The Acer Aspire 5 15 (2023) is a budget Windows laptop. It replaces the Acer Aspire 5 from 2022 (model A515-57). This 2023 model is available with Intel 13th Gen U- and H-series CPUs, integrated graphics, up to 16GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of storage. It has an FHD IPS display (with or without touch input support), a full-size keyboard with a numpad, a 720p webcam, and Wi-Fi 6 wireless connectivity. Port selection varies depending on the variant—while all models have two USB-As, only select models have a USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 and/or Ethernet port. Keyboard backlighting and fingerprint sensor are optional features.
See our unit's specifications and the available configuration options in the Differences Between Variants section.
Our Verdict
The Acer Aspire 5 2023 is decent for school use. Despite its all-plastic construction, it feels relatively well-built, and its compact design makes it easy to carry around. You can configure the laptop with an Intel 13th Gen U- and H-series processors; the latter provides a good amount of processing power for CPU-intensive tasks like programming and scientific studies. There's no dedicated graphics option for GPU-intensive workloads. The overall user experience is a bit of a mixed bag; its 1080p display gets reasonably bright but looks washed out, and its keyboard feels spacious but mushy. Battery life is decent at around eight hours of light use, so depending on your usage, you may need to plug it in for a quick charge to get through the day. Unfortunately, not all models have a USB-C port, so make sure to check the specifications if this is important to you.
- Easy to carry around for a 15-inch device.
- Feels relatively well built for the price.
- Available with powerful H-series CPUs.
- Doesn't get hot or loud under load.
- Battery only lasts around eight hours of light use.
- No dedicated GPU option.
- Mushy keyboard.
- Some models lack USB-C.
The Acer Aspire 5 2023 is sub-par for gaming. It's only available with low-power CPUs and integrated graphics, which aren't powerful enough to handle graphically intensive games. It also has a slow 60Hz display with no VRR support to reduce screen tearing. You can play some lighter, casual games, but you'll have to play with low settings to get playable frame rates.
- Doesn't get hot or loud under load.
- User-replaceable SSD.
- No dedicated GPU option.
- Can only get up to 16GB of soldered RAM.
- 60Hz display with slow response time.
- No VRR support.
- Some models lack USB-C.
The Acer Aspire 5 2023 is okay for media consumption. It's easy to carry around for a 15-inch device, and its battery lasts around seven hours of video playback, giving you plenty of time to get through a couple of full-length movies. Its 1080p display looks decently sharp and gets bright enough for use in most indoor settings; however, its narrow color gamut makes most content look washed out. Also, it isn't ideal for dark room viewing because its low contrast ratio makes blacks look gray. Unfortunately, while the speakers get very loud, they sound tinny and unnatural, with no bass.
- Easy to carry around for a 15-inch device.
- Battery lasts around seven hours of video playback.
- Speakers get pretty loud.
- Display looks washed out due to narrow color gamut.
- Blacks look gray in dim settings.
- Speakers sound unnatural, with almost no bass.
The Acer Aspire 5 2023 isn't designed for use as a workstation. It can handle some CPU-intensive tasks if you get a model with an H-series processor, but know that you can only get up to 16GB of RAM, and there's no option for dedicated graphics. It also isn't suitable for color-critical work, as the available displays don't even have full sRGB coverage. The keyboard feels mushy, and only select models have a USB-C port.
- Available with powerful H-series CPUs.
- Doesn't get hot or loud under load.
- User-replaceable SSD.
- No dedicated GPU option.
- Can only get up to 16GB of soldered RAM.
- Display isn't suitable for color-critical work.
- Some models lack USB-C.
The Acer Aspire 5 2023 is decent for business use. It feels relatively sturdy build-wise, and its thin and light design makes it easy to carry around. It's available with Intel 13th Gen CPUs, which can easily handle general productivity tasks like text processing, spreadsheets, web browsing, and presentations. The overall user experience is so-so; its FHD display provides plenty of room for multitasking and gets bright enough for use in most indoor settings. However, the keyboard and touchpad buttons feel mushy and somewhat cheap. Battery life is decent at around eight hours of light use, so depending on your usage, you may need to plug it in for a quick charge to get through a typical workday.
- Easy to carry around for a 15-inch device.
- Feels relatively well built for the price.
- Doesn't get hot or loud under load.
- Battery only lasts around eight hours of light use.
- Mushy keyboard.
- Some models lack USB-C.
Changelog
- Updated May 07, 2025: We've updated this review to Test Bench 0.8.3, which removes the viewing angle tests and adds a GPU Total Graphics Power comparison in the GPU section. The Pen Input test in the Extra Features section has also changed, as it now shows whether the laptop supports pen input rather than the inclusion of a stylus in the box. See the changelog for more details.
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Updated Mar 07, 2025:
Added mention of the Acer Aspire 15 (2024) as an alternative available with a higher resolution QHD display in the Screen Specs section.
- Updated Aug 23, 2024: Added mention of the Dell Precision 3591 (2024) as an alternative with more powerful GPU options for professional workloads in the GPU section.
- Updated Aug 20, 2024: Added mention of the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 (2024) as a Chromebook alternative with longer battery life in the Battery section.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Acer Aspire 5 15 (model A515-58P-58VF) with an FHD display, an Intel Core i5-1335U CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. The screen, CPU, memory, and storage are configurable; the available options are in the table below. This review applies only to variants with a model number starting with 'A515-58P' or 'A515-58M'. The Aspire 5 lineup also includes the A515-58GM variants, which are productivity/gaming models equipped with an NVIDIA RTX 2050 Laptop GPU; however, these variants have very different internals with a more robust cooling system. As such, we consider them separate models.
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See our unit's label here.
Popular Laptop Comparisons
The Acer Aspire 5 2023 is a decent budget laptop. It offers a good amount of performance compared to other laptops in its class, but the overall user experience isn't great, as it has a washed-out display, a mushy keyboard, and a limited port selection.
For more options, see our recommendations for the best Windows laptops, the best laptops for college, and the best budget and cheap laptops.
The Acer Aspire 5 15 (2023) and the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 15 (2023) are both 15-inch budget laptops. The Lenovo provides a better user experience, sporting a more tactile keyboard, a more responsive touchpad, and a better webcam. However, you can get more performance out of the Acer because it's available with faster H-series CPUs. The Acer also has better battery life, lasting almost two hours longer than the Lenovo.
The Acer Aspire 5 15 (2023) is a newer version of the Acer Aspire 5 15 (2020). They provide a similar user experience; the most notable difference is that the newer 2023 model has a larger touchpad and longer battery life. The 2023 model is also available with faster Intel 13th Gen CPUs, so you get significantly more processing power to tackle demanding tasks.
The Acer Aspire 5 15 (2023) and the Acer Aspire 3 15 (2023) are both 15-inch budget productivity laptops. The Aspire 5 is a slightly higher-end model that provides a better user experience. It has a sturdier build and a much brighter IPS display, and unlike the Aspire 3, you can get a model with keyboard backlighting. It's also available with faster Intel 13th Gen CPUs, giving you more processing power for intensive tasks.
The ASUS Vivobook S 16 Flip TP3604 (2023) and the Acer Aspire 5 15 (2023) are both Windows productivity laptops available with Intel 13th Gen U- and H-series CPUs. The ASUS is a slightly higher-end model that provides a better user experience, sporting a more comfortable keyboard, a larger touchpad, and a better webcam. Also, unlike the Acer, the ASUS is available with a 3.2k OLED display, and it's a 2-in-1 convertible, so you can use it as a tablet.
Test Results
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