Desktops and laptops
Back to Best Laptop And Tablet Reviews

Acer Aspire 5 A514-52K-36GL review

Acer Aspire 5 A514-52K-36GL

CHOICE Expert Rating

67%
What is the CHOICE Expert Rating?
Good points

Good Points

  • Storage space can be upgraded by using the supplied internal 2.5in caddy (removal of bottom panel required)
  • Full-sized HDMI port
Bad points

Bad Points

  • Screen has narrow viewing angles
  • Keyboard is not backlit
  • Lack of a lip or notch makes opening the lid very difficult
  • Very tight USB 2.0 port
  • No SD card slot
  • Poor storage write speed

Type

Ultraportable
Ultrabook
Tablet mode
Operating system
Windows 10 S

Recommended products

Recommended
Not recommended
Recommended for tablet use

Test results

CHOICE Expert Rating
67%
Performance score
52%
Tablet use score
N/A
Ease of use score
75%
Battery life score
75%
Display score
62%
Audio score
55%
Wi-Fi score
79%
Storage write-speed (MBps)
503
Storage read-speed (MBps)
1541
Wi-Fi speed (MBps)
42
Average battery life – heavy usage (hours)
9:21
Charging time to 80% full (h:min)
1:38
Expert tester comments
Acer's Aspire 5 is a budget model that doesn't have great build quality, but it offers a more than decent configuration and battery life for the price. Don't expect it to look or feel as sleek as a pricier laptop, but expect it to be fine for everyday school or office work. If you're keen to tinker, it ships with a 2.5in drive caddy that allows you to install a second storage device in its chassis (either a 2.5in SSD or HDD).

Sustainability

Shop Ethical rating
C
Warranty (years)
1
Replaceable battery
Not collected
Replace/upgrade RAM
Not collected
Slots for additional RAM
Not collected
Replace/upgrade storage
Not collected
Slot for additional storage
Not collected
Replace/upgrade Wi-Fi
Not collected
Country of origin
China

Related products

Availability
Discontinued model

Cost

Price
$699.00

Specifications

Screen size (inches)
14
Native screen resolution (pixels)
1366 x 768
Processor (CPU) type
Intel Core i3-8130U
CPU frequency (GHz)
2.2
RAM (GB)
4
Video graphics type
Intel UHD Graphics 620
Storage capacity (GB)
128
Available user space (GB)
89
Storage type
SSD
Wi-Fi version
5
Weight of laptop (kg)
1.5
Weight of power supply (kg)
0.3
Size (mm, H x D x W)
22 x 235 x 330

Features

Screen finish
Matte
Touchscreen
USB-C
USB 2.0 ports
1
USB 3.0 ports
2
USB 4 as USB-C port
0
USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 1 or 2, not Thunderbolt 3 or 4) ports
1
Thunderbolt 3 or 4 (as USB-C) ports
0
SD card slot (full-size)
SD card slot (micro)
HDMI port
Gigabit ethernet port
Rear camera
Backlit keyboard levels of brightness
0

More products in this test

Venom BlackBook Zero 14 Phantom G8 Delta Edition
76
Recommended

Venom BlackBook Zero 14 Phantom G8 Delta Edition

$2,699
Dell XPS 13 9345
78
Recommended

Dell XPS 13 9345

$2,299
Apple MacBook Air 13.6-inch (A2681)
74

Apple MacBook Air 13.6-inch (A2681)

$1,299

Looking for user reviews?

We don't offer user reviews anymore. Help us improve this expert review by sharing your feedback in a quick survey.