Acer has released the A515-56-347N, Acer Aspire 5 model with i3-1115G4 CPU, 8GB of RAM rather than just 4GB. Is this laptop as good as its predecessor that successfully has been Amazon best seller laptop for a few months last year? Let’s find out.
A515-56-347N – First Impression
No different from the older generations of the Acer Aspire 5 family, this model’s appearance will attract a lot of users. The clean silver color, minimalistic design, and thin bezels on the screen will impress you at first sight. What is more, the lid is made from Aluminum, which adds a premium feel to the appearance. And seriously, aluminum cover on a laptop under 400? That’s rare!
Furthermore, the weight of this laptop is really surprising, it is very light! Despite the 15.6″ display and the spacious keyboard, this notebook is very sleek and weighs only 3.6 pounds (=~1.6kg). This also means you are getting a laptop that is lighter than a 15″ Apple Macbook Pro with its 4.02 pounds!
Due to its weight, the A515-56-347N is definitely an easy-to-transport portable computer.
Specs
| Product: | Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-347N Slim Laptop - 15.6" Full HD IPS Display - 11th Gen Intel i3-1115G4 Dual Core Processor - 8GB DDR4 - 128GB NVMe SSD - WiFi 6 - Amazon Alexa - Windows 11 Home in S Mode |
| Screen | A 15.6″ IPS Display with 1920×1080 Full-HD resolution & BlueLightShield Technology.
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| Processor | 3.0 – 4.10 GHz Dual-Core Intel i3-1115G4 |
| Graphics | Intel® UHD Graphics |
| RAM | 8GB DDR4 SDRAM (Upgradable) |
| Storage | 128GB SSD (Upgradable) |
| Connectivity | 1x USB 2.0 Port, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A Ports, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C Port (up to 5 Gbps), 1x HDMI, 1x RJ-45 Ethernet port |
| Other features | Webcam, 2x Stereo speakers, built-in Microphone, Wi-Fi 6, Top Aluminum Case |
| Pros & Contras | VIEW |
Windows 11 OS
The A515-56-347N comes with Windows 11 S Operating System. The S version offers a more secure, reliable, and faster system. Fortunately, Microsoft gives you a choice to keep the S version or to upgrade to the full version of Windows (Windows 11 Home edition) for free. And compared to a Chromebook, I prefer Windows laptops because they offer full functionality.
11th Gen CPU
The Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-347N comes with Intel i3-1115G4 CPU. This processor is the new 11th-generation CPU from Intel, which was manufactured on a smaller 10nm process node. Performance-wise, this dual-core processor offers better performance and uses less energy than the 10th-generation predecessors. See its specification here.
Moreover, this CPU is the 28W version of the 11th generation Intel processor, which means, compared to the 15W CPU, the performance of our laptop’s CPU can be up to 20% better for multitasking and other heavy tasks.
Also, although the A515-56-347N was not built for gaming, the integrated Intel UHD Graphics card is capable to run basic games like Fortnite, Minecraft, and even CS: GO. This is really impressive for the processor in an under 400 laptop! For a specifically-built notebook for gamers check out this model.
Together with this new CPU, Acer surprisingly includes 8GB of RAM instead of just 4GB and 128GB SSD for fast computing power. You will also have the option to add your own RAM stick down the road if you need to.
BlueLightShield Technology
The 15.6-inch 1920 x 1080p Full-HD IPS display of Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-347N has the BlueLightShield technology. High-energy visible (HEV) light, or blue light, is one of the colors in the visible light spectrum that is easily visible to the human eye.
The sun produces the largest blue light, however, your gadget devices also emit it greatly. The exposure to blue light from those devices can harm our eyes, especially when you often work with your laptop for hours on end, every day. Acer’s BlueLightShield technology helps to protect your eyes from those blue light productions.
In general, the screen of this laptop has rich colors and details. The fact that it’s a full-HD 1080p IPS display also means that it has wide viewing angles, which is great for when you want to see what’s on your screen from any position.
Numeric Pad
The A515-56-347N includes a Numeric pad to the right on the keyboard. So if you are doing a lot of numbers for your work, this feature is great. What I like more, is the “backspace” key, because it is larger than most backspace keys on other laptops I have ever seen.
In a nutshell for the price, this laptop has a great keyboard and key placement.
Useful Connectors
You are getting all the ports you need with this Acer Aspire 5 i3-1115G4 model. There are USB 2, USB 3, and USB-C with this laptop!
From the right side, you will see a USB 2.0 port and an audio combo for Headphone/Speaker line-out.
Then on the left side, you will be able to find 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, HDMI v2.0, and an RJ-45 Ethernet port.
Conserve More Power
If you want to have a laptop with longer battery life, choose a laptop that has an Ethernet port. That’s because not only an Ethernet port offers a stable and more secure internet connection, but it also consumes less power than wireless.
Of course, it is also more convenient to have a wireless option, but if you use a laptop for homeschooling, office work, and even gaming, an Ethernet port is a great option to have, and our laptop here has both these options.
And speaking of the wireless option, the Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-347N comes with dual-band Wi-Fi 6. This means, our new laptop here can deliver data to several devices at the same time more efficiently. And furthermore, Wi-Fi 6 feature also has a better security system.
Not ready yet with your new laptop’s new Wi-Fi version? no worries, Wi-Fi 6 is compatible with older devices and older Wi-Fi versions, so you will still be able to connect to the internet wireless with this laptop.
Summary
For this price, you really get a lot. Here, you are presented with a fully-functional notebook. Whether you are a student or working from home, if you need something light yet still packs quite powerful performance, this Acer Aspire may be just what you need.
For what you get at this price range, this A515-56-347N is a great affordable laptop.
