Acer Aspire 5: Two minute review
If you look at Acer’s website, you might think that the Acer Aspire 5 is an expensive, high-end laptop with a 12th-generation i7 processor and powerful GeForce graphics card. But, as we’ve found with Acer in the past, the company’s website tends to focus only on the top-end models, letting you know about other options that may be available.
In this case, it turns out that the Aspire 5 is available with a wide variety of different models and specifications – in fact, there are over 60 different configurations listed on Acer’s US website, including 17.3-inch and 15.6-inch screens. , with both Intel and AMD processors. And if you search long enough, you might even find the 14-inch entry-level Aspire 5 we’re reviewing here, which is based on an older 11th-generation i5 processor.
That’s clearly not the powerful laptop “for accelerated photo and video editing performance” that Acer promises, but judging the Aspire 5 on its own merits, it’s a perfectly respectable entry-level laptop for routine web browsing and productivity tasks.
Specification sheet
Here’s the Acer Aspire 5 configuration sent to Ditching for review:
PROCESSOR: Intel Core i5-1135G7 @ 2.4GHz
Graphic: Integrated Iris Xe
RAM: 8GB DDR4
Storage: 512GB PCIe SSD
Screen: 14-inch, 1920×1080 resolution
Ports: 1x USB-C, 3x USB-A (3.2), 1x audio, 1x HDMI, 1x Gigabit Ethernet
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0
Camera: 720p
Mate: 0.71 x 12.9 x 8.8in (18 x 327.7 x 223.5mm)
Weight: 3.75 lb (1.7 kg)
Acer Aspire 5: Pricing and Availability
- About $600 in the US and £450 in the UK
- Now available in the US and UK, with limited availability down under
- Wide range of models, some from Acer, some from online retailers
Acer’s pricing and sales information can also be a bit confusing. Some of the models listed on the website can be purchased directly from Acer, while others are sold through online retailers and major stores – such as Currys in the UK – so you may need to search online if there is a specific model. that you require.
As mentioned before, we tested an Aspire 5 model with a 14-inch screen, which also includes Windows 10 Home, a quad-core i5-1135G7 processor at 2.4 GHz (up to 4.2 GHz with Turboboost), along with 8 GB of memory and 512 GB of fixed-state drive. Acer’s US website actually lists two different prices for that spec: $669.99 or $599.99, depending on the webpage you’re viewing.
You can’t buy that model directly from Acer in the UK, although it’s available from a number of online retailers for around £450.00. Strangely enough, Australia is only getting a single Aspire 5 model with a larger 15.6-inch screen and i7 processor for AU$1399.00.
Acer Aspire 5: Design
- Bright 1080p screen
- Wi-Fi 6 and Gigabit Ethernet
- Only one USB-C
You don’t get a sophisticated design at this price point, and the Aspire 5 has a fairly conventional clamshell design, with solid bezels around the bezel of the display that look a bit dated. Acer’s website – unclear as ever – states that it will be available in a variety of colors, but the models sold on its website all appear to be plain black or silver.
It gets the basics right though, with a sturdy chassis that should be able to take a few knocks in a backpack or bag while traveling. And while it’s not an ultrabook, the Aspire 5 weighs just 1.7kg and is 18mm thick, so it’s perfectly portable when needed. The keyboard feels sturdy and comfortable to type, and there’s a fingerprint sensor on the trackpad for security. The only real weakness here is the thin L-shaped power connector, which juts out from the side of the laptop and looks a bit flimsy.
The 14-inch screen offers only 1920×1080 resolution, but is bright and clear, with good viewing angles. We’re also happy to see that it has a matte finish that helps reduce glare and reflection. The 720p webcam is a bit basic, but the picture quality was better than we expected – it gets a bit grainy in low light, but some decent daylight produces an image sharp enough for video calls.
However, the built-in speakers are a bit weak. The sound is fine for just watching some videos on YouTube, but if you want to listen to some decent music you’ll need to plug in some headphones or speakers into the audio jack on the right side of the laptop. Connectivity is a bit of a mixed bag though, with just a single USB-C port and three USB-A (3.2) for connecting peripherals and other devices. Fortunately, the Aspire 5 includes Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 for wireless connectivity, with Gigabit Ethernet also available for wired networks and HDMI for an external display.
Acer Aspire 5: Performance
- Respectable performance for office software
- Casual gaming only
Benchmarks
3DMark: Night raid: 12,300; Fire strike: 3,015; Time spies: 1280
Cinema bank R23: Multi core – 4,800
Geek Bench 5: 1.417 (single core); 4,440 (multiple cores)
PCMark 10: 4820 points
Battery Life PCMark 10: 6 hours, 35 minutes
Battery Life (USA Health Reports Movie Test): 6 hours, 37 minutes
Instead of the i7 processor and GeForce graphics that Acer boasts on its website, this entry-level model features a more modest i5 processor, with integrated Iris Xe graphics. Even so, it still offers respectable performance for a laptop in this price range, scoring 1,417 for single-core performance and 4,440 for multi-core. For real-world applications, the PCMark 10 test suite gives the Aspire 5 a score of 1280, which qualifies as a perfectly respectable ‘office laptop’. Granted, that score remains just under halfway in the PCMark 10 results tables, but that’s not bad for an i5 laptop in this price range, and the Aspire 5 will be fine for surfing the web and running productivity software like Microsoft Office. .
The Aspire’s integrated Iris Xe graphics won’t win any awards either, with 3DMark scores generally leaving it in the ‘under 20 fps’ category. But to be fair, 3DMark uses very high graphics settings, so if you don’t mind lowering the graphics quality a bit, you can even have a little casual gaming every now and then.
Acer Aspire 5: Battery Life
- 6.5 hours for movies
- 6.5 hours for productivity software
Acer’s website usually goes overboard, offering up to 10 hours of battery life for the Aspire 5. In fact, our tests recorded very similar scores of just over 6.5 hours for both movie playback and the application-based PCMark test suite. .
Still, that’s not bad for a cheap laptop like this, and if you’re not using Wi-Fi, the Aspire 5 should give you a full day on the go.
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Also think about…
First review June 2022
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