Review Acer Aspire 5 (2022)

Thanks to the hype created, Acer presented it's Aspire 5 as a mobile video editing station; in fact, it's an affordable entry-level 14-inch Laptop that can deliver decent performance and battery life.

•  Competitive price;
•  Robust design and weight of 1.7 kg;
•  decent battery life;

The inconvenient:

•  modest performance;
•  Web camera with 720p resolution;
•  Limited choice of ports;

Acer Aspire 5 at a glance

Looking at Acer's website, you might think the Acer Aspire 5 Laptop is an expensive high-end laptop featuring a Core i7 (12th Gen) processor with a powerful GeForce graphics card. But, we've come across Acer's site often in the past, only focusing on flagship configurations, leaving you to look at other models.

In this case, it turns out that the Acer Aspire 5 Laptop is available in a wide variety of configurations; in fact, Acer's website lists over 60 different configurations, including 17.3-inch and 15.6-inch screens with Intel and AMD processors. And if you look closely, you can find the entry-level 14-inch Aspire 5 Laptop built around 11th Gen Core i5 processors.

It's clearly not the powerful "fast photo and video editing" laptop promised by Acer, but if you're objective on the merits of the Acer Aspire 5, you'll see a respectable entry-level laptop for web browsing. routine and productivity.

Characteristic of Acer Aspire 5 Laptop - Magneto

Here is the configuration of the Acer Aspire 5 Laptop that we can review:

• Processor: Intel Core i5-1135G7 2.4GHz;
• Graphics: Integrated Iris Xe;
• RAM: 8GB DDR4;
• Storage: 512GB PCIe SSD;
• Screen: 14 inches (1920 x 1080);
• Ports: x1 USB-C, x3 USB-A (3.2), x1 audio, x1 HDMI, x1 Gigabit Ethernet;
• Connectivity: WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0;
• Camera: 720p;
• Size: 327.7 x 223.5 x 18mm;
• Weight: 1.7 kg.

Acer Aspire 5 Laptop: prices and configurations

• Around $600 (R45,000 + VAT);
•  Limited availability in Russia;

Acer's Laptop pricing and sales information can also be quite confusing. Some of the models listed on the company's website can be purchased directly from Acer, while others are sold through online stores and retailers, so you may need to do some research if you're interested. a specific model.

As mentioned, we tested the Acer Aspire 5 in the 14-inch version, the laptop also offered Windows 10 Home, a 2.4 GHz quad-core Core i5-1135G7 processor (up to 4.2 GHz with TurboBoost), and 8 GB of memory and 512 GB of solid-state memory. Even on the Acer website, we found two different prices for this configuration: $670 (R50000 + VAT) and $600 (R45000 + VAT), depending on which webpage you ask.

Acer Aspire 5 Laptop: Design

•  Bright display with 1080p resolution;
•  Wi-Fi 6 and Gigabit Ethernet;
•  Single USB-C;

You don't get a cutting-edge design at this price, so the Acer Aspire 5 sticks to its usual clamshell design with chunky bezels around the screen, looking a little dated. Despite the promise on the Acer site of different colors, we only found black and silver models.

It's all well made, though, including a durable chassis that can survive some abuse in a backpack or bag when you're on the go. And while it's not an ultrabook, the Aspire 5 weighs just 1.7kg and is 18mm thin, so you can take it with you when you need it. The keyboard is solid and reliable, comfortable enough to type on, and the trackpad has an integrated fingerprint reader for added security. The only real weakness of the Acer Aspire Laptop is the thin L-shaped power connector that protrudes from the side of the laptop, which looks a bit vulnerable.

The 14-inch display offers a 1920 x 1080 resolution but is bright and crisp with good viewing angles. We're also happy to see a matte finish that helps reduce glare and reflections. The 720p webcam is a bit primitive, but the image quality is better than we expected: the image is grainy in low light, but in good light, the image is clear enough for video calls.

But the built-in speakers are mediocre. The sound is only good for watching occasional YouTube videos, but if you want to listen to music properly, you'll need to plug headphones or speakers into the audio jack on the right edge of the laptop. Connectivity left mixed impressions: x1 USB-C, x3 USB-A (3.2) for peripherals. Thankfully, the Aspire 5 works with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 for wireless connectivity, while Gigabit Ethernet is fine for wired networking, and HDMI is needed to connect an external display.

Acer Aspire 5 Performance - Magneto

•  Decent performance for office tasks;
•  For casual games only;

Test results

• 3DMark Night Raid: 12300 | Fire Strike: 3015 | Time Spy: 1280;
•  Cinebench R23: 4800 (multi-core);
• GeekBench 5:1417 (single core) | 4440 (multi-core);
• PCMark 10: 4820 points;
•  PCMark 10 (battery test): 6 hours 35 minutes;
• Autonomy (video test): 6 hours 37 minutes;

Instead of the Core i7 processor with a discrete GeForce graphics card that Acer offers on the site, this is an entry-level model with a much more modest Core i5 with an integrated Iris Xe graphics card. Either way, they still deliver decent performance for laptops in this price range, with scores of 1417 single-core and 4440 multi-core. Under real PCMark 10 test conditions, the Aspire 5 returned a score of 1280, which is a decent "desktop laptop". Granted, that score is slightly below average on PCMark 10 dashboards, but that's not bad at all for a Core i5 laptop in this price range, and the Aspire 5 is fine for browsing on the web and running productivity software like Microsoft Office.

The Aspire's built-in Iris Xe isn't ready to break any records as 3DMark scores leave the laptop at "under 20fps". But frankly, 3DMark uses very high graphics settings, so if you don't mind lowering the graphics quality a bit, you can even play the game once in a while.

Acer Aspire 5: battery life - Magneto

•  6.5 hours of video playback;
• 6.5 hours for productivity programs;

Acer's website typically lists over 10 hours of battery life with the new Acer Aspire 5. In fact, our tests showed very similar results: just over 6.5 hours of movie playback, the same battery life as the battery in PCMark tests.

That said, the numbers aren't the worst for an affordable laptop, if you're not using Wi-Fi the Acer Aspire 5 will be able to give you a full day's work when you're on the go.

Buy if...

Your budget is limited. Acer is trying to position the Aspire 5 as a high-end video editing laptop, but the base laptop costs $600 ($45,000 + VAT).

You travel a lot. It's not an ultrabook, but its 1.7kg design means the Acer Aspire 5 Laptop feels great in a backpack.

Don't buy if...

You are a player. Again, you'll find discrete GeForce graphics cards on Acer's website, but most Aspire 5 Laptop models rely on integrated graphics.

You need long battery life. To be fair, the 6.5 hours of battery life isn't bad for an affordable laptop, but you'll need to spend a lot more if you're looking for a durable laptop for work.