Acer Aspire Go 15 is the latest and most affordable laptop in the Aspire family, providing a simple computing platform for users with less demanding computer specifications. The starting price is cheap at $300 (about 410,000 won), and the hardware specifications are commensurate with the price, including an older Alder Lake-based Intel processor that relies only on low-power E-cores and the use of UFS storage instead of NVMe SSD.
Nonetheless, the Aspire Go 15 is a fairly capable product that is more than capable of handling everyday browsing and tasks.
Detailed specifications and functions
The Aspire Go 15 does not have a variety of specifications. The Intel-based 15-inch model (denoted AG15-31P) is equipped with a lower-end Intel processor, the Intel Core i3-N305, which does not support hyperthreading and has only an E-core with limited clock speeds. It is provided in Windows 11 Home S mode by default, but can be switched to standard Windows 11 Home if necessary.
- CPU: Intel Core i3-N305
- Memory: 8GB LPDDR5
- Graphics/GPU: Intel UHD Graphics
- Display: 15.6-inch FHD LCD
- Storage: 128GB universal flash storage
- Webcam: 720p
- Connectivity: USB-C 3.2 2nd generation (supports charging and DisplayPort connection), 2 USB-A 3.2 1st generation, 1 HDMI, 1 3.5mm audio combo jack, 1 Kensington lock slot, 1 DC barrel jack ( 19V 3.42A)
- Network: WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.3
- Biometrics: Not supported
- Battery capacity: 53.9Wh
- Size: 14.29×9.44×0.74 inches
- Weight: 3.74 pounds (about 1.7 kg)
There is a slight difference in price depending on the configuration, but the actual difference between systems is not clear. The model tested by PCWorld is $299, and the slightly more expensive $349 configuration appears to have almost all the same specifications except that it reportedly uses 128GB of flash memory instead of a 128GB SSD (it says online that it uses an SSD, but the system itself says it uses an SSD). It is interesting that the default storage is confirmed to be a SanDisk UFS drive). Because LPDDR5 memory cannot be upgraded later, it is important to secure enough capacity to meet your needs. Acer’s product page lists 1TB storage and 16GB memory configurations as options, but I couldn’t actually find two configurations on the option selection page.
Design and Build
Because Acer sticks to the general design seen in multiple generations of Aspire and even Swift models, it sometimes feels like we’re reviewing the same product again. In this regard, it is not surprising that despite the new naming system, the design of the Aspire Go 15 is almost identical to the 2023 version, the Aspire 3.
As expected because it belongs to an inexpensive product line, all parts are made of plastic. The laptop cover, keyboard top, and bottom are all made of plastic. The cover and keyboard top were given a silver sheen to create a metallic feel. The silver and black combination is classic and not bad, but the rough plastic of the keyboard and display bezel not only has an awkward gloss, but also makes it feel cheap.
Because the plastic material is flexible, it compresses considerably when pressure is applied on the keyboard. The display is also prone to bending. There was a slight shaking when opening the laptop cover.
In terms of design, there is little difference from a typical laptop. The bezel around the display is quite thick, and ports are installed on both sides of the laptop. There are no fancy decorative elements on the hinges either. The ‘close to unique’ part of this product is the exhaust vent above the keyboard. It opens upwards to dissipate heat directly into the display. This design has recently become popular with Acer using it in many laptops.
Acer’s best decision in design was to shave off the front edge of the body. This will allow your hands to move smoothly across the keyboard deck and reduce the sharp pressure placed on your wrists when using the laptop.
Overall, it doesn’t look good or have great build quality. However, considering the price of $300, it is not bad.
keyboard and trackpad
Acer’s keyboard has different opinions about its almost dome-shaped keycaps, but Acer applies the same design to almost all models, from high-end to entry-level models. In other words, this design was also applied to the Aspire Go 15. Add to that the cheap mechanisms and rough plastic materials, and the typing experience isn’t all that great.
In my testing, I was able to comfortably type about 110 words per minute with fairly high accuracy (over 96%), but the keycap design made it difficult to press the center of the key consistently. Fortunately, the height did not shake too much.
Acer, like most other laptop manufacturers, has shrunk the arrow keys. There is also a number pad, but the keys are small and it is a thin number pad without a right-side control column, so it will take some getting used to for people who used to use full-size number pads. It is also worth noting that there is no keyboard backlight, and the right control keys have been replaced with new co-pilot keys. This change makes it nearly impossible to execute some keyboard commands (such as ctrl+-) with one hand.
The trackpad is large and smooth, making it easy to move the mouse. There were no issues with palm rejection during testing. This is good news because it’s easier for your palms to reach both corners of the trackpad while typing. However, sometimes it would jump to a different part of the screen during use, and when I touched the trackpad with two fingers at once, it seemed to recognize that I was swiping from one finger to the other. Fortunately, this phenomenon was rare and not disruptive.
display and audio
The display fulfills its role in a very practical way. The best part is the combination of moderate brightness (284 nits) and a matte finish. Provides good visibility even in non-ideal environments. You can see your work clearly even in situations where light is shined directly on the display. The 15.6-inch display provides adequate space for multitasking with two windows side by side.
The 15.6-inch 1080p resolution is also clearly visible. Despite not having outstanding brightness performance, the display contrast ratio was sufficient to be at a medium level in most cases. It also supports dynamic contrast, a function that lowers the backlight when more dark content is displayed on the screen and increases the backlight when more bright content is displayed. The light changes more slowly than the screen displays, and when there is a big change, such as opening a new, bright window, it can be uncomfortable to see for a while. In windows that are mostly black, light leakage may be clearly visible at the bottom edge of the display.
The biggest drawback of the display is the lack of color gamut. This makes the screen look somewhat dull and lifeless.
Like other parts, the emphasis was placed on making the speaker simple and functional. The small bottom-mounted speaker lacks fullness, but is loud enough without being harsh. It doesn’t have great treble, the bass is virtually inaudible, and vocal ranges are best heard. Therefore, it is suitable for podcasting, phone calls, or lectures, but not for listening to music or movies.
Webcams, Microphones and Security
Aspire Go 15 is equipped with a 720p basic webcam. This is fine for general use, but it is not a good option when the laptop use environment is presentation-oriented or content creation. The microphone picks up a lot of room sounds rather than eliminating echoes and focusing on your voice.
It does not provide fingerprint or facial recognition functions. Therefore, while system security relies on a password or PIN, you may need to use some additional security measures. During testing, even though a password was set, there were cases where the laptop stayed in standby mode for a while without asking for the password. The same thing happened even after I closed the lid and reopened the laptop in a different location. For reference, if you get into the habit of pressing win+L to lock your laptop before closing it, you can maintain security the next time you open your laptop.
I was somewhat shocked by the somewhat lax security practices that are not found in other Windows laptops. It may be set this way because it is a review product, but if a retail product is released this way, in ‘Settings > Account > Login Options > Additional Settings’, set the ‘When do I have to log in again if I am not using Windows?’ setting to ‘Every time.’ It needs to be changed to ‘.
connectivity
Despite the low price, connectivity was not overlooked. The Aspire Go 15 supports Wi-Fi 6, and maintained a fairly stable connection in our tests. Bluetooth also supports version 5.3, and there were few problems during testing.
Ports are a slightly different matter. The layout is okay, but not up-to-date. The USB-A ports mounted on both sides support up to 5Gbps. The USB-C port on the left supports up to 10Gbps. It does not provide Thunderbolt or USB4 ports, nor does it have a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 port that provides 20Gbps speeds. There is an HDMI port and DC power adapter on the left side of the laptop, and a 3.5mm headphone jack and Kensington lock slot are installed on the right.
Performance
It was expected that a cluster of eight E cores alone would not be able to achieve notable performance records. Unfortunately, the Aspire Go 15 proves that the older Aspire models are still the best performers.
Looking at PCMark 10, which measures overall system performance in a variety of productivity tasks, the Aspire Go 15 performs just as well as last year’s Aspire 3, which offers higher clocks and multiple threads with four cores and runs on a very different architecture. It is significantly behind. It also couldn’t keep up with the much older Acer Aspire 5, which runs a generation older Core i5-1135G7. Other Aspire models also had only 8GB of memory and did not have much higher specifications.
Compared to products from other manufacturers, it at least surpasses products with poor performance such as Surface Go 3. Compared to the Asus ZenBook 14 OLED, a 1 million won ultrabook released last year, all systems are lagging behind. If the prices of these products, which offer better performance and superior design and build quality, go down, it could be detrimental to the Aspire Go 15.
It is easy to see that the difference in performance comes from the CPU. In Cinebench R15, the performance gap between Aspire Go 15 and its predecessor appeared again. The Ryzen-based Aspire 3 showed a performance advantage of more than twice that of the Go 15 (remember, it has half the cores). Aspire 5, which is equipped with the older Core i5 model, also surpassed Go 15 by a narrow margin.
Because these products rely on integrated graphics built into the CPU, graphics performance mostly depends on CPU performance. In other words, if CPU performance is weak, graphics performance is also weak. If you run tasks that place a heavy load on the iGPU, such as running a YouTube video or doing other tasks in another window on Aspire Go 15, performance may decrease.
The Intel UHD graphics provided by this product are not suitable for light tasks. At least it has an advantage over the 2023 Aspire 3, but it lags behind the older Aspire 5, which offers powerful performance from Intel Iris Xe graphics. Meanwhile, the ASUS ZenBook 14 OLED once again shows the benefits of large memory that provides more resources for integrated graphics.
Storage speed is also worth mentioning. As measured using CrystalDiskMark, the maximum read speed of Aspire Go 15 was 1,074MB/s and write speed was 298MB/s. This is a slow speed even for PCIe 3.0-based SSDs, not to mention the PCIe 4.0 option that has become common in recent laptops.
battery
In the video playback test, the Aspire Go 15 ran smoothly for almost 12 hours. The fact that the Aspire 5, which is equipped with a 54Wh battery similar to the Aspire Go 15 and a smaller display, only lasted 6 hours and 30 minutes, shows that battery performance has improved significantly. The Aspire 3, released in 2023, has a smaller battery capacity of 40Wh, but even considering the difference, it is less efficient.
Among the products compared together, only the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED surpassed the Aspire Go 15. ZenBook 14 OLED is equipped with a 75Wh battery, recording a 50% longer run time. However, video playback is a test scenario that favors run time. As the system performs more productive tasks, battery life typically drops closer to 6 to 8 hours.
Overall review
The Acer Aspire Go 15 isn’t flashy, but it’s definitely worth it. It utilizes the 8GB of memory surprisingly well and uses the low-power CPU efficiently. With a large battery that can be used all day and a display that is easy to see even in low brightness, the Aspire Go 15 is a device well worth the price.
While it may avoid direct competition with laptops with high-end components, there are plenty of high-performance laptops that can sometimes be found at significant discounts, including the Asus Zenbook (which I recently purchased for $500). If you want to enjoy a little better performance, keep an eye on the price of the previous generation computer, and if the Aspire Go 15 level is reasonable, it will be a good choice for the price.
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