Acer Aspire 3 A315-24P-R7VH NX.KJBAA.001 Ultra-Thin Laptop | 15.6" HD IPS Screen | AMD Ryzen 3 7320U Quad Core Processor | AMD Radeon Graphics Card | 8GB LPDDR5 | Windows 11 Home Edition
TLDR: The Acer Aspire 3 "A315-24P" is a portable desktop computer that lacks power or expandability, but has great battery life and decent USB-C versatility.
out of place
The Aspire 3 case is almost entirely made of plastic. All panels, except for the screen frame, are made of shiny silver.
The ruggedness of the case seems understated, although this is not surprising considering that it is made almost entirely of plastic. The toughness of the hinges seems to be pretty good, so I don't think hinge cracking will be an issue in the short term.
communicate
The left side contains a USB-C port (10Gbps) with Alt PD and DP++ modes, a USB-A port (5Gbps), an HDMI 2.0 port and a power connector. On the right side is a USB-A port (5Gbps) and a 3.5mm audio output.
For WiFi, we offer WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2
The only thing I'm missing is an SD card reader, but I don't think that's a huge loss either.
The USB-C (10Gbps) port on this laptop is useful as it can also handle Power Delivery (PD) of 30W up to 65W. It can also implement DisplayPort alternate mode. This means you can connect this laptop to a display with the same USB-C capabilities, video output, and power delivery via a single USB-C cable. It also means you can charge this laptop with a 30W USB-C charger, which means fewer power adapters to carry around.
performance
This laptop uses a Ryzen 3 7320U Quad Core processor. While this number would give the impression that this is a "Ryzen 7000 Mobile" series, it is actually a Zen2 architecture and performance closer to a "Ryzen 4000 Mobile in 2019/2020". This is the bottom end for Ryzen 3.
The main difference with the Ryzen 4000 is that the 7320U comes with new LPDDR5 RAM.
The overall performance of this laptop is a bit disappointing. It has 4 cores, 8 threads, and faster LPDDR5 RAM, but it doesn't feel that fast. This does not mean that it is slow, but it seems to be better compatible with Windows 11.
The gaming benchmark scores weren't very good either. You might think that with Radeon graphics this laptop can handle light games, but the GPU performance is worse than a "normal" desktop computer. I tried the latest AMD Ryzen drivers so it seems to be a hardware and not a software limitation.
The 128GB SSD that came with this laptop seems to be very economical in terms of speed. I pulled some benchmarks from it, but the results weren't great.
Sequential Read: 904MB/s, Write: 836MB/s
Random Read: 269MB/s, Write: 193MB/s
Perhaps overall laptop performance would improve if the SSD was replaced with something much better in terms of random read/write capabilities?
Electricity and battery
The laptop has a 45Wh battery and the laptop has a 41.76Wh battery.
The laptop can also be powered by a USB-C PD charger of at least 30W. The PD power of the notebook doesn't seem to exceed 65W.
The 41.76 Wh battery seems to be a good choice for choosing a CPU as the battery can power the laptop for a long time.
As a test, I streamed 1080p video to the Edge over Wi-Fi at maximum screen brightness and 100% battery. The laptop worked for about 6 hours and then shut down due to a power outage. I think it's a very good result.
Heat and noise
I don't know if the cooler is just too small or if the fans are heavy duty, but this laptop can get pretty noisy under heavy loads. The fan makes a high-pitched noise under full load, which is very annoying.
Fortunately, this only happens when gaming, and this laptop isn't even good for light gaming, so annoying fan noise is rare.
a screen
The screen looks better than I usually expect from a lower-end laptop.
As far as screen brightness, my best guess is 250 nits of maximum brightness. I have a 220nit screen, a 300nit screen, and an Acer screen somewhere in between. 250 nits is the typical brightness for a desktop laptop and is suitable for indoor use.
I couldn't judge color gamut or contrast, but they felt good enough that I didn't notice any issues with glare.
The panel shows no issues with "IPS glow" or other defects.
The opacity (shadows) was so minimal that I didn't really notice anything while watching the video.
Speakers, cameras and microphones
Everything feels "good enough". I'd say this is the lowest performance expected, and if you want better quality, there's a USB port and a 3.5mm audio jack.
The camera doesn't have an internal privacy shutter, but Acer does provide an extra cover.
Keyboard and touchpad
The keyboard looks good. This is a mid-sized laptop. Tactile feedback is good, and I've never had a problem with the keyboard not registering keystrokes, even when pressing keys in the corners.
The keyboard isn't backlit at all, but it does have a handy number pad.
The trackpad is nice and big, which is what I've come to expect from a 2023 laptop. It feels like it's made of glass because it's so smooth, especially when you smudge it with your fingers. Clicking on the trackpad makes a pleasant "click" and has good tactile feedback.
Scalability and compensation
The expandability of this laptop is very limited. 8GB LPDDR5 RAM is fully soldered and there are no expansion slots. Only SSD can be upgraded.
The bottom cover can be removed easily. It is held in place with a single set of screws of equal length and has plastic pieces around the edges that detach easily.
Most of the interior is easily accessible. The CPU cooler, battery and SSD slots are easily accessible.
This very easy to clean CPU cooler is a great feature, especially if you live in a dusty home.
Programming
The laptop came pre-installed with "Win 11 Home in S mode" which sounds confusing.
What is "S mode"? Why do you say that?
In short, the "S" stands for Security, a feature that prevents users from installing apps that aren't in the Microsoft Store. This is a useful feature for regular users who only need an email, web browser and MS Office to avoid accidental installation of malware. However, for power users like me who like to run third-party benchmarking applications, Win11 offers a few extra loops to unlock this.
For example, the laptop doesn't have Acer Care Center pre-installed, nor does the free trial of antivirus software that usually comes with it. However, I would like to use some of the features of Acer Care Center.
S mode can be unlocked but cannot be reverted for any reason. So don't do this unless absolutely necessary.
Diploma
I have mixed feelings about this laptop. On the other hand, it has a very useful USB-C DP (with Alt-Mode DP connector), great battery life, and a decent screen for enjoying movies and live broadcasts. On the other hand, the laptop feels a bit underperforming in its configuration and there's no other upgrade option than a better SSD.
I think I'd give this laptop an overall rating of 3.5/5. It's a very limited laptop, but not everyone needs more power.
Designed with a purpose: The Aspire 3's thin and light design lets you travel with ease and look great.
Out-of-the-box performance: Aspire 3 is equipped with the latest AMD Ryzen 3 7320U processor and Radeon graphics - perfect for the whole family where the focus is on performance and productivity.
Visually stunning: Enjoy crisp detail and vivid color on a 15.6-inch FHD IPS display with a 16:9 aspect ratio and narrow bezels.
Internal specs: 8GB LPDDR5 RAM; 128GB NVMe SSD to store your files and media
- The high-resolution front camera features Acer's Temporary Noise Reduction (TNR) technology for high-quality images in low-light conditions. Acer PurifiedVoice technology with AI noise cancellation filters out any extra audio for clear communication in online meetings.
- The wireless convenience of Wi-Fi 6: Deliver a strong, consistent wireless signal with Wi-Fi 6 (also known as 802.11ax) and 2x2 MU-MIMO technology.
- Thermal improvements: 78% larger fan area, improved thermal conductivity, and 17% higher heat capacity. Allows longer and more productive work days without the need for an electrical connection.