Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14 Review

The Aspire 5 Spin 14 presents itself as a versatile 2-in-1 laptop that offers a balance between functionality and convenience.

GDGTME Team  •  August 29, 2023

Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14 Review
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Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14

The Aspire 5 Spin 14 presents itself as a versatile 2-in-1 laptop that offers a balance between functionality and convenience. With a sturdy build, an array of modern features, and the flexibility of a 360° hinge, it caters to various needs.

THE GOOD
  • Affordable 2-in-1 laptop
  • Good performance
  • Stylus included
  • Thunderbolt 4
  • Good battery life
THE BAD
  • Average display
  • Can get loud
  • Limited upgradeability

The Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14 is an agile 2-in-1 laptop featuring the latest Intel Raptor Lake 13th-gen Core i7 processors and Intel Xe Graphics, a 14-inch touchscreen display, 16GB of speedy LPDDR5 RAM, and a capacious 512GB SSD storage. The laptop comes with an inclusive stylus, for productivity and creativity.

Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14 Review
Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14 Review

The laptop carries the Intel Evo platform certification, guaranteeing swift wake-ups from sleep, a minimum of 9 hours battery life, support for rapid charging, and a host of modern features like Wi-Fi 6 and Thunderbolt 4 compatibility. The built-in 50 Whr battery promises up to 10 hours on a single charge, and the convenience of fast charging is made possible with the included 65-watt charger or a range of USB-C or USB-C Power Delivery chargers.

Specifications

CPUIntel® Core i7-1355U processor Deca-core 1.70 GHz
RAM16GB LPDDR5 6400MHz RAM (onboard)
GPUIntel Iris Xe Graphics
Storage512 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
Display14″ WUXGA (1920 x 1200) 16:10 60 Hz Touchscreen
PortsActive stylus Audio combo 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (USB-A) 1x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C; Power Delivery, DisplayPort) 1x HDMI 2.1
ConnectivityIntel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (2×2) Bluetooth 5.1
Camera2MP Webcam
AudioDual stereo speakers
Battery50 Whr lithium-polymer battery
65 W USB Type-C power adapter
Dimensions31.82 x 22.55 x 1.79 cm (WxDxH) Approx. 1.60 kg

View the full specifications here.

Packaging, Design & Build

The Aspire 5 Spin 14 comes in a Acer-branded cardboard box, which contains two compartments, one for the charger and one for the laptop itself. The laptop is portable, measuring 17.9mm in thickness and weighing just 1.6kg, making it easy to carry with you in a backpack.

Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14 Review
Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14 Review

The Aspire 5 Spin 14 introduces a versatile 360° hinge that redefines how you interact with your device. From notebook to tablet, stand to tent mode, the display’s flexibility caters to your dynamic needs, enhancing usability. Swivel it for the ideal viewing angle for added comfort.

Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14 Review

While the chassis is made of hard plastic construction, the lid is made of metal with an overall “Steel Grey” color scheme. The overall build quality is sturdy, and its sleek matte surfaces contribute to a refined look and feel.

Ports

The Aspire 5 Spin 14 offers an array of ports. The left side accommodates 1x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C; supporting Power Delivery and DisplayPort), 1x HDMI 2.1, and 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (USB-A).

Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14 Review
Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14 Review

On the right, you’ll find an additional 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (USB-A), a headphone jack, and a designated slot for the stylus. For wireless capabilities, the laptop features Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 and Bluetooth 5.3.

Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14 Review
Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14 Review

The USB-C port double up for charging convenience, accommodating standard USB-C chargers or power banks to keep your device powered up.

Display & Webcam

The Aspire 5 Spin 14 housesa glossy 14-inch LCD touchscreen display, with a crisp 1920 x 1200px resolution, and ultra-slim bezels. Indoors, the display performs admirably, but its glossy finish and lower brightness hinder outdoor visibility. Color accuracy for tasks like photo and video editing falls short. A noteworthy feature is Acer BlueLightShield, effectively curbing harmful blue light emissions.

Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14 Review
Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14 Review

The touchscreen’s impressive responsiveness, registering up to ten touch points, ensures smooth interactions via both finger gestures and the provided stylus. Touch inputs translate seamlessly, delivering a prompt and accurate experience.

Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14 Review
Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14 Review

At the top of the display is a 2-megapixel webcam, delivering dependable video call quality under favorable lighting conditions.

Keyboard & Trackpad

The Aspire 5 Spin 14 comes equipped with a chiclet keyboard that features short key travel. It also has its own separate keys for different tasks, like turning up the screen brightness or controlling things like music.

Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14 Review
Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14 Review

The keyboard lights up with LEDs underneath the keys, so you can see what you’re typing even in different lighting conditions. Just remember, there’s no separate set of number keys on the side. The first row of keys at the top is a bit smaller, and they’re meant to help you easily change stuff like how bright the screen is or control multimedia like music and videos.

Typing feels pretty good, with keys that respond quickly. However, you might need a bit of practice to get used to the smaller keys. The touchpad under the keyboard is compact but works well. It clicks nicely and lets your finger glide smoothly. The multi-touch touchpad supports four-finger gestures, allowing for easy scrolling, zooming, and navigation with simple gestures.

Performance & Benchmarks

CPU, GPU & RAM

The 13th Gen Raptor Lake chips integrate performance and efficiency cores for enhanced multitasking. The Core i7-1355U combines 2 performance cores and 8 efficient cores, delivering a total of 10 cores, 12 threads, and 12 MB of cache.

Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14 Review
Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14 Review

In terms of GPU, the Intel Iris Xe graphics works well for daily tasks, work, and photo editing. However, gaming performance is really poor and most games fail to achieve playable frame rates.

Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14 Review
Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14 Review

For RAM, The laptop houses 8GB of LPDDR5 6400MHz RAM.

Storage

Our review model included a 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD storage. However, depending on the region, they may be different. The SSD offers good performance, with read speeds up to 3,681MB per second and write speeds up to 3,345MB.

Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14 Review
Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14 Review

Benchmarks

Cinebench R20 tests yielded a single-core benchmark score of 722 and a multi-core benchmark score of 3,250 for the i7-1355U. In the PCMark 10 Benchmark, the laptop posted a score of 5,616.

BENCHMARKSCORE
Cinebench R20 single core722
Cinebench R20 multi core3,250
PCMark 10 Benchmark5,616
3DMark Time Spy1,800
3DMark Fire Strike4,964
3DMark Night Raid17,805

Temperature & Noise

During regular day-to-day tasks and under the default profile, the Aspire 5 Spin 14 remains cool and quiet, keeping noise and heat to a minimum. Engaging in more demanding tasks leads to high fan noise, though the laptop’s temperature remains within acceptable limits.

Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14 Review
Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14 Review

Upgradability

In terms of upgradability, the RAM is soldered on board and isn’t upgradeable. There is no slot for a second NVMe SSD either.

Battery & Audio

The Aspire 5 Spin 14 is fitted with two stereo speakers that deliver ample sound for small to medium-sized rooms, maintaining minimal distortion. However, bass might be lacking. While the speakers perform well for calls and conferences, headphones are recommended for media playback.

Battery-wise, the Aspire 5 Spin 14 relies on a compact 50Wh lithium-polymer battery that boasts an impressive battery life of up to 10 hours on a single charge. Actual battery duration may range from 8 to 10 hours, dependent on usage and screen brightness. The laptop supports speedy charging through the included 65-watt charger, or standard USB-C or USB-C Power Delivery (PD) chargers. Throughout our testing, the laptop charged from 0% to 100% in just 1 hour 30 minutes.

Aspire 5 Spin 14 Review Verdict

The Aspire 5 Spin 14 presents itself as a versatile 2-in-1 laptop that offers a balance between functionality and convenience. With a sturdy build, an array of modern features, and the flexibility of a 360° hinge, it caters to various needs.

Acer Aspire 5 Spin 14 Review

The laptop’s performance, driven by the 13th Gen Raptor Lake chips, ensures smooth multitasking, though it may struggle with demanding gaming tasks. The display’s indoor performance shines with narrow bezels and touch capabilities, yet its outdoor visibility and color accuracy might not meet all expectations.

The battery life impresses, delivering around 8 to 10 hours of usage, supported by fast charging options and the included stylus is a plus point and works smoothly.

However, the average display, limited upgradability and fan noise under load are some of the downsides.

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