Page 60 - PCWorld (September 2019)
P. 60
REVIEWS ACER ASPIRE 5 A515-54-51DJ
reader, which sits in the top-left
corner of the trackpad, repeatedly
throughout my testing and didn’t
have any problems.
The stereo speakers on the
Aspire 5 are about as mediocre as
those on most other laptops
we’ve tested. You can crank them
nice and loud, which is a plus,
and they even deliver a hint of
bass, although the sounds gets
muddy at higher volumes. We’ve
A fingerprint reader is always a nice touch, and the one on the
Aspire 5 was fairly reliable during my testing. definitely heard worse.
it’s there. The keys themselves felt good to PORTS
type on, delivering a satisfying bump and The Aspire 5’s collection of ports offers a
springy rebound on each keystroke. That said, decent selection of new and legacy options.
travel (basically a measure of how far the key On the left side, you’ve got a full-on Gigabit
travels on each stroke) felt a bit skimpy ethernet port for an old-school wired
compared to other productivity-minded connection to your router. You don’t often
laptops I’ve tested. see ethernet ports in laptops this thin, but
The Acer Aspire 5’s roomy trackpad felt this one has a “dropjaw” spring mechanism
smooth and responsive during my testing. I so the port can expand to accommodate a
did occasionally notice the cursor jittering cable connector. You also get a couple of
across the screen as my palms dragged over speedy USB 3.0 Type-A ports, HDMI, and a
the trackpad surface while typing. It was only USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C port for connecting
slightly annoying, but trackpads on other newer USB-C-equipped storage devices
laptops I’ve tested have done a better job at and peripherals.
rejecting such false inputs. On the right, you get a USB 2.0 Type-A
Back on the plus side, the trackpad comes port, plus a combo audio jack.
with a fingerprint reader, handy for signing Disappointingly, there’s no memory card
into your Windows profile or any Windows reader, which means you won’t be able to
Hello-compatible apps by pressing your pop in memory cards from your Android
fingertip on the sensor. I used the fingerprint phone or your digital camera.
60 PCWorld SEPTEMBER 2019
