Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-32DK Review

The Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-32DK is a popular laptop from Acer’s budget lineup. 

Thanks to its 11th-generation processor, DDR4 RAM, and high-speed SSD, it provides solid performance for everyday tasks – at a low price.

The Aspire 5 A515 also has good connectivity options, display, and battery life for the cost, making it an attractive deal for an average user. 

But like any other laptop on the market, it comes with a few downsides. Limited graphics performance, outdated bezel size, and plastic body are some worth mentioning. 

In this review of Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-32DK, we’ll cover all the important factors like performance, build quality, and display to help you make an educated decision. 

Ready? Let’s roll. 

Is Acer Aspire 5 A515 a Good Laptop?

Acer Aspire 5 A515 is a great laptop for general tasks and students. Though it doesn’t pack any standout hardware or features, it provides good value for your money. 

Despite its low cost, it combines powerful hardware with fine build quality. Performance-wise, I felt very comfortable using it for general tasks: Aspire 5 is snappy, comfy and easy to navigate. 

Weighing 3.8 pounds, this laptop is quite portable too. So you can comfortably carry it along to school or work. 

In my tests with Acer Aspire 5 A515, I got a battery life of around six hours. It’s far from the worst out there, but I would have liked a couple of hours more for productivity.

You can extend Aspire 5’s battery life by reducing the screen brightness or enabling power-saving mode. But these modifications will affect the user experience – meaning, you have to weigh what’s more important to you: battery or performance. 

Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-32DK

See our guide on the best laptops for school to help you find a great student laptop for yourself. 

Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-32DK Specs

What is Windows 11 Home in S Mode?

The S mode of Windows 11 Home comes pre-installed on Acer Aspire 5 A515. 

This special Windows version is optimized for performance and security. It only supports Microsoft Store apps for a secure and fast user experience. 

So, if you wish to use third-party apps like Google Chrome, you must switch out of the S mode. It’s quite simple and done through the Activation settings on your laptop. 

You should know that once you make the switch, there’s no way to enable the S mode again. 

Performance of the Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-32DK

Acer Aspire 5 A515 provides decent performance for general use cases with its 11th-generation Intel Core i3 processor and 4GB RAM. 

Though its RAM is a little low, you can enjoy a smooth browsing experience – unless you open a bajillion tabs in your browser. Its newer-generation hardware makes it a great fit for general office tasks and apps like MS Word and MS Office. 

The 1080p IPS display is a pretty cool addition to this budget laptop and will let you enjoy the multimedia in crisp and vivid colors. I actually thought the panel was pretty good compared to similarly-priced laptops.

But since Aspire lacks a powerful GPU, it’s unfit for graphics-intensive creative programs like Adobe Premiere Pro and AutoCAD. It cannot run power-hungry games, though you can play older and browser-based games. 

If you’re a fan of AAA titles, though, you could consider GeForce NOW. It’s an online game streaming platform that lets you play demanding games on a low-spec laptop. 

Check out our guide on “Are Acer laptops good for gaming?” to see if you should get away with an Acer laptop. 

Upgradability

Acer laptops are generally easily upgradable, and Acer Aspire 5 A515 is no exception!

Accessing internal hardware is practically effortless – I simply unscrewed and removed the bottom cover. After that, it’s easy to upgrade the RAM and SSD.  

Since the RAM is limited to 4GB, consider upgrading it to 8GB or more for seamless multitasking. 4GB is already becoming obsolete, even for general tasks, and I’d wholeheartedly recommend upgrading asap.

As for storage, the existing SSD can be swapped for a larger one. 

Alternatively, treat its 2.5-inch HDD slot with an HDD drive for extra storage. You can have both types of storage in your laptop – an SSD and an HDD. I like this combo because it’s the sweet spot between price, capacity and performance.

View our guide on the best Acer laptops to find yourself a decent, easy-to-upgrade laptop by Acer.

Build Quality of the Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-32DK

The Aspire 5 comes in a plastic chassis that provides a solid feel. Its finish closely resembles that of aluminum but is actually plastic. It may not survive severe shocks but can surely endure slight impacts. 

The laptop feels well put together, with no noticeable flex other than in the keyboard. Further, its base remains sturdy on the surface for a comfortable user experience. 

You could think of the design as a budget MacBook-inspired machine, and I actually quite like the overall feel. It’s pretty easy to imagine it in an office or classroom.

Screen

Acer Aspire 5’s display is not top-notch, but it’s sufficient for most everyday users. 

This laptop packs a large 15.6” screen with 1080p (Full HD) resolution to show immersive details in 2 million pixels. 

The support for IPS (In-Plane Switching) is another significant addition. Based on my findings, I was pretty happy with the overall color accuracy and viewing angles, which make the work and media consumption more enjoyable.

At only 255 nits, the screen brightness of this laptop is quite limited. Other budget laptops hover around 250 nits, too, and I’d avoid them altogether if you’re working in direct sunlight. For the office, though, Aspire 5 is fine.

Further, its 60Hz refresh rate is pretty standard and will work for most users, except those into gaming. 

Keyboard and Trackpad

Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-32DK packs a full-sized keyboard with a numpad. 

The keyboard is comfortable to type on and pretty tactile. Also, its plastic palm rests offer plenty of space for your hands. 

Sadly, there is no backlighting, so if you’re used to a little bit of RGB for night shifts, you might want to rethink the purchase. 

You also get a solid trackpad. To be fair, I thought it could have been a little bigger, but it is pretty responsive and easily detects gestures. 

If security features are super important to you, it might be worth mentioning that Acer Aspire 5 A515 lacks a fingerprint sensor. 

Check out our guide on the best laptops for seniors for durable, convenient laptop options. 

Design and Weight

The ultrabook comes with a portable and compact design, so it’s super comfy to carry around. 

With a weight of 3.8 lbs (1.7 kg), the machine is useful for frequent travelers, students, and office workers.

Despite the plastic chassis, the Aspire 5 gives off a premium vibe, thanks to its silver finish. I also like the thin profile which not only looks good, but is practical when carrying around. 

There’s also beautiful Acer branding on the bottom bezel and the lid. 

Speaking of bezels, the laptop packs thicker bezels than most modern-day laptops. But it comes down to your taste if that’s important or not – if you don’t care about thicker bezels, the Aspire 5 is still a solid choice.

See our blog post on the best laptops for college students to find a lightweight yet durable laptop for yourself. 

Webcam and Speakers

You get a 720p webcam with the Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-32DK.

Its image quality is not top-notch, but it’s acceptable for most users. In fact, most laptops nowadays still have 720p webcams, with only recent models starting to switch to 1080p.

If you frequently engage in professional video conferences, I’d use an external webcam with this laptop. 

Its speakers are just fine. They give off a clear sound at normal volume. But turning the volume up leads to highly-pitched sound and compromised clarity. 

The Aspire 5 also packs a mid-level microphone. It lets you record voice memos or join calls with clear audio. Sadly, there’s no background noise cancelation. 

Port Selection

Acer Aspire 5 A515 offers a wide variety of ports for easy connectivity. 

You get a headphone jack on its right side, followed by a USB-A port and a security lock. 

On the left, there’s a round charging port and an Ethernet port to connect your laptop to the Internet. (Let’s not forget the laptop also packs Wi-Fi and Bluetooth!). 

You also get an HDMI port to comfortably hook up a second display (up to 4K resolution with 60Hz). 

Next up, there are two high-speed USB 3.2 ports that provide up to 5Gbps data transfer speed. 

Lastly, there’s a USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 port to connect your USB-C peripherals conveniently. Note that you cannot use this USB-C port to output video or charge the laptop. 

Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-32DK Port Selection

Battery Life and Portability of the Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-32DK

Aspire 5’s battery life is pretty average. It typically lasts 6-8 hours, depending on how you use it. The battery will drain faster if you run heavy programs. 

You can enable its power save mode to extend the battery up to eight hours, but the performance will be compromised. 

If you plan on carrying Acer Aspire 5 to an office for a full eight-hour workday, I’d definitely bring a charger, especially if you’re engaged in power-hungry tasks like editing media or complex data work.

Thankfully, both the laptop and the charger are lightweight and portable. 

Verdict

Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-32DK is a great budget solution and a lightweight laptop. 

Despite its low price, you get a newer-generation processor with fast SSD storage for strong performance. I also like its portable and lightweight design. 

But being a budget laptop, it compromises on battery life and top-tier performance. 

Aspire 5’s decent price makes it a good choice for students, teenagers, and professionals who don’t need a high-performance laptop. To sum up, it’s a balanced mix of performance, portability, and value for money!

If you’d like to go more in-depth about the specs on your laptop, a great laptop buying guide is all you need. And for all of you who like more direct communication – hit us up in the comments below!

Check out our guide on the best laptops under $400 to help you find the best bang for your buck.