ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Acer Aspire 16 AI is at the moment on sale for $699.
- It is a dependable, light-weight workhorse with a marathon battery that is best for lengthy days.
- Nonetheless, its {hardware} has efficiency limitations.
extra shopping for decisions
Acer’s new Aspire 16 AI is a humble laptop computer. It is not flashy or over-the-top, it would not home high-end {hardware} or an OLED display screen. As a substitute, it focuses on being a dependable work machine with a midrange price ticket. Contemplating how costly issues are these days, we want extra laptops like this now greater than ever earlier than — particularly in the event you’re a school pupil.
For college kids, the Aspire 16 is a dependable machine with sufficient battery energy to get by the day. As a substitute of bells and whistles, it delivers strong efficiency and a slim kind issue that is simple to commute with.
Modern design
The Acer Aspire 16 AI opts for a sensible design, measuring 14 x 9.85 x 0.63 inches and weighing 3.42 kilos, it is glossy, sliding simply into most backpacks. Construct high quality is strong, and its weight is evenly distributed, passing the “one-finger check” and not using a trace of wobble.
I additionally admire the spacious touchpad, which measures 5.9 x 3.5 inches and gives loads of room for snug navigating. You’ll be able to transfer from one facet of the display screen to the opposite without having to raise your finger off. Too typically, finances laptops lower corners by equipping cramped touchpads.
Typing on the Aspire 16 felt principally satisfying. The primary set of keys is evenly spaced out and gives an honest quantity of journey distance, making it simple to sort rapidly. That mentioned, the keys have a barely mushy really feel; it is not probably the most crispy keyboard. Plus, the up and down arrow keys, in addition to the quantity pad, are undersized. They’re completely useful, though you could by accident bump keys.
Made for college
Above the keyboard sits a 16-inch LCD touchscreen that delivers a strong all-around viewing expertise. The panel covers your complete sRGB gamut, so though colours do not pop with the vibrance of an OLED, they don’t seem to be boring, both. What the Aspire 16’s show lacks in wow issue, it makes up for in different areas. At a decision of 1,920 x 1,200 pixels and a refresh price of 120Hz, it delivers crisp visuals.
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A refresh price that prime is often discovered on gaming laptops. When you will not be doing high-end gaming on this laptop computer due to its {hardware}, you’ll admire how easy all the things feels. I skilled this firsthand throughout testing after I ran an evening driving livestream on YouTube. The built-in audio system aren’t notably spectacular, however they do provide a good quantity of quantity and readability.
On the draw back, I did run into some visible quirks, like colour banding. That is the place colour gradients break into seen items as a substitute of mixing seamlessly, however it’s a uncommon incidence.
An actual standout function is its 1440p webcam. For enterprise individuals and college students alike, this can be a huge win. Most different laptops on this class go for 1080p — and even 720p cameras. The upper decision produces a clear, sharp picture with natural-looking colours in addition to not one of the graininess you’d encounter recording over a low-quality webcam. Mixed with speedy connectivity requirements like Wi-Fi 7, the Aspire 16 AI is well-equipped for on-line and offline work.
Featherweight efficiency
Contained in the Acer Aspire 16 AI is a Qualcomm Snapdragon X chipset paired with 16GB of RAM, a configuration that prioritizes vitality effectivity. Throughout testing, the machine lasted simply 17 hours on a single cost. That is fairly spectacular. Acer states that the Aspire 16 can stretch that runtime to as a lot as 28 hours beneath the appropriate situations. Both means, this marathon battery makes the mannequin a powerful possibility for individuals who do not wish to continually attain for the charger.
In the case of on a regular basis efficiency, Acer’s machine did nicely. It supported over 50 Chrome tabs, consisting of high-res livestreams, a Netflix film, information articles, and extra, with out flinching. This stage of multitasking reveals that the Aspire 16 is flexible sufficient for college kids searching for a pc versatile sufficient for bouncing between homework and streaming or professionals juggling a number of apps.
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That mentioned, there are some trade-offs. First, the Snapdragon X is a Home windows on ARM chip, that means not each app is absolutely supported. Most applications are nice, with a couple of exceptions, just like the benchmarking app Cinebench 24. Compatibility points are rarer lately, however you may run into them.
Additionally, as a result of the Snapdragon X is a mid-tier chipset, the Aspire 16 is might need some bother maintaining with extraordinarily demanding workloads. Here is the way it compares to comparable computer systems in benchmarking relative to cost.
Actually, the efficiency hole is not huge, and for most individuals, the distinction is negligible, nevertheless it nonetheless exists. What suggestions the dimensions in Acer’s favor is worth. Whereas the rivals carry out higher, they’re costlier — twice as a lot within the case of the Dell 16 Plus. The Aspire 16 delivers a comparable expertise at a greater value level. For individuals on a finances, that affordability makes the laptop computer a gorgeous possibility regardless of any limitations it has.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
Proper now, you should buy the Acer Aspire 16 AI from the corporate’s official web site for $700. Acer developed this laptop computer primarily for tech-savvy college students who want a flexible machine to assist with faculty work and have a long-lasting battery. I agree with Acer on their alternative of core viewers, and suppose this laptop computer fits them nicely.
For those who’re searching for a extra premium different, I like to recommend the Dell 16 Plus. It is very comparable when it comes to measurement and target market, however Dell’s mannequin is extra suited to demanding duties, has a extra premium construct, and a nicer 2.5K touchscreen (however is twice the value).
