Pros
- 10th generation Core i7 processor
- Massive 512 GB of SSD storage
- Full HD display
- 8 GB of RAM (upgradable)
- Generous connectivity options
- Fingerprint reader
Cons
- Slightly "boring" design.
- No dedicated graphics card
Acer has really been stepping it up lately. Proof of this is the recently released 15-inch Acer Aspire 5 A515-55-75NC, a laptop that packs amongst its most outstanding features a tenth-generation Intel Core i7-1065G7 processor, an ample - and fast - SSD storage unit, and 8 GB of RAM, all of this to deliver a stylish and competitively priced powerhouse that's been steadily rising through the ranks as one of Amazon's top-selling laptops.
Today we're going to get to know this model in excruciating detail to determine if this is the laptop that's going to make all your dreams come true or if you should just keep on walking in this review of the Acer Aspire 5 A515-55-75NC.
Who is it for?
This is a laptop for those who make a demanding use of the processor either working with multiple browser tabs open at once, editing images or rendering 3D models, as well as launching virtual machines to work on several operating systems at once.
In short, it is a laptop that can meet the demands of everyday life in the office and school, with outstanding performance when streaming movies, due to having a large high-definition display.
Overview of technical specs:
- Brand/Model: Acer Aspire 5 A515-55-75NC
- Dimensions: 14.31 x 9.86 x 0.71 inches
- Weight: 3.97 pounds
- Display: IPS LED panel | 15.6 inches
- Resolution: Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels)
- Processor: Intel Core i7-1065G7 10 GEN | 4 cores | Up to 3.9 GHz
- RAM: 8GB (DDR4)
- Graphics: Intel Iris Plus Graphics Controller (Integrated)
- Storage: 512GB (NVMe SSD)
- Battery: 3-cell (Lithium)
- Operating System: Windows 10 Home
- Extras: Wi-Fi Connectivity 6 Bluetooth 5.0 Ethernet USB 2.0, USB 3.1 GEN 1 (C-Type) USB 3.1 GEN 1 (x2, one with charging capability) HDMI Audio combo connector HD web camera Digital microphone, fingerprint reader.
Design & Display
As expected within the Acer lineup, this Aspire 5 has sober and elegant lines thanks to an aluminum frame and matte finish that wraps around the entire structure and highlights the black backlit keyboard, similar to Apple's Macbook Pro lineup.
The touchpad is wide, well-defined, and has good traction. At the top left, it has a fingerprint reader. A good security measure, which takes some getting used to due to its location.
Moving onto the screen, we've got a 15.6-inch display with a Full HD resolution that succumbs to the trend of reducing the bezels on the front to deliver a more immersive overall experience.
It's a good quality screen that delivers a clear image with crisp detail and lively color, but don't take our word for it, many customers have pointed this out.
It's also well suited for intensive use since it does not cause visual fatigue thanks to its BlueLightShield technology, which regulates and decreases the emission of blue light so that your vision doesn't get strained from staring at a screen for hours on end.
Let's talk about the processor and memory, what's performance like?
The A515-55-75NC comes with a tenth generation Intel Core i7-1065G7 processor, with four cores that clock in at a base 1.3 GHz and can reach a staggering 3.9 GHz, which makes it an ideal support for hardcore tasks.
Specifically, this processor has been placed at the top of its segment in the benchmark tests, when it comes to speed and overall performance, though we won't bore you with the details.
Couple that with 8 GB of DDR4 RAM (easily upgradeable to 12 GB ) and we're looking at a laptop that was built with productivity in mind and that won't shy away from dealing with demanding software, not to mention intensive multitasking performance so you don't need to coddle your laptop as we offen end up doing when specs are tight.
Finally, storage on this model puts the cherry on top when it comes to performance by delivering an incredibly generous 512 GB of SSD storage. The fact that storage is SSD and not HDD is important in and off itself as it has a major impact on performance.
In the event you come from a laptop that packed a HDD (hard drive) then you're in for a treat as laptops that feature an SSD unit (most these days) offer a radical speed bump over their hard-drive-packing ancestors, and it's a speed improvement that shows, a speed improvement you quickly get used to and one you'll never be able to live without.
Ultimately, with this set of key specs you can expect a blazing fast laptop capable of handling just about anything you throw at it, barring anything that's graphically intensive - we'll get to that in a minute -.
Graphics and battery life
This A515-55-75NC comes with an Iris Plus (G7) integrated graphics card. This controller has 64 processing cores. A configuration that offers you a higher performance than most computers with integrated graphics. However, this is by no means a gaming laptop.
With this GPU you can expect a fluid performance on tasks such as watching Full HD videos, do medium-quality (ie: not professional) graphics and image editing, and play some games that are not graphically intensive (ie: Fifa).
Battery life is good enough though nothing to write home about. Acer claims 8 hours, but we all know that this is the idilic number that will only happen when you turn into a unicorn and pigs start flying.
Otherwise, in an effort to manage your expectations, you should truly expect battery life - in general - to be about 25% lower than advertised, which places us at a respectable 6 hours that are still good enough for most users. Unfortately there's no quick-charge system in sight.
Connectivity options
As for the connectivity side of things, this laptop meets the most common needs in terms of interactivity, with a good variety of I/O ports: one USB 2.0 port, one USB 3.2 Type C port, 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (one of them with charging capability), one HDMI port and one Ethernet LAN port (RJ45). In addition to a 3.5mm audio output.
The wireless connectivity consists of
Bluetooth 5.0 and Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 802.11ax Dual Band at 2.4GHz and 5GHz. This WiFi standard is roughly
40% faster than the previous WiFi 5 standard -
with a compatible router - ,
previously known as WiFi 802.11 ac.
What's the verdict?
To wrap up this review of the Acer Aspire 5 A515-55-75NC we would like to say that we're rather impressed by everything Acer has managed to cram into this model at such an affordable price point, placing it safely above most of its rivals.
Sure enough the design is far from innovative, but it boasts a nice display with a good resolution, a high end processor to get the job done like the best of them and enough RAM to satisfy your multitasking needs and don't even get me started again on the benefits of its massive 512 GB worth of SSD storage.
Ultimately, an excellent laptop that delivers great value at an unrivaled price point.
