Companies know that taking care of the environment becomes more and more imperative, for this reason, Acer is betting on ecological products with its Vero line. On this occasion, I had the opportunity to test the Aspire Vero laptop for 10 days.
This is a team that was created based on the company’s philosophy of sustainability to address current and future environmental challenges, called earth + mission.
The Aspire Vero was officially presented in July this year in Mexico and, in addition to being a sustainable computer, it is designed for a very specific audience: a user looking to perform basic activities efficiently.
This is not a laptop designed for gamers, designers, editors or a user who wants to demand a lot from the equipment. It is more of a computer for home or school tasks, such as using the Office suite, watching videos, or storing and editing basic photos.
Layout and keyboard
Sustainability credentials are present from its design; it is very unique, as it is made with 50% PCR (post-consumer recycled) plastic and, true to its philosophy, on the casing it seems that you are looking at recycled paper. It does not have any type of paint, which is consistent with its sustainability initiative.
Its screen measures 15.6 inches and weighs 1.8kg. I think it is heavy and big considering that one of the audiences is the students who need to carry it everywhere. I also had a bit of trouble closing the backpack – I had to pack things really tightly for it to fit.
But its large size also makes consuming videos and working very comfortable.
One of its pluses is definitely the wide number of connectivity options and ports it has. It has an HDMI 2.0, three USB ports (one for charging devices with the equipment turned off), a USB type C and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It also has LED lights that indicate when the laptop is charging.
On the other hand, its keyboard is very comfortable. It’s illuminated and it’s also made from 50% recycled plastic. I liked that it includes a numeric keypad and that the keys are wide, making typing easier. In addition, it has a nod to sustainability in the letters “R” and “E”, as they are highlighted in yellow and upside down.
The only thing I didn’t like about the keyboard is that it doesn’t indicate when caps is on and it’s especially awkward when you’re entering passwords because you can’t tell when you’re typing them.
It should be noted that the laptop’s packaging is made with 100% recycled cardboard.
Specs and Features
I found the laptop to offer a highly satisfying and smooth user experience. It has the Windows 11 operating system and an 11th generation Intel Core i5 processor. It integrates 8GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB storage, expandable up to 1TB.
A plus of this laptop and that it is faithful to its ecological philosophy is that it is very easy to change the RAM, the battery, the hard drive and its parts are quite generic. For example, it uses standard screws and the RAM can be expanded up to 16 GB.
This is a great advantage because it allows you to replace the parts you need when they stop working, renewing the useful life of your computer.
Display y audio
I consider the display of the Aspire Vero to be the greatest virtue of the laptop, as it is one of the most comfortable and pleasant I have seen. It features 1080p resolution and its anti-glare finish means viewing is always great.
It integrates Acer ComfyView technology and is mercury-free, making it a 99% recyclable panel. On the other hand, the Intel Iris Xe graphics card makes the experience to consume videos, video games and photos very pleasant.
However, I consider audio to be the laptop’s biggest shortcoming. Although the volume is enough to have video calls, consuming videos was not the “powerful and clear sound” experience that they promise, since the audio sounds very low.
I did a test with the maximum audio volume, with a decibel meter and a 440 HZ video, and it only reached 68.3 Hz. A Macbook Air, with the same test, reached up to 83.7Hz; a noticeable difference.
But connecting headphones and speakers via bluetooth is very simple. I opted for this option and the experience was more pleasant.
Webcam, microphone and battery
The webcam is not the great virtue of the laptop, since it does not exceed 720p resolution, but I consider that they are more than enough to carry out video calls. It works well and is very fluid.
On the other hand, the noise cancellation that the microphones have works very well and is very useful when you are in video conferences.
Lastly, the battery is pretty decent. If I charged it overnight, it performed very well all day without needing to recharge it again, as it can last up to 12 hours. This considering that my daily activities included using the Office suite, making numerous video conferences and consuming videos.
Cost and availability
The Aspire Vero has an average cost of 17,999 pesos and is already available in select physical stores such as Sam’s Club and retailers such as Office Depot, El Palacio de Hierro or Liverpool.
Exact specifications, prices and availability may vary and can be checked at www.acer.com or authorized retailers.
Conclusions
This is a good option for middle school, high school and college students – excluding design majors – who are looking for a computer that will last for years to come and work for basic tasks. It is also a very good option for home use and for users who need a laptop for home office.
However, it is important to consider that this is not the only ecological option on the market and that there are other options such as the Lenovo Thinkpad, the Apple Macbook, the Asus Zenbook or the Dell Latitude. All of these have gone through the , a worldwide certification that indicates whether the technological products have passed through the sustainability filters.
