Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop, 15.6″ Full HD IPS Display, AMD Ryzen 3 3200U, Vega 3 Graphics, 4GB DDR4, 128GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Windows 10 in S Mode, A515-43-R19L | Amazon
The Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R19L is currently listed as #1 in the Traditional Laptop Computers and #9 in Computers & Accessories on Amazon, with a 4.3-star rating out of 5 by 319 customers.
Price: $319.99 on Amazon, $349.99 on Acer’s website
Best Features of Acer Aspire 5
Clean design but built to last
Light and compact
Lots of ports
Full HD Display with IPS Panel
Decent battery life
Fast performance
Affordable price tag
Things To Consider with the Acer Aspire 5
It does not have fast graphics or powerful Core i5, so it’s not recommended for gamers
Unboxing
Design
The Acer Aspire 5 only weighs 3.9 pounds, definitely light for a 15.6-inch laptop. Acer trimmed the Acer Aspire 5 but still made it beautiful and modern. Addition to being light, the Acer Aspire 5 is also thin at 0.71 x 14.3 x 9.9 inches. The Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R19L is definitely not a backbreaker with its light and compact design which is ideal for users who frequently commute to school/work.
The Acer Aspire 5 also has a good number of ports:
HDMI: Yes
Number of USB 2.0 Ports: 2
Number of USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A Ports: 1
Total Number of USB Ports: 3
Network (RJ-45): Yes
And wireless connectivity options include:
Bluetooth 4.2
800.11ac Wi-Fi with MU-MIMO support
Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R19L has a backlit keyboard and a dedicated number pad on the right side. The 4.2 x 3.1-inch touchpad is responsive but lacks left and right clicks buttons.
Display
Acer Aspire 5 comes with 15.6-inch full HD (1920 x 1080) with IPS display which allows great viewing angles. It’s a standard panel among budget-oriented laptops today. With the IS technology, the Acer Aspire 5 has excellent image quality and crisp text with vivid colors. It also has a matte finish that helps in reducing the glare from ambient lights.
Memory and Storage
It has a 4GB DDR4 memory and 128GB storage. 4GB might not be that much but since this type of laptop’s recommended usage is for none-demanding tasks like surfing the net for assignments or checking emails for work, this storage is enough for good performance. And the 128GB SSD ensures that the laptop boots in seconds and loads software quickly.
Performance
It has an AMD Ryzen 3 3200U processor which is a lower mid-range processor for notebooks. It’s ideal for web surfing, for documents and spreadsheets, and media playback. It also has a Radeon Vega 3 graphics card which can run games with lowered graphics and resolution settings. If you are going to be using a professional photo editing software then it might have a hard time with the task.
Battery Life
The battery lasts for 7 hours and 20 minutes on a single charge but you shouldn’t have a problem getting more than 8 hours with the Acer Aspire 5 provided you keep the brightness down.
Reviews
“I could sit here and write all about the specs on this computer, but they are already in the description, and If you are like me… you don’t really understand it anyways.
So I am going to tell you what I LOVE about this computer and what I use it for. I am a full time college student as well as a single mother who stays busy. I have previously used a HP All In one computer that I bought brand new a year ago and I hate that thing… It is so slow!!! When I first opened this item, I was just hoping that it would be a little faster! What I got instead was an amazing computer that is faster than I could have ever imagined. Now I don’t use this thing for much more than amazon reviews, school work, and papers. But this is exactly what I needed.
It navigated quickly between web pages, my Microsoft word programs opens instantly and doesn’t take forever to load like my HP does. The picture of this monitor is just beautiful. Everything is so clear. I love that the keyboard has a back light so I can see the keys if I need to take a look at them while I am typing, but the back lights go away after a few seconds, so if you are watching a movie, the lit up key board will not bother you.
This computer is so light weight and easy to carry. I love the sleek design of it as well. This would be a great computer for anyone who just needs a basic computer for the internet or spreadsheets. I would feel at ease taking this computer with me to college or sending it off to college with my children, and I wouldn’t worry if they had the ability to complete their assignments in school. I am so so so happy with this product!” user Kayla Atkins, 5 out 5-star rating on Amazon
“A very reasonably priced laptop for basic computing needs. The specs that stick out to me for describing this as “basic needs” is 4GB of RAM, and 128GB M.2 SSD. Both are at the bare minimum in today’s needs. Cell phones now come with those specs( high dollar ones though..).
Seems like one of the goals of this laptop is to keep an aesthetically pleasing design. Just 1 3.1 USB port and 2 2.0 USB ports are included, one headphone/mic jack, 1 slim RJ45 port, HDMI, and power input plug. No external battery.
2 things that stuck out to me when I started using: screen and sound quality. The screen is very sharp and high contrast. Black is actually black. Very impressed. I was also surprised by the audio quality. I don’t expect much from laptop speakers, especially low priced ones, but was pleasantly surprised on how clear the audio is.
The back panel of the laptop does not have any easy access ports to swap out hard drives or RAM. Instead, you remove 10 or so Philips screws to remove the entire panel. I’ve already swapped out the 4GB RAM stick for an 8GB. Easy enough.
The laptop includes an M.2 SSD. The pro to this is you still have the option of adding a traditional sized disk to expand your storage, without needing to worry about reinstalling an OS or attempting to clone the included drive.
Almost puked when I thought I was locked-in to “S Mode” When I went to unlock S-mode, Windows kindly directly me to pay >$100 to purchase a license! I was furious thinking this was some new scheme to sell laptops without a full legitimate Windows license and instead lock you into a Microsoft only app store. I forget the exact steps I took, but somewhere I found that there was an error in activating my Windows license, and I had to click a troubleshoot button, then it magically worked and got me out of S mode. Disaster averted.
A couple of things that annoy me:
-The touchpad feels a little loose to me. Just gently touching it causes it to move and you can hear a plastic on plastic sound, its distracting…
-The keyboard backlight turns off after a set amount of time, you must press a key for it to illuminate again. Moving the mouse/touchpad does not cause the keys to light up. You must touch a key. I see the is a BIOS option for disabling the timeout. I’ve disabled it but it appears to have no effect. It still turns off.
-The slim-line RJ45 port seems messed up… I pull the flap down and it does not open far enough to insert a connector. I will probably never use it.. but what gives?” Jason with 4 out of 5-star rating on Amazon
“This laptop is great. For this price, there is nothing to complain.
I use this for basic computer needs at home. What I will do with is just Office, surfing, youtube, netflix. This computer handles it really well, all very smoothly.
What I like most is the screen. It is IPS. At this price point (310 for me), most laptops are bundled with TN display, which be honestly is a deal breaker. The screen here is gorgeous. I do not see much difference to my gaming laptop which cost me thrice. Sound is good, keyboard design average. I don’t like the small num pad. Some people complained on the backlight, but I don’t need this function. But the num lock indicator, however, is important but wasn’t there.
On the spec, there is just 4G of RAM. You can, however, upgrade it easily. There are 10 screws at of back. Open it and you can add another slot of RAM and another HDD. My recommendation, upgrade to 8 or 16G and add another SDD drive immediately after the setup is done as 128G storage will not be enough. For gaming, I am yet to test it, but at 310, don’t expect anything.
Ar.. the Windows S issue, google Windows S Switch and you will know how to change it back to Windows 10 Home. It is just a few clicks and a few minutes. Everyone can do it.
After all, a great computer. My family members ordered 2 when they see mine. Highly recommend.” H.C.L Brian with 5 out 5-star rating on Amazon
Verdict
Why Do We Love The Acer Aspire 5?
It does not have good graphics and powerful core i5 CPU but it is compact, slim, lightweight and delivers decent performance for doing basic tasks for budget buyers.
Do you feel like the Acer Aspire 5 best fits your daily computer needs? Share your thoughts in the comments below.