Budget laptops under $500 may seem like a great deal, but they often come with outdated processors and poor integrated graphics. The Acer Aspire 3 is a prime example of this issue. While it offers decent specs like 16GB of memory and a 1TB SSD, its AMD Ryzen 5 7520U processor and Radeon 610M GPU fall short in terms of performance.
The design of the Acer Aspire 3 is basic and lacks any distinctive features, but it feels sturdy for a budget laptop. The keyboard is spacious but lacks a backlight, making it difficult to use in low light conditions. The touchpad, however, is responsive and offers enough room for gestures.
The display on the Aspire 3 is decent with a resolution of 1920×1080, but it lacks in color performance and contrast. This makes it less ideal for content creation tasks. The built-in speakers are also subpar, producing muddy sound quality.
In terms of connectivity, the Acer Aspire 3 offers a basic set of ports including USB-A, USB-C, HDMI, and a headphone jack. However, it lacks an Ethernet port, which may be a downside for some users. The laptop also supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1.
Performance-wise, the Acer Aspire 3 struggles with its AMD Ryzen 5 7520U processor and Radeon 610M GPU. Benchmarks show that it falls behind other laptops in its price range, making it less than ideal for demanding tasks. However, the laptop’s 16GB of RAM and 1TB SSD help it feel snappy in day-to-day use.
Battery life on the Acer Aspire 3 is mediocre, lasting around 6 to 8 hours with general use. The laptop comes with Windows 11 Home S mode enabled, which restricts app installations to the Microsoft Store.
Overall, the Acer Aspire 3 is a decent budget laptop for basic tasks, but its performance limitations may make it less appealing for users who need more power. For those on a tight budget, the Aspire 3 could be a suitable option, but spending a bit more money could get you a significantly better-performing laptop.
