Acer Aspire 5 (A514) Full Review: Should You Buy It Today?

The Acer Aspire 5 is a laptop that works well in both a living room and an office; it’s all-around durable and designed to be affordable. With its modern design, speedy Quad-core processor, and brilliant screen, it offers a high-quality experience. But though you might worry that it’s all gloss from the outside, there’s plenty of grunt for what’s being charged.

In this article, we conclude our in-depth review of the Acer Aspire 5 model A514, providing an assessment of its performance, identifying its weaknesses, and evaluating its features and value (i.e., answering the “why to buy?” question).

Specifications Of Acer Aspire 5

Sleek Design Meets Durability: A Closer Look

At first glance, the Acer Aspire 5 may seem like an expensive laptop, but it’s crafted from plastic, giving it a lightweight and sleek design. The brushed chrome logo stamped on the lid adds a touch of sophistication. When you open the lid, the brilliant hinge ensures smooth functionality, providing an air gap at the bottom for better airflow. While the chassis is made of plastic, it feels durable and premium thanks to the smooth finish and refined edges.

The bezels around the screen are relatively thin, giving the laptop a modern look. However, the top bezel could have been slimmer. Overall, the design is elegant and comparable to other laptops in the same price range.

Vivid Display for Stunning Visuals

One of the highlights of the Acer Aspire 5 is its 14-inch full HD display (1920 x 1080 pixels). With an LED backlit display and in-plane switching technology, it delivers exceptional screen performance and perfect colour accuracy for life-like graphics. At the same time, you surf the web, explore photos, or stream content. The display is semi-glossy, which brightens the colours, but it will also produce some reflections with direct light.

The display is bright and clear, with a peak brightness of 280 nits, but it may not be the best choice for use in extremely bright sunlight. That’s decent from a coverage point of view for a laptop in this price range. If you are a casual photo editor or someone who enjoys watching videos, the display is sufficient.

Type with Ease: Keyboard & Trackpad Experience

The Acer Aspire 5 features a backlit keyboard that makes typing easy. Its chiclet-style keys, in particular, offer mild key travel, but they are snappy and provide enough tactile feedback for everyday typing. Some users might want more key travel than that, but for most people, it’s an adaptable design. The contrast isn’t great on the keyboard, particularly with the backlight on, but it is fine and easy to use.

The touchpad is sensitive and has a nice feel. It can recognise complex gestures and clicks. The surface has low friction, is easy and comfortable to use. But for ultra-precision users, the accuracy can be a little frustrating.

Power Packed: Performance That Delivers

Acer Aspire 5 from the inside. Inside, the Acer Aspire 5 boasts a powerful processor, whether it’s Intel or AMD (the latter depending on the specific model). The reviewed version comes with an Intel Core i5 processor and offers a slightly faster memory speed than previous generations, by 10-20%. This improvement provides improved system performance when editing and multitasking.

The notebook also features 4GB of soldered-down RAM, which is upgradable to 16GB, providing ample room for multitasking. What’s more, the device is equipped with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0, as well as an M.2 SSD driver, enabling it to operate at a higher speed. There is also a spare slot, into which you can install an extra 2.5-inch SSD – a rare find in today’s laptops.

If you are playing only non-demanding titles or doing some light video editing, the Intel Iris graphics will do most of the job, and you can even play games like Overwatch, Fortnite, and GTA 5. However, suppose you’re working on something more demanding, such as an AAA game or heavy video editing. In that case, you might consider investing in a model with a dedicated graphics processing unit (GPU), such as one with Nvidia GeForce MX graphics.

Long-Lasting Energy: Battery Performance Unleashed

The battery Acer Aspire 5 is equipped with a 48Wh 3-cell Li-ion battery, with reasonably long battery life. For mild to moderate use (web surfing, office work at 70% brightness), it can last 6-8 hours. It is therefore perfect to use at work or on the road.

The battery charges up in under two hours, which is relatively quick. However, at full brightness, a battery will last only around 3 hours, as is the case with most  laptops. The battery life may be a drawback for you if you plan to use the computer for long hours without a charger nearby.

Crystal Clear Sound: Audio That Surprises

The sound on the Acer Aspire 5 is sufficient for everyday use—the two speakers located beneath the touchpad produce passable stereo sound, with a nice midrange and highs. However, if you’re an audiophile or simply enjoy excellent bass, you might want to connect external speakers or headphones.

Overall Verdict

The Acer Aspire 5 is an overall solid laptop that offers fantastic value for its price. It provides strong performance, a decent display, and a comfortable user experience. It may not let you play the latest Call of Duty at maximum settings or edit videos like a pro, but for browsing the web and consuming media, it will do just fine. Thanks to its thin design, responsive keyboard, and long battery life, the Acer Aspire 5 is an ideal machine for students, professionals, or anyone in need of a compact, well-built budget laptop.

FAQs

• Is the Acer Aspire 5 good for gaming?

The Acer Aspire 5 works well for casual gaming thanks to its Intel Iris graphics. If you’re going to engage in demanding gaming, consider getting a model with a dedicated GPU, such as the NVIDIA GeForce MX series.

• Can I upgrade the RAM?

Yes, the Acer Aspire 5 ships with 4GB of soldered RAM, but it can be upgraded to 16GB for improved multitasking capabilities.

• How’s the battery life?

I always value battery life in a laptop as it’s a handy measure of how long it can run on the go without needing a charge. Its life span is about 3 hours with the lights shining at full brightness.

• Is the Acer Aspire 5 Wi-Fi 6 compatible?

Yes, the Acer Aspire 5 has Wi-Fi 6 which provides faster internet connectivity experience and improved connection quality.

• What are the cons of the Acer Aspire 5?

It does have some downsides too like no dedicated GPU card for heavy gaming, less battery life under full brightness and no card reader.