Are you looking for a Windows laptop? Want to spend less than $500? Then an Acer Aspire laptop is almost certainly at the top of your list. Aspire laptops routinely top Amazon's list of best-selling laptops, with some models selling for as little as $369.99. The model we evaluated for this review offers the best of both worlds. It is reasonably priced and provides adequate performance.
The screen hinge is similarly strong, if not a little stiff. When you try to lift the Aspire 5's screen lid by yourself, the entire chassis comes along for the ride. Bummer. In terms of ports and connectivity, the right side of the chassis houses a standard USB Type-A 2.0 socket as well as a headphone jack. On the left, you'll find HDMI, a pair of 5Gbps USB 3.1 ports, and a USB Type-C connector, which is also 5Gbps. The only notable omission is an SD card reader. The Acer Aspire 5 has a pair of bottom-firing stereo speakers at the front of the chassis for audio. They're not all that bad in terms of clarity and soundstage imaging. However, the complete lack of bass and very little mid-range results in a very thin overall audio experience.
In addition to producing high-quality prints, the printer's efficiency is critical. The ISO standard print speed (A4) of the Canon PIXMA TS8270 is up to 15.0 (images per minute) ipm for monochrome printing and 10.0 ipm for color printing. When it comes to color printing, I would say it is fairly quick for a home printer. How is the printing quality? The printer has a maximum printing resolution of 4800 (horizontal)*1 x 1200 (vertical) (dots per inch) dpi, according to Canon's website. But what do these numbers mean on their own? To put things into perspective, I chose two other inkjet printers at different price points and compared their maximum printing resolution. According to the table above, the PIXMA TS8270 has the same maximum printing resolution as the PIXMA TS9570, which is one of Canon's higher-end inkjet printers. Naturally, the higher the dpi, the higher the resolution. As a result, the PIXMA TS8270 has a very high printing resolution for a mid-range inkjet printer. At $299, the printer is also reasonably priced.
If you're looking for a low-cost laptop that can always be docked, the Aspire 5 is a good option. The capable Core i5 processor and integrated graphics can handle the work you need to get done. While the trackpad takes some getting used to, the full-size keyboard is comfortable and makes writing this many words a breeze. However, parents looking for a laptop for their child will be disappointed by the Aspire 5's battery life, especially with today's new way of remote learning wherever it is convenient. Along with the Aspire 5's reasonable price, this is something to consider. As this Acer Aspire 5 review has shown, there are some drawbacks to consider, and without features like a touchscreen display and a memory card reader, it's a difficult laptop to recommend.
