Earlier this year, Acer has unveiled the Acer Aspire Vero—a sustainability-focused notebook made from post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic. Featuring eco-design, it is the first product under the company’s “Earthion
” sustainability initiative. It sports an 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1195G7 processor with Intel Iris Xe graphics, 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD, and it runs under the latest Windows 11 OS. But, apart from its environmental-friendly aim, how does it perform? Let’s find out in a review.
Design and Construction
Looking at the Aspire Vero, you’ll immediately notice its design that represents its eco-friendly approach. Even at first glance, you’ll see that the laptop’s lid isn’t like the usual. Instead, it delivers a distinct, environmentally-friendly design with its “Volcanic Gray” cover with some yellow pigment dots.
According to Acer, 30% of the chassis is made of PCR plastics, and the keyboard caps use 50% PCR. The chassis is also paint-free; that’s why it has a typical grainy look, and it looks similar to a hard paperboard.
The laptop’s cover is nice and bare, and it only has a minimal engraved Acer logo. Its unique finish also doesn’t attract fingerprints and smudges, which is nice too.
When you open the lid, you’ll see the chiclet-style keyboard and the touchpad with a fingerprint sensor. It also has engraved Intel Core and “Post Consumer Recycled” logos.
The keyboard has full-pack keys complete with a Numpad. Moreover, the keyboard also comes with a white backlit, convenient for working even at night or in dark places. The keys are also smooth and comfortable for typing.
Meanwhile, the R and E keys here have been inverted and highlighted in the color yellow. I like how they lowkey added this simple aesthetic, which, I must say, is witty. RE could signify “reduce, reuse, and recycle” since it’s an eco-friendly laptop.
Found below the keyboard is the trackpad, which performs smooth cursor control and responsive command gestures.
The speaker is found resting at the upper part, adjacent to the hinge.
Most of its ports are located on the left side. At this side, the Aspire Vero has the DC-in jack for AC adapter, an Ethernet (RJ45) port, an HDMI port, a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port, a USB 2.0 port, and a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type C port; offering a connection with a variety of peripherals and accessories.
On the other side, it has another USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a Kensington lock. You’ll also see here the light indicators for power.
However, what you’ll find under are vents for cooling its hardware. Here you’ll also find another engraved brand logo and some stickers. In addition, matching the device’s yellow pigment dots are the yellow accents on its bumpers at the bottom and the hinge.
Although the laptop is slim at 17.9mm, it’s pretty hefty at 1.8kg. For its total look, it’s not as premium-looking as the other laptops out there, but I must admit that it is beautiful for its eco intentions.
Display and Multimedia
The Acer Aspire Vero packs a 15.6-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS display with a 16:9 ratio and brightness of 250 nits. Surrounding the screen are its narrow bezels with a fair-sized top and chin. The display is clear and vibrant, with decent viewing angles. It’s not the best display to have now, but it’s still great for binge-watching and fangirling/fanboying.
On the other hand, there’s nothing special about the device’s audio, and it isn’t that loud even at its maximum volume. It still delivers clear audio, though, and it is just fair enough to use for music and video streaming.
OS and Features
This Green PC comes pre-installed with the latest Windows 11. In addition, it has various pre-installed applications such as the Acer App Explorer, Amazon, Care Center, Express VPN, Photodirector for Acer, and more, along with other Microsoft apps and games.
Further, the Aspire Vero also has the built-in VeroSense software, enabling users to put the device on various modes for battery optimization. It has different modes, such as Eco+, Eco, Balanced, and Performance.
What’s more, the laptop is equipped with Norton Security Ultra anti-virus software to keep the laptop protected and secured.
Performance and Benchmarks
Powering the Acer Aspire Vero is an 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1195G7 processor paired with Intel Iris Xe graphics. It also comes with 16GB DDR4 SDRAM and 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD. This machine can handle most tasks well, such as heavy web browsing, basic photo editing, casual video editing, and video streaming.
Further, we have tried using it with lots of tabs open while multitasking, yet it can still perform fast and smoothly.
We ran a series of tests to measure its processing power and performance. Check out the benchmark scores below.
• PC Mark 10 Extended – 3,731
• 3D Mark – 1,575 (Time Spy)
• Geekbench 5 – 1,114 (Single-Core), 4,194 (Multi-Core), 14,193 (OpenCL), 10,000 (Vulkan)
• Cinebench R23 – 3,590 (CPU-Multi), 1,083 (CPU-Single), 3.32x (MP Ratio)
• CrystalDiskMark 8 (2GB) – 2,395.58 MB/s (Read), 1,215.55 MB/s (Write)
As a ‘work’ laptop, the Aspire Vero can very much deliver, but don’t expect it to play heavy gaming titles.
Connectivity and Battery Life
As for connectivity, the device has the latest WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, and has ports mentioned earlier. Keeping it powered is a 48 Wh 3-cell Li-Ion battery, which Acer claims to last up to 7 hours. The Aspire Vero usually lasts 6 to 7 hours of continuous use. Nonetheless, charging the laptop with its included 65W AC adapter achieves 100% in an hour.
Our video loop test involves playing a 1080p video on loop at 50% brightness and volume under Airplane mode and Battery saver mode; it has delivered 6 hours and 28 minutes worth of playback.
Conclusion
The Acer Aspire Vero isn’t the most solid machine out there, but it works well as a work laptop. Plus, this Green PC, I must say, is a great initiative. Ideally, if more and more devices are produced like this, it could positively impact our planet. Furthermore, it would also be best if brands would opt to make more eco-friendly laptops, especially those with a more beefy configuration.
Both i5 and i7 variants will be available in the Philippines around late October, with prices starting at PHP 41,999.
Acer Aspire Vero specs:
15.6-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS LCD ComfyView display
11th Gen Intel Core i5-1155G7 | i7-1195G7
Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Windows 11 Home
8GB, 16GB DDR4 SDRAM
256GB, 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD
WiFi 6
Bluetooth 5.1
1 x USB 2.0 port
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type C port
1 x HDMI port
720p HD webcam
48Wh 3-cell Li-Ion battery
w/ 3-pin 65W AC adapter
363.4 x 238.5 x 17.9mm
Volcanic Gray
1.8kg
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