Acer refreshes budget-friendly Aspire 5 and Aspire 3 laptops with 12th Gen Intel processors

While Acer may be better known for their mainstream Swift and Predator gaming laptops, they do also have the Aspire series which feature solid specs at low prices. This time around, Acer have revealed updated versions of the Aspire 5 and Aspire 3, complete with 12th Gen Intel Core processors.

Acer Aspire 5 and Aspire 3 Malaysia pricing and availability

The Acer Aspire 5 and Aspire 3 are available for purchase from the Acer eStore as well as their official store on Shopee and Lazada. You can also find them from authorised Acer retailers nationwide. Here’s how much the Aspire 5 lineup will cost you:

• Aspire 5, Intel Core i5-1235U, Iris Xe graphics, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD – RM3,099
• Aspire 5, Intel Core i3-1215U, Intel UHD graphics, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD – RM2,599

…and here’s how much the Aspire 3 series will cost you:

• Aspire 3, Intel Core i7-1255U, Iris Xe graphics, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD – RM3,699
• Aspire 3, Intel Core i5-1235U, NVIDIA GeForce MX550, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD – RM3,399
• Aspire 3, Intel Core i5-1235U, Iris Xe graphics, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD – RM2,899
• Aspire 3, Intel Core i3-1215U, Intel UHD graphics, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD – RM2,499

Acer Aspire 5 specs

Starting with the Aspire 5, you’re looking at a simple no frills laptop with a 15.6-inch, FHD IPS display in a standard 16:9 display with 45% coverage of the NTSC colour gamut. The whole body weighs around 1.76kg, and measure 17.9mm thick.

Under the hood, you’ll find 12th Gen Intel Core processors, with up to a Core i5-1235U and 8GB of DDR4 RAM and a 512GB PCIe SSD. These U-series Intel chips have a 15W TDP, with the P-series chips being the more powerful ones using 28W TDPs. Only the Aspire 5 with a Core i5 will feature Intel Iris Xe graphics, while the base model with a Core i3-1215U comes with just Intel UHD graphics. It’ll come with Windows 11 Home out of the box together with Office Home & Student 2021. You’ll also be able to upgrade its RAM up to 32GB.

Elsewhere, there’s a 48Wh battery that Acer rates for up to 7.5 hours of use, though you should note that it uses a proprietary barrel charging port still. There’s a 720p webcam too, while connectivity gets taken care of by Bluetooth 5.1 and WiFi 6E. As for I/O, you’re getting a HDMI 2.1 port, three USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports, a 3.5mm audio jack and a USB-C 3.2 port with Thunderbolt 4 support. It comes in a Steel Grey colourway, while the Core i5 model is also available in Haze Gold.

Acer Aspire 3 specs

As for the Aspire 3, you might not be able to tell it apart from the Aspire 5 at first glance. This is because it too shares the same 15.6-inch, FHD IPS display in a 16:9 aspect ratio with 45% coverage of the NTSC colour gamut too. It is a little bigger in size though, measuring 19.9mm thick and weighing 1.78kg.

The Aspire 3 will come with your choice between the Core i3-1215U, the Core i5-1235U or the Core i7-1255U, with the last mated to 16GB of DDR4 RAM while the others come with 8GB of DDR4 RAM—all are upgradable to 32GB of RAM. They all also come with a 512GB SSD except for the Core i3 model, which has a 256GB SSD. You could also opt for integrated graphics, or an NVIDIA GeForce MX550 with 2GB of VRAM on the Core i5 model. They come with Windows 11 Home and Office Home & Student 2021 out of the box.

Also, unlike the Aspire 5 series, the Aspire 3 will not come with a Thunderbolt 4 port. Instead, you’re limited to an Ethernet port, a HDMI 2.1 port, three USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports and a 3.5mm audio jack. There’s also a 720p webcam and a 40Wh battery capable of up to 6.5 hours of use, and again you’ll need to use a proprietary barrel charger. The configuration with the MX550 will be available in Willow Green, while the others come in Pure Silver.