Acer touts the Aspire Vero as a laptop with a lower environmental impact than its competitors. But while the Aspire Vero’s construction uses a bit of trash, the end product is nothing more than amazing performance, decent components, Windows 11 out of the box, and a likable design.
While not cheaper than similar products in its class, it has the performance and design to be a reliable desktop replacement laptop for work or school. That said, the question remains, what are we sacrificing by touting a laptop made from garbage? Let’s explore that.
About the Acer Aspire Vero
The Vero comes with a custom-made control panel that allows you to change performance settings between Performance, Balance, Eco, and Eco+ to maximize uptime and minimize power consumption.
The review unit is powered by an Intel Core i7-1195G7, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD with NV Me PCIe SSD storage. Below are details on the Vero AV15-51-7617 in this review:
- CPU Intel: Core i7-1195G7
- Graphics: Intel Iris Xe
- Memory: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB or 1TB
- Ports: 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x HDMI
- Battery life: 12 hrs
- Weight: 3.9 lbs
- Dimensions: 14.2 x 9.4 x 0.7 in
- Display: 15.6 in, 1920 x 1080 IPS
- Operating system: Windows 11 Home
Acer Aspire Vero: Design and Features
The Acer Aspire Vero AV15-51-7617 has a design that sets it apart from other laptops. In the spirit of promoting eco-friendliness, the Vero has an entirely plastic exterior with yellow and gray speckles embedded throughout the body. The plastic is lightly textured with a slightly raised dot pattern.
Acer claims that the body is made from 30% post-consumer recycled material, and the yellow of the gray chassis is reflected in several other areas, including the yellow rubber feet on the bottom and the yellow coloring of the inverted R and E keys. These touches underscore the “reduce, reuse, recycle “mantra. Acer uses no points at all on the Aspire Vero, eliminating the generation of volatile compounds in the manufacturing process.
As designed, we don’t know if the laptop is made of recycled plastic, and the Aspire Vero looks more attractive than most. Of course, it is not the thinnest, sleekest, or lightest laptop, but its heft helps it stand out. Most plastic laptops look gaudy and feel flimsy, but the Vero bucks the trend by using sustainable materials.
The Spire Vero also has a solid selection of ports. On the left side, there are two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, a Type-C port, an HDMI output, and a Gigabit Ethernet port. On the right side is a slower USB 2.0 port; the Vero also has a webcam and a fingerprint reader on the track pad.
Acer Aspire Vero: Display & Keyboard
The Vero AV15-51-7617 has a 15.6-inch display with a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution and matte finish. Spend more money on a machine like the LG Glam 17 or HP Omen 16 with a 16:10 aspect ratio and 2,560×1,600 resolution, and you can find brighter displays with taller aspect ratios and higher resolutions.
The IPS display looks first-rate, but it slow cost becomes apparent when you start using it. Peak brightness is up to 270nits, too low for comfortable outdoor use. The display also lacks accuracy, reproducing only 58% of the s RGB color gamut. The panel’s contrast ratio is good at 1,350:1, but not enough to make the panel stand out.
The Aspire Vero is fast, responsive, and quiet. It also has an excellent number pad, a wide spacebar, and a double-height Return key. You can use it for everyday tasks, and you’ll love that the R and E buttons are reversed, high lighting the Vero’s recycled materials. The keyboard, however, feels a bit light compared to more robust typing units. The track pad is also good, just the right size and responsive.
Acer Aspire Vero: Performance
The Acer Aspire Vero AV15-51-7617 we are reviewing is the pricier of the two models and is powered by an Intel Core i7-1195G7 processor with four hyper threaded cores and a maximum speed of 5 GHz. The Core i5-1155G7 in the base model has the same number of cores but slower speeds, with no significant differences. Both chips feature Intel’s entry-level Iris Xe graphics core, and both are 11th-generation CPUs designed for slim mobile devices.
Other than the chip configuration, both models are very similar, with the same 16GB RAM, dual-band 802.11ax wireless, and Bluetooth 5.0.S to rage is 512GB, but there is also a model with twice the capacity.
As for the Core i7 model we’re reviewing here, it delivers solid performance without stuttering, even when multi tasking. It can load many browser tabs simultaneously, work on word processing and spreadsheets while running media streams in the background, and handle mainstream photo editing and programming without a hitch.
When not working, you can stream your favorite TV shows and movies. For most people, this is plenty of power, and the fast SSD keeps the laptop responsive. If you need to save some cash, the Core i5 is a good choice, but you will struggle with tasks like photo editing and programming. Also, no matter which CPU you choose, the Vero is surprisingly quiet, and you’ll only hear the slightest fan noise if you try to stress the hardware.
Screen and speakers
The laptop has a 15.6-inch, 1080p (16:9) IPS display with a170-degree viewing angle and 250-nit brightness. You will enjoy working on the laptop, but the visuals are not up to the mark. The screen produces crisp images, sharp text, and while watching FHD video I did notice color reproduction, which is unsatisfactory. Also, if the screen is placed in direct sunlight, visibility of the screen is poor.
The Vero has stereo speakers with Acer True Harmony technology. These speakers reproduce loud sound without distortion. You will enjoy crystal clear audio even during video calls.
Battery Life
Since Acer touts the Vero as the most environmentally friendly laptop, battery life should be top-notch, and it shouldn’t just be the chassis material. Indeed, it does not disappoint. In our tests, the Acer Aspire Vero lasted12hours, and that’s with the display running at moderate brightness.
That’s enough for a full day at the office or university, but expect this number to drop a bit as you increase the brightness of the screen.