Pros
- 💾 Ultra-thin and sturdy design
- 💾 Stunning Full HD IPS screen
- 💾 Solid 11th-Gen Intel Core i3 processor
- 💾 Expandable RAM and SSD storage
Cons
- 💾 No SD card reader
- 💾 Non-backlit keyboard
Listed as one of the best-rated IT solutions in the budget laptop arena, Acer's Aspire 5 lineup aims to suit day-to-day users' and students' multi-tasking needs as their new models are upgraded with powerful hardware components, vibrant Full HD displays, excellent battery life, and plenty of ports in order to get things done efficiently.
With that said, today we're going to dive into the review of the Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-347N to know more details about this top-rated Core i3 laptop whose killer price point is one of its most appealing features as many of whom already bought it can attest to.
Index
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-347N Specs
| Tech Specs | |
| Brand/Model | Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-347N |
| Dimensions | 14.31 x 9.39 x 0.7 inches |
| Weight | 3.64 pounds |
| Display | LED-backlit | IPS | Matte | 15.6" |
| Resolution | Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) |
| Processor | 11th Gen Dual-Core Intel Core i3-1115G4 |
| RAM | 8 GB (DDR4) |
| Integrated GPU | Intel UHD Graphics |
| Storage | 128 GB (SSD) |
| Battery | 48 Wh (Li-Ion) |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Home in S mode |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.0 1x Ethernet (RJ-45) 1x USB-A 2.0 2x USB-A 3.2 1x USB-C 3.2 1x HDMI 2.0 1x Audio jack (3.5 mm) HD Webcam |
Design, Display, and Keyboard
The Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-347N sports a premium silver chassis which is made out of aluminum on the lid and plastic in the rest of the body. This combination works very well since it makes it a resistant and lightweight laptop at the same time, weighing 3.64 pounds while keeping a profile of just 0.70 inches.
Like other budget notebooks, it comes with a Full HD 15.6-inch display surrounded by relatively thin bezels, whose IPS technology allows you to work and watch your favorite movies and series with a decent picture quality that's well within what you'd expect for a budget laptop.
In other words, don't expect a display that covers the entirety of the sRGB spectrum or one that delivers 500 nits of brightness. This is a budget display.
However, the display does have a couple of interesting specs. Firstly, it has a matte coating which is perfect to improve your productivity while reducing the presence of reflections on the screen. Secondly, the inclusion of Acer's BluelightShield technology will be beneficial for your eyes reducing eye fatigue and discomfort when spending long stretches of time staring at the screen.
Finally, unlike the recently reviewed Acer Aspire Vero AV15-51-7617, the keyboard of this model isn't backlit. The feel and travel are decent, and the touchpad is responsive enough to navigate smoothly through Windows 11 users' interface. However, neither the keyboard nor the touchpad are anything to write home about.
Moving on to the performance segment of this review, this laptop features a Dual-Core 11th-Generation processor, Intel Core i3-1115G4, with four threads and a 6 MB SmartCache memory, reaching a burst frequency of 4.10 GHz on heavy loads. This is a better CPU than what we're used to seeing on an entry-level notebook.
Moreover, it packs an expandable 8 GB DDR4 RAM which runs incredibly smooth for daily tasks, including spreadsheet editing, web browsing, video calling, light photo editing, and many others; as said by the customers who bought it recently.
Having said that, for power users, we would definitely urge them to consider upgrading the RAM. We've written up a step-by-step tutorial on how to upgrade the RAM on the Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-347N and we would definitely recommend it for those amongst you who want to be working on a billion things at a time without fear that you'll run into the dreaded lag in performance due to overloading your RAM.
In this particular case, you've got 8 GB soldered onto the board but there's one slot free where you can install more RAM and the benefits of, for example, including another 8 GB module would be substantial for power users who are used to having 10-15 programs running at any given time.
On the other hand, the Intel UHD Graphics GPU is capable enough to stream multimedia content smoothly and play some light games, although it should be pointed out that you'll need an external monitor in case you want to watch 4K content since the screen doesn't support that resolution.
Moving onto storage, the Acer Aspire 5 at hand comes with a 128 GB NVMe solid-state drive (SSD), whose faster loading times will be beneficial for your productivity since you won't have to wait too much in order to run your day-to-day tasks and transfer heavy files between folders.
Again, as we mentioned with the RAM, this too can be upgraded and we would recommend power-users or people who like to have their whole multimedia library with them at all times to upgrade the storage on the Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-347N. It's a fairly quick and relatively cheap process. These days you can get a super-fast NVMe drive with a 500 GB capacity for roughly 30 dollars so we would definitely recommend going down that route.
Overall, this combo of key specs allows for a laptop that offers respectable performance and that could very well be categorized as a mid-range notebook. While it's true that the storage capacity is a bit limited right out of the box, the ability to upgrade both storage and RAM, along with its mid-tier CPU, make this laptop one of the best options currently available within the mid-range.
Connectivity and Extras
As for the connectivity options, we've got 3 full-sized USB ports (two USB 3.2 and one USB 2.0), a single high-speed USB-C port, an HDMI 2.0 output for external monitors, an Ethernet port, and a standard headphone/speaker audio jack.
On the other hand, it comes with Bluetooth 5.0 and dual-band Wi-Fi 6 which is three times faster than the previous generation (Wi-Fi 5), so you can enjoy a better user experience when playing online, browsing the web, and streaming.
Last but not least, there's a decent-quality HD webcam for video calls along with a plastic cover to cover the camera, and built-in Alexa so you can access your favorite apps just by using your voice.
Notable absences within the connectivity suite are the SD card reader and the fingerprint reader. These aren't big deals.
Battery Life
Like the already reviewed Acer Aspire 5 A515-46-R14K, the battery life of the Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-347N can last nearly 8 hours of real-life usage when doing light tasks with the screen's brightness maxed at 150 nits, including 1080p video playback, web surfing, and spreadsheet editing.
This is not half bad for a laptop that wasn't designed with portability as a key differentiator. We half expected to find a laptop that could barely get past the 4-hour mark so we're very pleased with this battery life that offers enough juice to comfortably use it outside of your house without giving you battery anxiety if you don't take the charger with you.
Verdict: Should you buy it?
The Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-347N reviewed today is the ultimate IT solution for casual users, students, and elderly people looking to work, study, web surf, and enjoy multimedia smoothly both at home and outside.
We would've liked to see a backlit keyboard or double the onboard storage but these are small sacrifices in exchange for a mid-tier laptop at an entry-level price.
Ultimately, this laptop delivers a lightweight design, solid performance on day-to-day tasks, a comfy keyboard, pretty decent battery life, and balanced connectivity, all while keeping your credit score intact. An excellent choice that's bound to keep its spot as one of the best-selling notebooks of the year.