen 7, AMD Radeon Vega 10 mobile graphics, 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD, 8GB DDR4 memory). All of Acer Aspire 5 have different prices follow by their specs and features.

There are several laptops with almost similar features, albeit at slightly different prices. This means that the Acer Aspire 5 will struggle with decent competition including a number of laptops of its own brand (Acer Aspire E5 E5-576-392H). During this review, we discovered how it stacked up against others behind it.

Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R19L specifications

• The screen size is 15.6 – inches
• Featuring IPS Full HD
• AMD Ryzen 3 3200U processor
• 4GB DDR4 memory
• 128GB SSD storage
• Graphics Card Vega 3 Graphics
• Windows 10 Operating System in S Mode.
• Dimensions 14.31 x 9.74 x 0.71 inches
• Weight 3.97 pounds

Acer Aspire 5 Review – Design and Features

The design of the Acer Aspire 5 is simple. Acer combines a plastic bezel to the deck and a metallic aluminum exterior to form a device that’s tough and tough and durable. The contrast of the plastic deck and chassis and the light gray is stunning. The anti-glare metal surface feels smooth and textured (like a burst of sand) and minimizes reflections to a minimum. This is not the only color available.

We love that this notebook has a thin bezel which makes the device appear smarter. It’s a welcome leap in technology and fashion in the right direction.

One of the opposing aspects that makes the Aspire 5 stand out is its weight. At 3.9 pounds or 1.76kg, it ensures to understand that this device is not an offender of any kind.

It measures 0.71 x 14.3 x 9.9 inches (HWD), much slimmer than its predecessor, at 1.2 inches thick and clad in black plastic. The Acer Swift 5 (2.2 pounds) is lighter so it’s easier to add your backpack and carry it around without much effort. The HP Specter x360 still maintains a high position as one of the thinnest ultrabooks, even our unit can’t beat it.

But it’s good to understand that it comes close to this coveted hybrid device.

Acer Aspire 5 Review –  Display

When you open the lid of the Acer Aspire 5, you will be greeted with a 15.6-inch Full JD (1920 x 1080) screen. The screen rests on the In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel which provides a good viewing angle. For the most part, the display panel uses IPS technology apart from the cases where the laptop is specially made for gaming.

IPS technology allows excellent image quality with sharp text and vivid colors. The screen also has a matte finish which reduces glare from ambient light. Meaning you’ll be able to use your laptop without worrying too much about the reflection of the sun on a non-touchscreen.

On top of the screen, right in the middle of the highest bezel, is a 720p webcam. It’s good to understand that the webcam is not in the corner of the bottom edge or in the middle of the bottom bezel. This means you won’t have any problems with the webcam approaching you on video chat, better if it’s another premium laptop.

Aspire 5 Review with Connectivity

The port options on the Acer Aspire 5 are good. Port options include influence connectors, full-size Gigabit Ethernet and HDMI ports, two USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports (one with charging off), and two USB 2.0 ports. You will use 2 USB 2.0 ports for an external keyboard and wireless mouse, while the HDMI port is for external monitor setup.

Other connectivity options include Bluetooth 4.2 and 802.11ac Wi-Fi with MU-MIMO support. Acer hides the speakers at the bottom of the system. Downward-pointing speakers offer quality bass, and enough volume to fill an area. However, with down-firing speakers, the sound is usually slightly muffled especially when placed on the laptop table. However, for the value, the speakers are above par.

Aspire 5’s Performance

Acer Aspire 5 starts with an AMD Ryzen 3 3200U processor in series R19L, a lower-middle-class processor for notebooks. This processor comes with two cores instead of the standard four cores and incorporates the base clock speed 2.6GHz and 3.5 GHz on Turbo. In real-world performance, the Ryzen 3 3200U can be a powerful processor for use in everyday computing tasks such as surfing the web, writing essays, calculating spreadsheets, media playback, and the like.

If you’re visiting for heavier computational tasks like professional photo editing or rendering, then this CPU won’t be of much help. You want a Ryzen 5 or Intel Core i5 processor (models R5RE or R6DE of Acer Aspire 5). The Ryzen 3 3200U also sports an integrated Radeon Vega 3 base graphics card. Vega 3 is able to run many popular games with lower graphics settings and determination.

That shows a lot about his gaming prowess. If you are a passionate gamer and need the most effective frame rates for gaming, then a laptop with a Ryzen 5 processor or Intel Core i5 processor could be a much better choice.

Acer Aspire 5 Review – Memory and Storage

The Acer Aspire 5’s memory and storage starting at 4GB DDR4 and 12GB SSD on A515-43-R19L models.

Other features that you will find in it are 4GB DDR4 memory and 128GB Solid-state drive storage. I know 4GB memory seems to be on the downside. But remember this laptop will handle some non-demanding tasks like surfing the web, doing chores, spreadsheets, and watching YouTube videos.

Of these tasks, the worst of which could be opening quite a number of tabs on YouTube that a laptop honestly might not be able to handle. On top of that, the device feels sharp enough for a multitude of non-demanding tasks and will do just fine. However, if you think that you might be experiencing some intensive graphics, add in the long run, consider upgrading to a minimum of 8GB of memory.

As far as storage goes, 128GB SSD is probably a pretty sweet amount for storage. First, SSDs ensure the laptop boots up in seconds and loads software fast. 128GB can hold more than 15,000 average size photos or songs, some movies, and games. However, if you want storage for heavier files like games or multimedia, we recommend using the standard 1TB disk drive storage.

That’s because Solid-state drives don’t come cheap. You can also invest in cloud storage such as Google drive.

Other alternatives if you ready to pay more, try on Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R5RE or Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R6DE. Both you get a higher processor and including additional memory and storage.

The Keyboard and Touchpad

All three models of the Acer Aspire 5 lack some special features like a fingerprint reader but the keyboard is still great. First, the keyboard displays nicely across the deck, and with a 15.6-inch screen, you’ll be sure there’s a variety of pads around. All the keys are good, apart from one weird aspect.

The secret to shifting the keyboard is nearly half the length of the keys. We can’t seem to figure out why, but since it works so well I guess that’s what you need to measure. Overall, however, the keyboard keys provide great tactile feedback. The Acer Aspire 5 has a backlit keyboard that’s comfortable to use. It doesn’t have a built-in fingerprint reader like the Lenovo Flex 14 81SS0005US, the budget 2-in-1 laptop we reviewed recently.

Meanwhile, the 4.2 x 3.1-inch touchpad is responsive too and works with Windows precision drivers to make hand gestures possible. The surface is smooth and therefore the padding allows the fingers to slide on it easily. It realizes touch even at corners where most touchpads are not so sensitive.

Our main concern is that the pad lacks tracking precision, which indicates you’ll have trouble dragging elements across the screen.

We recommend buying a mouse to hide you especially if you want precision in your daily productivity. Hopefully our guide to the best mouse articles under 20 bucks.

Acer Aspire 5 Review – Battery life

The battery lasts up to 7 hours 20 minutes on a single charge. This is an incredible amount of time you remember this could easily take up a whole day at work or college. Apart from that, you shouldn’t have any issues for 8 hours with the Acer Aspire 5 provided you keep the brightness up.

Compare Acer Aspire 5 to Other Laptop

Good stuff that is well made

There are several reasons to be proud of the Acer Aspire 5. Its compact, sleek and lightweight shape makes it ideal for going to school/college or work. The Aspire 5 sacrifices less than we have seen for centuries now and more benefits. This device offers a matte IPS Full HD screen and long battery life. The processor is available from Ryzen 3, 5, and 7.

The battery life alone makes it a tough contender for the crown of the most effective ultraportable hybrid. Ultimately, what adds the desired finishing touch to today’s laptops are the price labels. Worth helps it appeal to end-users as a budget hybrid laptop in the price range for many students and for basic home/office use.

Acer Aspire 5 Review – Pros & Cons

Acer Aspire 5 Review – Should you buy it?

Yes. If you don’t have any graphics-intensive tasks, the Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R19L might be for you. However, if you are trying to handle a lot of more intensive workloads like rendering photos and videos, and maybe some games, then this unit might not work. You may need to upgrade to Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R5RE (Ryzen 5) or Aspire 5 A515-43-R6DE (Ryzen 7).

Overall, we recommend the Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R19L for beginner users who are trying to find a more screen display, sharper display, and a laptop that is usually affordable for basic tasks and college work.

Where to buy Acer Aspire 5

Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R19L

style: slim 15.6″ laptop, resolution: Full HD 1920 x 1080 pixels, Processor: AMD Ryzen 3 3200U Dual Core , CPU speed: 2.1GHz, chipset: AMD, RAM: 4GB DDR4, internal storage: 128GB SSD, OS: Windows 10 in S mode, Bluetooth: 4.2, wireless: 802.11ac, graphic processor: Radeon Vega 3 Mobile Graphics, battery life: average 7 hours, weight: 3.97 pounds, dimension: 14.31″ x 9.74″ x 0.71″

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