Acer Aspire Go 15: Two-minute review
The Acer Aspire Go 15 is an affordable Windows laptop with a spec that should prove capable enough for everyday use.
Considering its 15.6-inch form, it has a sleek and slender body. It’s also quite thin and light, which makes it easier to carry around than expected. The light silver finish and minimal aesthetic also imbue the Aspire Go 15 with some style, although there are a few unsightly angles that mar its appearance somewhat.
It isn’t built to the same high standards as the best laptops, much less many of the best Ultrabooks, either. The materials aren’t premium, and its construction isn’t as reassuringly solid as I would’ve liked. The lid isn’t the most stable, either, and its downward protrusion means it lifts up the rear of the unit when opened beyond 90 degrees, which is a design choice I’m not particularly fond of due to its impractical nature.
On a more positive note, there’s a decent selection of ports, including three for USB-A, one for HDMI cables, and one for Ethernet connections. There’s only one USB-C port, though, and no SD card reader.
The everyday performance of the Aspire Go 15 is very good, handling light productivity and entertainment workloads with speed. However, more intensive tasks such as gaming fare worse, given that it lacks a dedicated GPU. Light gaming is still possible, though, and both fan noise and temperatures are kept to a minimum.
One of the most disappointing aspects of the Aspire Go 15 is its display. Its grainy finish can be distracting, while colors can look a little washed out in some cases. Worse still is the restrictive viewing angle, with images and scenes becoming totally obscured when the display is set even slightly beyond optimal bounds.
The battery life of the Aspire Go 15 is quite good, though, lasting close to 12 hours during our movie playback test. However, there are quite a few rivals that can outlast it, such as the Dell 14 Plus.
Considering its price, the Aspire Go 15 represents a very good value, offering a more affordable alternative to the best Windows laptops that cost a good bit more. There are also better-performing Chromebooks for less money, such as the HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch, which also has a better display, but if you can live with its display, the Aspire Go 15 is one of the best budget laptops going and well worth adding to your shortlist.
Acer Aspire Go 15 review: Price & Availability
- Starts from $299.99 / £299.99 (about AU$450)
- Base models have weak specs
- Review model is still well-priced, though
The Aspire Go 15 starts from $299.99 / £299.99 (about AU$450) and is available now. A range of Intel and AMD CPUs are available to choose from, while RAM and storage capacities range from 8GB to 32GB and 128GB to 1TB, respectively.
This is a good starting price for a Windows laptop, but for this outlay, you’ll have to settle for a weak spec. My review model was considerably more powerful than the base model, and priced closer to some strong rivals.
However, it still undercuts other affordable Windows machines, such as the Dell 14 Plus. We found this laptop to be an excellent value, though, thanks to its fast performance and enduring battery life, while its light design even makes it a worthy alternative to some of the best MacBooks.
If you’re willing to look beyond Windows machines, the HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch is another enticing proposition. This is cheaper than the Aspire Go 15, but has a stronger performance and a superior display that doesn’t suffer from the same issues. No wonder we think it’s one of the best Chromebooks around right now.
- Value: 4.5 / 5
Acer Aspire Go 15 review: Specs
Base configuration | Review configuration | Maximum configuration (US) | (UK) | |
Price | $299.99 / £299.99 | $549.99 / £649 | $819.99 / £899.99 |
CPU | Intel N100 (4 cores, 3.4GHz) | AMD Ryzen 7 5825U (8 cores, 2.0GHz) | Intel Core i7-13620H | Intel Core 7 150U |
GPU | Intel UHD Graphics (integrated) | AMD Radeon (integrated) | Intel UHD Graphics (integrated) | Intel Graphics (integrated) |
RAM | 4GB LPDDR5 | 16GB DDR4 | 16GB DDR5 | 32GB DDR4 |
Storage | 128GB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD | 512GB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD | 1TB PCIe 3.0 SSD | 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD |
Display | 15.6-inch (1920 x 1080), 16:9, 60Hz | 15.6-inch (1920 x 1080), 16:9, 60Hz | 15.6-inch (1920 x 1080), 16:9, 60Hz |
Ports and Connectivity | 2x USB-A (3.2 Gen 1), 1x USB-C (3.2 Gen 2), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x 3.5mm combo audio; Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 | 3x USB-A (3.2 Gen 1), 1x USB-C (3.2 Gen 2), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x Ethernet, 1x 3.5mm combo audio; Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 | 3x USB-A (3.2 Gen 1), 1x USB-C (3.2 Gen 2), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x Ethernet, 1x 3.5mm combo audio; Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 |
Battery | 53Wh | 53Whr | 53Whr | 53Whr |
Dimensions | 14.3 x 9.5 x 0.8in (363 x 241 x 20mm) | 14.3 x 9.5 x 0.8in (363 x 241 x 20mm) | 14.3 x 9.5 x 0.8in (363 x 241 x 20mm) |
Weight | 3.92lbs / 1.78kg | 3.92lbs / 1.78kg | 3.92lbs / 1.78kg |
A wide selection of spec configurations are available, with both Intel and AMD processors. There is a mix of PCIe 3.0 and 4.0 SSDs depending on the spec, so some drives will run slower than others, and that's not always immediately apparent when looking at retailer specs sheets.
It also doesn't include the latest Wi-Fi and Bluetooth standard, but Wi-Fi 6 is fast enough for most people's needs, while the inclusion of an Ethernet port is welcome.
Overall, for their various price points, these are about the specs one should expect.
- Specs: 3.5 / 5
Acer Aspire Go 15 review: Design
- Reasonably light and thin
- Lacking solidity
- Odd lid design
The Aspire Go 15 is a basic but smart looking laptop, with extraneous details kept to a minimum. The light silver finish of my review unit helped to impart some elegance, too, although a few unsightly juts and angles spoil its otherwise smooth contours. While the Aspire Go 15 is quite wide, it’s relatively light and pleasingly thin, which makes it easier to carry around than you might imagine for a 15.6-inch laptop.
Build quality isn’t exactly the greatest, though, with cheap looking – and feeling – plastics that flex to an inauspicious degree. Thankfully, the keys feel more premium: they’re solidly fitted and have a prominent texture that’s satisfying to touch.
The lid is also better made than the rest of the unit, featuring a solid yet smooth hinge mechanism. I welcomed how thin it was, too, although I was less keen on its bottom protrusion. This causes the rear of the Aspire Go 15 to lift off ground when opened to angles beyond 90 degrees – a deliberate design choice but one that feels unintuitive and can result in loose fabrics and other materials underneath the chassis getting caught, which isn’t ideal.
There was a reasonable selection of ports on my Aspire Go 15 review unit. I welcomed the three USB-A ports, spread across both sides for added convenience. There was also an HDMI port and an ethernet port: increasingly rare sights on modern laptops, and again ones I was glad to see. There’s only one USB-C port, though, and no SD card reader, both of which are mild shames.
- Design: 3.5 / 5
Acer Aspire Go 15 review: Performance
- Great general computing performance
- Some light gaming is possible
- Relatively cool and quiet
3DMark Fire Strike: 3,646; Steel Nomad: 205; Wild Life Extreme: 2,229; Wild Life Extreme Unlimited: 2,200;
GeekBench 6.5 Single-core: 2,000; Multi-core: 6,605
CrossMark Overall: 1,109; Productivity: 1,149; Creativity: 1,125; Responsiveness: 954;
HandBrake - 4K to 1080p average FPS: 43.24
For everyday tasks, the Aspire Go 15 is very capable. It can handle light productivity, from word processing to spreadsheet creation, without much if any slowdowns. It also had no problem streaming 4K content. I didn’t experience any midway buffering pauses or stuttering, for example.
However, the viewing experience is marred by the quality of the display. It has a noticeably grainy finish, which can be distracting at times. Colors can also look washed out.
What’s more, the display darkens considerably if the angle isn’t set just right, to the point of near-total blackness sometimes. Thankfully, once you’ve found the optimum position, there are next to no reflections visible on screen.
Since there’s no dedicated GPU installed in the Aspire Go 15, it isn’t particularly great for creative and gaming workloads. Cyberpunk 2077 is playable on the lowest preset, but naturally, you’ll have to make do with some rough visuals and uninspiring frame rates.
The game is even passable on Medium settings and upscaling, but you’ll have to contend with even lower frame rates and more input lag, rendering the experience less than enjoyable.
Mercifully, though, I experienced little fan noise from the Aspire Go 15 during such intensive workloads, never elevating above a faint whir. It also stayed commendably cool, with certain portions of the body reaching lukewarm temperatures only.
Another highlight of the Aspire Go 15 is its keyboard. The aforementioned keycap texture helps them feel more tactile, as does the surprising amount of dampening of the switches, despite their short travel and very low profile.
What’s more, they’re snappy and responsive, which only improves their typing prowess. And despite featuring a number pad, the layout doesn’t feel cramped. Those number pad keys are relatively small, though, but they’re still eminently usable. So overall, if you’re looking for one of the best laptops for writing, the Aspire Go 15 could well be a contender for you.
The touchpad is less pleasant to use, though. While it’s smooth enough for easy gestures and swiping, it’s not as large as those in other 15-inch laptops, which compromises its navigation abilities. Also, clicks and taps lack feedback and even rattle at points, which further hampers their functionality.
- Performance: 4 / 5
Acer Aspire Go 15 review: Battery Life
- Reasonable longevity
- Rivals can far outlast it, though
The battery life of the is quite impressive. It managed to last close to 12 hours when playing a movie on a continuous loop. It’s also quick to charge, taking about two hours to fully top up.
The HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch achieved a similar score. However, others in this sector can outlast it by quite some distance, including the Dell 14 Plus, which lasted over 13 hours when we ran a similar test.
- Battery Life: 3.5 / 5
Should I buy the Acer Aspire Go 15?
Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
Value | The Aspire Go 15 ranges in price from incredibly cheap to reasonably-priced for a Windows machine exhibiting this kind of performance. | 4.5 / 5 |
Specs | While the Aspire Go 15 isn't loaded with the very latest specs, for the price, they're pretty decent. | 3.5 / 5 |
Design | It’s surprisingly thin and light for such a large laptop, but the construction isn’t exactly the most premium. | 3.5 / 5 |
Performance | The Aspire Go 15 is great for everyday tasks and brilliant for typing on, but the poor display and lack of graphical power are drawbacks. | 4 / 5 |
Battery Life | Battery life is quite good, but others can outlast it by a long way, too. | 3.5 / 5 |
Total | The Aspire Go 15 is a very competent laptop for the price. But there are better all-rounders in the Chromebook market, if you really don’t need Windows. | 3.8 / 5 |
Buy the Acer Aspire Go 15 if...
You want basic tasks done fast
Light productivity and 4K streaming are both dispatched with surprising ease.
You’ll be doing a lot of typing
The keyboard is a dream to use: it’s super responsive and provides plenty of feedback. The full-size layout doesn’t feel cramped, either.
Don't buy it if...
You want the best display
The grainy finish, lack of brightness, washed-out tones, and exacting viewing angles all add up to a less-than-stellar visual experience.
You'll be conducting intensive workloads
Since it lacks a dedicated GPU, the Aspire Go 15 isn’t the machine for creative pros or heavy gamers.
Acer Aspire Go 15 review: Also Consider
Dell Inspiron 14 Plus
Although it’s more expensive, the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus still sits in the affordable Windows laptop bracket. It boasts a Snapdragon X Plus chip (so beware, this is an ARM machine), which can handle everyday tasks with aplomb. The display isn’t as big as the Go’s, but it’s significantly sharper and less fussy, not to mention it features touchscreen functionality.
Read our full Dell Inspiron 14 Plus review.
HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch
Stepping outside of the Windows ecosystem, the HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch is one of the best Chromebooks around, thanks to its excellent performance and display. What’s more, it’s cheaper than my Aspire Go 15 review unit. It’s also one of the best student Chromebooks.
Read our full HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch review.
How I tested the Acer Aspire Go 15
- Tested for several days
- Used for a variety of tasks
- Plentiful laptop reviewing experience
I tested the Acer Aspire Go 15 for several days, using it for working, entertainment, gaming, and general browsing.
I also connected various peripherals to it, and ran our series of benchmark tests to assess its overall performance. I also tested its battery life by playing a movie on a continuous loop until it expired.
I have plenty of experience testing all kinds of laptops, from everyday workhorses to high-end specialist machines. I’ve also reviewed Chromebooks and other computing devices, such as tablets.
- First reviewed: October 2025
- Read more about how we test
