Review Summary
Expert Rating
A few years ago, laptops under Rs 30,000 were, frankly, subpar. But that’s no longer the case. Times have changed, and many new brands have proven that you can find genuinely good options even on a budget. Today, we have the Acer Aspire Lite AL15-53 on our desk. While the name might be a bit of a mouthful, we’ll simply call it the Aspire Lite. So, what sets this laptop apart in the crowded budget market? Find out in this review.
This device was originally reviewed by Florence George, and this article is based on his evaluation.
Here is a video review of the Acer Aspire Lite AL15-53:
Table of Contents
Design and Build Quality
As the name suggests, the Acer Aspire Lite is a light laptop weighing just 1.59 kilograms, but that’s not all. The build quality is solid, with both the top lid and bottom panel made of metal. The design gives us the impression of a professional business laptop. The hinge is solid, and the laptop lid does not wobble when typing. The lid can also be opened up to 180 degrees, which is impressive.
Display
The Acer Aspire Lite AL15-53 offers a 15.6-inch display with Full HD resolution. However, this is a TN panel, so the viewing angles are not great. If you research, then you might find laptops that offer you better panels at this price range. We would rate this display at a score of 6.5 out of 10.
Coming to the speakers, they are nice for the price. We would go as far as to say these are some of the best speakers we have tested for a laptop in this price range.
Keyboard, Trackpad and I/O
You get a full-sized keyboard with a dedicated numpad. In terms of typing, there is a long travel distance which reminds us of the membrane keyboards. There is an issue though, this laptop does not have a backlight on the keyboard, which is a bummer. Coming to the trackpad, it is decent in size and gets the job done. Nothing fancy here.
Regarding I/O, on the left side, you get a Kensington lock, an Ethernet port, a MicroSD card slot, a USB 3.0 Type-A port, another USB 2.0 Type-A port, and an audio combo jack. Surprisingly, there is also a SIM card slot, but it is non-functional. On the right side, you get a USB Type-C port, a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port, an HDMI port, and a DC input port for power. Sadly, the USB Type-C provided here does not support charging the laptop, which is a missed opportunity. |
Performance
Now coming to the performance, it’s a mixed bag. The Intel Core i3 1305U processor is powering the laptop with 1 performance core and 4 efficiency cores. In terms of RAM, this laptop has 8GB of DDR4 RAM with 3200 MT/s speed out-of-the-box. As for the storage, you get 512 GB of internal storage which is all right. The RAM and storage can be upgraded, so that’s a good thing. We compared this laptop with the Infinix Y4 Max and here are the results:
As you can see, both the laptops are close when coming to the CPU. But the Acer laptop lags in the GPU department. We confirmed this with our gaming tests too. When playing GTA 5 at Normal preset and FHD resolution, the Acer Aspire Lite only delivered an Average of 33 fps, whereas the Infinix Y4 Max delivered an average of 69 fps.
There are a couple of reasons for this. First, the Infinix Y4 Max has an Intel Core i3 1315U processor, which has 2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores. Secondly, the RAM on the Infinix laptop is 16GB in capacity and it is of much higher frequency running at 4267 MT/s speed. The only caveat is that the Infinix Y4 Max has soldered RAM, so you can’t upgrade. The Acer Aspire Lite, on the other hand, can be upgraded up to 32 GB.
Battery
We were disappointed with the battery life of the Acer Aspire Lite AL15-53. Although the laptop comes with a 36 Wh battery, when opening it we found that it had much more space to accommodate a much larger battery. The chassis is likely a repurposed one, but, sadly, Acer chose not to give us that extra battery capacity. The battery life is strictly average as it lasted only 5 hours and 14 minutes on the PCMark 10 video playback benchmark.
Verdict
In conclusion, the Acer Aspire Lite falls short in its primary role: being a good laptop. There are a few key issues. First, the TN panel offers only average display quality. Second, while it does come with 8GB of RAM, the fact that it has an additional slot yet doesn’t offer more out-of-the-box is disappointing in 2024. Lastly, despite having ample space, Acer opted for a smaller battery. On the plus side, we applaud the laptop’s solid build quality and impressive speakers. Ultimately, the decision is yours: Do the pros outweigh the cons, or are the shortcomings too significant to ignore?
Editor’s rating: 7.5/10
Pros
- Great build quality
- Good speakers
- Feature packed I/O
Cons
- Average display
- No backlighting on the keyboard
- 8GB of RAM out of the box
- Mediocre battery life
- No charging via the Type C port