2023 Acer Aspire Vero 15 review: A great looking 2nd-gen eco-conscious laptop by Acer

Acer introduced the Acer Aspire Vero in 2022, pushing its eco-conscious build and sourcing. The first generation was a solid effort and scored points with me for its looks. Now we’re back in 2023 with the Acer Aspire Vero 15, once again showcasing its eco-conscious build with new colorways to boot. There’s not much in terms of performance or tech specs (apart from these are the most comparable current hardware components available) that set the Acer Aspire Vero 15 apart from any of its brethren.

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

The critical difference between Vero’s competition is its eco-friendly build and design, something a fair number of users care about. The outgoing Acer Aspire Vero was also heavy on eco-friendly, and many users gravitated to it for that reason. But even if you’re not eco-minded, this laptop design is cool-looking and fun. Let’s jump into the full review of the 2023 Acer Aspire Vero 15.

The Quick Take

Suppose you’re an eco-minded buyer looking for a laptop that works well in everyday use and is probably excellent for light business use. Then the Acer Aspire Vero is right up your alley. There are plenty of great features and a good amount of I/O, which is lacking in other laptops.

The price point is attainable (significantly under $1000), and the design is appealing. The speakers and only 300 nit brightness panel are my two MAJOR gripes about this laptop. I disliked other minor strange and quirky things, but most of those are just little personal preferences, such as the number pad being smaller than I’d like and the off-center trackpad.

At the end of the day. The Acer Aspire Vero is aimed at eco-minded shoppers, and everything from the power cable to the box has that in mind. For those buyers, this will be the one to buy.

Specifications

The 2023 Acer Aspire Vero 15 has the following features and specifications:

• Operating System: Windows 11 Home
• Operating System Architecture: 64-bit
• Processor: Intel® Core™ i7 i7-1355U 1.70 GHz Deca-core (10 Core™) 13th Gen
• Display & Graphics: Intel® Iris Xe Graphics
• Graphics Memory Accessibility: Shared
• Screen Size: 15.6” LCD/LED 1920 × 1080 60 Hz
• Memory: 16 GB LPDDR5
• Storage: 512 GB SSD PCIe NVMe
• Network & Communication: IEEE 802.11ax
• Bluetooth 5.1 or above
• Built-in Devices: Microphone, fingerprint Reader
• Interfaces/Ports:
  • 1 HDMI
  • 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A Ports
  • 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C Ports
  • 4 USB Ports
  • USB Type-C Port supporting: USB 3.2 Gen 2 (up to 10 Gbps), Thunderbolt 4, USB charging 5 V; 3 A, DC-in port 20 V; 65 W
• Keyboard Backlight
• Battery: Lithium-ion (Li-Ion) | Maximum Battery Run Time 12.50 Hours, 56 Wh
• Intel® Evo™ PC – Customized to provide superior performance, responsiveness, and all-day battery life.
• Power Supply Wattage: 65 W
• Kensington Lock
• Height: 0.70” (17.90 mm)
• Width: 14.16” (359.70 mm)
• Depth: 9.33” (236.90 mm)
• Weight (Approximate): 1.80 kg
• Product Color: Cypress Green
• Model Number: AV15-53P-77V9

What’s In The Box

• 2023 Acer Aspire Vero 15 laptop
• Power Supply
• Power Cable
• Manuals and Documentation

Design

Like last year’s model, what I love most about the Acer Aspire Vero design is its look. Acer’s goal with this laptop is to be as eco-friendly as possible, made from post-consumer recycled material. This material has an attractive aesthetic, and our Cypress Green color looks fantastic.

The bottom rubber feet are a pastel green color that ties the color aesthetic together nicely. That same green rubber is on the laptop’s spine, adding some flair to the design. Like last year’s model, the recycled material has specks throughout, giving it an organic look. The entire look is probably a matter of taste, but I still dig it. The material is lightweight, which might give some users the impression of cheap, but it doesn’t feel cheap.

The bottom of the Acer Aspire Vero has a sizeable venting grille, and the speakers are also located down here. Some Acer branding and recycling branding are embossed on the bottom, which looks nice. Other than that, it’s relatively plain, with some stickers which show serial and model numbers.

The top of the Vero is also clean and minimal, with only an embossed Acer logo placed at the top and center. The right side of the Vero houses LED indicators, the headphone/mic jack, one USB-A port, and the Kensington lock slot.

The left side of the Acer Aspire Vero houses a respectable number of ports, including two USB-C/Thunderbolt ports, one USB-A port, an HDMI port, and a power port. Acer removed the ethernet port, which some users may find annoying. The barreled power port is sort of useless, as Acer now uses a USB-C/Thunderbolt connector for the power cable.

Opening the lid of the Vero now only takes one finger. Last year’s model took two hands to open and that was a major flaw, it’s nice to see it fixed this year. The display is the first thing to greet you, and the bezels on top and bottom are thick but seem to be less thick than last year’s model. The bezels on the side look about the same.

The Acer Aspire Vero deck has the same utilitarian beauty as the previous model. It looks rigid and fundamental but flows with the rest of the aesthetic. The keyboard keys look smaller than the average size but just slightly. The number pad keys are smaller than the average number pad keys. The mirrored R & E keys are a charming design element. Typing on these keys is fine; it is comfortable and easy, but certainly not my favorite. Most people will find it acceptable, but if you’re used to something like an XPS or MacBook Pro keyboard, you might get frustrated.

Like last year’s model, the trackpad is slightly off center, like almost every laptop with a number pad. I’m not too fond of off-center trackpads, but this one didn’t bother me as much as the others. The fingerprint reader is on the top left of the trackpad, and it works great. I had an occasional misread but much less than other brands with the same sensor and positioning. I would like to see the fingerprint sensor moved to the right under the number pad. I think that would make it easier to use.

The trackpad works well and gestures are smooth and clicking is nice. Typing is also comfortable, though as I stated earlier, the smaller keys may not be for everyone.

Overall, for the price and what it’s made of, this is a very nice-looking and well-thought-out design from Acer. The company addressed some issues from the previous version, and this is an overall improvement over last year.

Display

There’s not a huge difference between last year’s model and this year’s in the display. The Acer Aspire Vero houses a 1920 × 1080 15.6″ IPS LCD with around 300 nits of brightness. Acer says this display is mercury free, lending to the appeal to eco-minded users. This display also has 100% sRGB color volume and looks pleasant in terms of color.

The contrast is also good, not perfect, but it was suitable for the price point and display technology. The Whites were clean and crisp, and the text was legible and clear.

Acer’s 300 nit panel is perfectly good in an average room with standard lighting. But in brighter outdoor conditions, the display does struggle. It’s usable, but not comfortable in bright conditions. On the bright side, pun intended, this is a low-power display which is energy saving.

Overall, the Vero display is average. It’s not outstanding, but it is usable and, for most users, should be more than enough. If you do a lot of outdoor work, you may not be happy with the display, but it will be fine if you’re mostly inside.

Software/Ecosystem

Windows 11 Home comes standard on the Acer Aspire Vero. There isn’t much to say about Windows, it works well, and I love its design.

Like most Acer laptops, there is some added software and linked software that can be removed. This is typical of most Windows laptops. We don’t like it, but it is there.

Performance

Our Acer Aspire Vero unit came with the Intel Core i7 i7-1355U 1.70 GHz Deca-core (10 Core) 13th Gen CPU and Intel Iris Xe Graphics GPU, paired with 16 GB of DDR5 RAM and a 512 GB PCIe NVMe SSD. These aren’t massive knock-your-socks-off specifications, but they are better than average and an upgrade from last year. I’m not positive if there are other configurations available, but usually PCs can be ordered with other specs.

This configuration did well for everyday web browsing, email, Microsoft Office apps, watching YouTube, casual in-browser games, and video conferencing. I never felt like the system was lagging or getting slow, and the fans never whirred up to cool anything down. Performance is on par with last year’s model.

I did not push this laptop as I would some others. So, no video editing, no photo editing, nothing that would tax the system too hard. I will give the Vero considerable props for having a decent number of I/O options, something many laptops are dropping lately. Though I do think some may miss the ethernet port.

Overall, I think this is a good middle-of-the-road, maybe lower end of middle-of-the-road, option for most users. It should perform well for most average users.

Speakers/Sound

The speakers on last year’s model were the worst thing about it. The speakers on this Acer Aspire Vero have been improved, but not by much. Video conferencing calls are better, and it sounds like Acer made the volume output louder. What they did not do is add any low end to the mix. These speakers are still thin sounding, but louder. So, there is improvement, but not much.

Camera

Acer brings back the 1080p HDR camera on the Acer Aspire Vero and that is a good thing. It’s great to see Acer taking the lead in this, more laptop makers need to switch to 1080p and ditch the 720p cameras. Especially with so many more users working remotely or using video conferencing.

Battery Life

I didn’t see any battery life claims for this year’s Acer Aspire Vero, but last year’s claimed 13 hours. That isn’t a hard and fast claim; there is some wiggle room, given that battery life hugely depends on how you use the laptop and what settings you use. I did not use any power-saving features and kept the brightness full. Like last year, I got slightly over 10 hours of battery life using the Acer Aspire Vero for basic tasks. I do not doubt that you can get more than that if you manage your power with the power-saving settings. Battery life is excellent, and most users should be pleased with what they get.

Price/Value

The Acer Aspire Vero starts at $849. That’s really a remarkable price. As for value, there is value here, but it may not be for everyone. This is certainly going to appeal to eco-minded users.

Wrap Up

The 2023 Acer Aspire Vero returns with a great price, minor upgrades, and the same good-looking design.

In some of our articles and especially in our reviews, you will find Amazon or other affiliate links. As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases. Any other purchases you make through these links often result in a small amount being earned for the site and/or our writers. Techaeris often covers brand press releases. Doing this does not constitute an endorsement of any product or service by Techaeris. We provide the press release information for our audience to be informed and make their own decision on a purchase or not. Only our reviews are an endorsement or lack thereof. For more information, you can read our full disclaimer.

Last Updated on March 13, 2024.