Acer Aspire Go 15 (2025) evaluate: An inexpensive laptop computer that cuts corners

Acer has a knack for churning out new machines with minor updates to prior fashions virtually to the purpose the place it’s arduous to inform the distinction. Such is the case for the Acer Aspire Go 15, which updates a number of the insides of the 2024 Aspire Go 15, however not a lot you’d discover from a cursory look on the exterior.

Sadly, the inner upgrades have include a bump in value that sees this new mannequin begin at $429. It’s nonetheless decidedly a funds PC, nevertheless it verges on the harmful $500 mark the place I’ve seen many extra thrilling laptops dip right down to with offers. Acer could have the low-end market cornered with its MSRP, and it at the least has a usable pc on its fingers with the Acer Aspire Go 15, however anybody with time to attend for a reduction will most likely wish to just do that and reel in a greater different.

Acer Aspire Go 15: Specs and options

• Mannequin quantity: AG15-51P-51OU
• CPU: Intel Core i5-1334U
• Reminiscence: 8GB LPDDR5
• Graphics/GPU: Intel UHD Graphics
• Show: 15.3-inch 1200p IPS
• Storage: 256GB PCIe Gen4 SSD (Kingston OM8SEP4256Q-AA)
• Webcam: 1080p with Home windows Whats up facial recognition
• Connectivity: 2x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2×2 , 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x 3.5mm combo audio
• Networking: WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.1 or larger
• Biometrics: Home windows Whats up facial recognition
• Battery capability: 53 watt-hours
• Dimensions: 13.6 x 9.6 x 0.78 inches
• Weight: 3.72 kilos
• MSRP: $429 as-tested ($429 base)

On the time of writing, there was just one configuration of the Acer Aspire Go 15 accessible. It’s a easy, low-end system fitted with an older CPU, a paltry 8GB of reminiscence, and little storage. It lands with an MSRP of $429, which feels a bit of steep for a number of the elements and construct high quality, however it could be the results of tariffs. The storage on this mannequin is an improve over final 12 months’s UFS storage, because it’s a user-upgradeable M.2 SSD. That stated, the reminiscence isn’t upgradeable and more likely to severely restrict the long-term utility of this laptop computer. 

Acer Aspire Go 15: Design and construct high quality

Nothing in regards to the Acer Aspire Go 15 is shaking issues up for the product line. This mannequin has all of the basic appears of its predecessors — thicker plastic bezels, the up-firing exhaust just under the show, a black and grey colorway, and an odd mixture of arduous angles and mild curves. It’s not an thrilling machine to take a look at, nevertheless it’s not terribly objectionable both. 

That is undeniably a funds, utilitarian machine, so it’s no shock that it will get a plastic chassis, which displays a good bit of flex right here and there. It doesn’t really feel too cheaply constructed, nevertheless it’s not premium within the least. On the intense facet, Acer claims to make use of 30 p.c recycled plastic within the chassis. 

The Acer Aspire Go 15 is a bit of weighty, tipping the scales at 3.72 kilos. That’s not absurdly heavy for a 15-inch laptop computer, however remembering that it is a low-end mannequin with out a lot high-performance {hardware} occurring, there’s much less purpose for it to be so heavy because it doesn’t depend on an enormous cooling system. Between the show and bigger bezels, the Acer Aspire Go 15 finally ends up a bit of massive as properly. Not less than Acer saved the depth to only 0.78 inches, which is skinny sufficient to nonetheless slip simply into laptop computer sleeves. 

Acer Aspire Go 15: Keyboard, trackpad

IDG / Mark Knapp

You get the fundamentals in the case of inputs for the Acer Aspire Go 15, providing you with all that it is advisable to interface with the system however not doing something further. The keyboard is past underwhelming. It’s practical, with passable stabilization, however the virtually convex keycaps give little in the way in which of helpful tactile suggestions to assist information finger placement. It’s merely not a nice keyboard to make use of. On the intense facet, it does embody a skinny quantity pad off to the facet, nevertheless it’s a bit of cramped and doesn’t embody the arithmetic keys of their typical place, so it is going to take some adjusting when you’ve got muscle reminiscence for a standard quantity pad. The keyboard is straightforward sufficient to see in daylight with its black keys and white keycaps, however there’s no backlighting, so it’s a wrestle to make use of at nighttime. 

The trackpad is centered under the primary portion of the keyboard, however this ends in it truly being skewed to the left of the laptop computer itself. When you mouse round along with your proper hand, this makes it a clumsy attain to make use of and, in my case, has led to me typically right-clicking once I intend a left-click. 

Acer Aspire Go 15: Show, audio

IDG / Mark Knapp

Even with machines twice the price of this, I’ve seen shows uncared for. So it’s little shock to see that the Acer Aspire Go 15 has an underwhelming display screen. It’s sharp sufficient with a 1920×1200 decision at its 15.3-inch measurement and the 1,200:1 distinction helps preserve that sharp look. However past that easy utility, it’s not a looker.

The show solely covers 69 p.c of the sRGB coloration area — I’d name 95-100% protection the minimal you’d need for a handsome show. It’s arduous to disregard what number of OLED laptops are in the marketplace providing up considerably higher visuals, and the way typically I see them on sale for round $500. The show additionally solely reaches 289 nits at its brightest. Fortunately, it doesn’t should run at full brightness to be seen because the matte end on the show helps stop extreme glare. 

The audio system on the Acer Aspire Go 15 are additionally simply sufficient to get the job performed. They emphasize the vocal vary, which might make for nice sufficient music and clear sound for podcasts or displays. They’re loud sufficient to listen to from close by or in a quiet room, however they don’t transcend that. 

Acer Aspire Go 15: Webcam, microphone, biometrics

The webcam on the Acer Aspire Go 15 is ok. It bumps as much as 1080p, giving it an edge over the 720p fashions nonetheless widespread in funds laptops. However that decision gained’t imply an excessive amount of if lighting circumstances aren’t exceptionally shiny, because the webcam footage will seem grainy. The digicam at the least balances lighting properly, avoiding crushed shadows or blown out highlights. The most important perk of the digicam is that it integrates Home windows Whats up facial recognition, which permits for fast sign-ins and not using a password.

The mics on the Acer Aspire Go 15 aren’t significantly good. Even talking straight at them in a quiet room from lower than an arm’s size away, my voice sounds pretty distant. Not less than it sounds clear, nevertheless it might be significantly better.

Acer Aspire Go 15: Connectivity

IDG / Mark Knapp

You’ll discover modest connectivity on the Acer Aspire Go 15. Whereas it’s unlucky that there’s no USB4 or Thunderbolt 4 for top bandwidth transfers, the system at the least has an honest number of ports. The left edge consists of two USB-C ports that provides 10Gbps switch speeds and charging for the laptop computer. There’s a USB-A 5Gbps on both facet of the system. Acer additionally features a full-size HDMI 2.1 port on the left edge and a 3.5mm jack on the best. These would have been properly complemented by a microSD slot for further storage. 

For wi-fi connections, the Acer Aspire Go 15 will get Wi-Fi 6, which has offered quick and secure connectivity in my testing. However it doesn’t make the leap to Wi-Fi 6E for entry to the 6GHz band or to Wi-Fi 7 for higher future proofing.

Acer Aspire Go 15: Efficiency

The Acer Aspire Go 15 will get some under-the-hood upgrades which have improved efficiency significantly over its Core i3-N305-powered predecessor from 2024. That stated, it’s nonetheless not a really speedy machine. It provides modest efficiency that may sustain with informal use shopping the net, and its PCMark 10 rating of a bit of over 5,000 factors strains up with that sort of efficiency. Nonetheless, its lack of reminiscence can shortly turn out to be a difficulty. Even only a handful of tabs open in Chrome is sufficient to replenish its small 8GB capability, and there’s no upgrading that soldered-on reminiscence down the road. 

The CPU itself isn’t a horrible performer. It combines two quick cores and eight environment friendly cores, which supplies it each excessive single-core speeds and respectable multi-core speeds. 

It doesn’t lag too far behind the Acer Aspire 14 AI‘s Intel Core Extremely 5 226V in any of our Cinebench assessments, and it reveals a pleasant lead over the Acer Aspire 3 15’s AMD Ryzen 5 7520U. However it’s not a lot competitors for the AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS within the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED. It even has the benefit over the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100 discovered within the Dell Inspiron 14 5441 when that CPU depends on emulation. 

Sadly, it falls aside within the graphics division. Between its restricted reminiscence, which is break up between the system and built-in graphics and its reliance on older Intel UHD Graphics, the Acer Aspire Go 15 merely doesn’t sustain with extra trendy graphics options. It might keep forward of Qualcomm’s chip in some instances, main in 3DMark’s Time Spy check however falling behind in Night time Raid. However it doesn’t stack as much as AMD’s Radeon 780M graphics or Intel’s Arc 130V graphics, neither of that are essentially the most spectacular built-in graphics choices. 

Regardless of the decrease energy elements, warmth continues to be a priority, and never even the place I’d anticipate it to be coming from. In informal use, shopping, the left fringe of the laptop computer had an disagreeable hotspot that sat proper on my left leg. Popping open the lid, this hotspot corresponded with the placement of the SSD — a part you don’t need failing. 

Acer Aspire Go 15: Battery life

The Acer Aspire Go 15 leaves so much to be desired in the case of battery life. Despite the fact that it’s operating a decrease efficiency processor, it’s not conserving a lot energy. Intel, Qualcomm, and AMD have stepped issues up not too long ago in the case of energy effectivity, however the dated thirteenth Gen Intel Core processor within the Acer Aspire Go 15 isn’t the beneficiary of any of these upgrades. 

With a runtime of just a bit over seven hours, the Acer Aspire Go 15 falls approach behind its contemporaries in our video playback battery check and even shaves off runtime in comparison with the 2024 mannequin. Except for Acer’s personal different within the Aspire 3 15, the competitors right here provides up greater than double the battery lifetime of the Acer Aspire Go 15. Whereas the processor seemingly bares a number of the blame, the show may additionally be a perpetrator.

To achieve the brightness degree of our check, the Acer Aspire Go 15 needed to run its show at 88 p.c brightness. It is probably not operating very effectively at that degree, as many electronics undergo diminishing returns when dialed as much as the max. That stated, as a result of the Acer Aspire Go 15 has an anti-glare show, it’s a little simpler to make use of the laptop computer with its brightness at decrease ranges to preserve energy. Nonetheless, in day-to-day use, the Acer Aspire Go 15 struggles to achieve 6 hours of runtime even with the show brightness decreased.

Acer Aspire Go 15: Conclusion

The Acer Aspire Go 15 isn’t one thing to get enthusiastic about. The truth is, it’s merely a extra inexpensive machine geared toward customers who’ve minimal wants from their pc. Many of the system hits the mark of being “usable” however no factor of it reaches greatness. Whereas its value definitely lands it in funds territory, it’s not essentially providing as a lot worth as it will want to face out. Whereas we haven’t examined many laptops at this value level that may beat the Acer Aspire Go 15, there are many costlier methods that see frequent, main reductions.

The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED talked about above, as an illustration, is a bit of dated and certain will see some reductions infrequently, very like its personal predecessor has. A barely lower-spec model of the Asus Vivobook S 14 we not too long ago examined was on sale for simply $449 (down from its typical $949) at Finest Purchase and would supply marked upgrades over the Acer Aspire Go 15 in nearly each respect. So, should you can anticipate a deal, you possibly can land a significantly better system in your cash.