Acer Aspire Go 15 review: A $300 laptop that’s worth your money

At a glance

Expert's Rating

Pros

• Affordable
• Decent battery life
• Good display visibility

Cons

• Big and bulky
• Cheap build
• Limited performance

Our Verdict

The Acer Aspire Go 15 (2024) isn’t much to look at, but it plods along without much fuss, only struggling when demand is put on the meager integrated graphics or too much CPU horsepower is called for. For simple computing needs, it has clear value at just $300.

The Acer Aspire Go 15 is the latest affordable laptop in the Aspire family, offering a simple computing platform for users who don’t have major demands of their machine. While this lands it with an approachable $300 starting price, it also comes with fairly limited hardware such as an older Alder Lake-based Intel processor that relies exclusively on lower power E-cores and reliance on UFS storage instead of an NVMe SSD. Despite all this, the system proves a fairly competent worker, keeping up with everyday browsing and work tasks well enough.

Looking for more affordable options? Check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best laptops under $500.

Acer Aspire Go 15 (2024): Specs and features

The Acer Aspire Go 15 has few configurations at the moment, though Acer has some blurred lines with 14-inch as well as AMD-based models occupying the same space. The Intel-based, 15-inch models (indicated by AG15-31P) in the name, sticks with low-end Intel processors, topping out at the Intel Core i3-N305 as tested here, which features only E-cores with no hyper-threading and limited clock speeds. By default it will come in Windows 11 Home S Mode, but you can switch it over to standard Windows 11 Home should you need.

• 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: 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 with Power Delivery and DisplayPort, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 , 1x HDMI, 1x 3.5mm combo audio, 1x Kensington lock slot, 1x DC barrel jack (19V 3.42A)
• Networking: WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.3
• Biometrics: N/A
• Battery capacity: 53.9 watt-hours
• Dimensions: 14.29 x 9.44 x 0.74 inches
• Weight: 3.74 pounds
• MSRP: $299 as-tested ($249 base)

The different configurations have small differences in price, though the actual differences between systems aren’t always too clear. The model tested here is $299, but a similar model for $349 appears to have almost all the same specs except reporting to use 128GB of flash memory instead of a 128GB SSD (a curious difference given this configuration claims to have an SSD online but reports a SanDisk UFS drive as the primary storage in the system itself). As the system uses LPDDR5 memory, it won’t be upgradeable after the fact, so it’s important to ensure you get enough for your needs. Acer’s product page suggests 1TB storage and 16GB memory configurations as options, though neither are listed among the actual options.

Acer Aspire Go 15 (2024): Design and build quality

IDG / Mark Knapp

IDG / Mark Knapp

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    </div></figure><p class="imageCredit">IDG / Mark Knapp</p></div>

Acer has stuck to a common design that I’ve seen on so many of its Aspire and even Swift models that sometimes I get a little worried I’m not reviewing the same machine for a second time. Little surprise then that the Acer Aspire Go 15 is nearly identical to last year’s Aspire 3 despite what the new naming scheme would have you think.

Since this is in Acer’s cheaper line, it is predictably constructed with all plastic. The lid, keyboard deck, and underside of the laptop: plastic. Acer has given the lid and keyboard deck a silver shine to offer that metallic look. The silver and black color scheme is classic and doesn’t look half bad, though rougher plastic of the keyboard and display bezel not only has an awkward shimmer but also looks and feels a little too cheap.

The plastic is also flexible, bending under strain and depressing considerably under pressure above the keyboard. The display is susceptible to bending as well and has a bit of wobble when it’s first opened.

Very little about the design isn’t just a traditional laptop. The bezels around the display are all pretty thick. Ports sit on either side. The hinge isn’t some exotic design, nor is there any fancy decoration. The closest the design gets to truly unique is the situation of the exhaust port, which sits above the keyboard, visibly opening upward to dispel heat right into the display. The design has been made all the more common by Acer’s use of it on many of its recent laptops. 

Perhaps the best call Acer made in design was chamfering the front edge of the base. This makes for a smoother shift from front side to keyboard deck so the laptop doesn’t put as pointed pressure on the wrists as it could have.

Altogether, it’s not great looking or marvelously constructed. But it’s not bad, and it’s hard to expect more at $300. 

Acer Aspire Go 15 (2024): Keyboard, trackpad

IDG / Mark Knapp

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    </div></figure><p class="imageCredit">IDG / Mark Knapp</p></div>

Acer’s keyboards have a contentious design with almost domed keycaps, and that hasn’t stopped Acer from applying that design to just about every model it produces, from the high-end to the budget. That means the Acer Aspire Go 15 finds itself with that design as well. Pair that with the cheaper mechanisms underneath and the rougher plastic used for the keys, and you don’t get a great typing experience.

I could comfortably type around 110 words per minute with reasonably high accuracy (upwards of 96 percent), though I did find I suffered a little bit from the keycaps, which makes it harder to consistently land on the center of the keys and thereby keep my fingers on track with the keyboard. Thankfully, the keys are at least not too wobbly.

Acer shrinks its arrow keys like most laptop makers. Since this is a 15-inch laptop, it did see fit to include a number pad, but it’s a thin one that not only has small keys but also leaves out the operation column on the right hand, so there will be some relearning if you have muscle memory for a full size number pad. Also worth noting, the Acer Aspire Go 15’s keyboard has no backlighting and has replaced its right Control key with the new Co-Pilot key. That latter change makes some keyboard commands (such as Ctrl – Minus to zoom out) all but impossible to execute with one hand.

Acer’s choice of trackpad is large and smooth, making for easy mousing around. I haven’t run into any issues with palm rejection while testing, which is good news since it’s a little too easy to rest my palms on either edge of it while typing. That said, occasionally I’ll find it skipping to some other part of the screen while I’m using it. It seems to be caused by some confusion when I have two fingers touch the trackpad at once, registering the two touches as a swipe from one finger to the other. Thankfully this hiccup is rare and not enough to make most work frustrating.

Acer Aspire Go 15 (2024): Display, audio