Acer has a pretty wide range of notebooks catering to everyone from gamers to designers to students. Now it has a new demographic in sight: environmentalists.
Sustainability is one of the hot-button issues for tech manufacturers these days, and the Aspire Vero appears to be Acer stepping into the ring. The Vero’s chassis and bezels are made of 30% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic, which Acer says results in nearly 20% fewer carbon emissions in the construction process when compared to similar laptops. Additionally, the screen is apparently 99% recyclable, and the laptop’s packaging is entirely recyclable. It’s also refreshingly light.
Now, that sounds pretty admirable at first glance, but there are a handful of machines, both niche and mainstream, that offer similar eco-friendly specs. Even if that isn’t the point. For example, Apple’s new MacBook Pros are made entirely out of recycled aluminium.
Which is a little unfortunate, because aside from the environmental message the Vero doesn’t have a lot going on to separate it from the rank and file. While the PCR chassis have a unique look and feel, the actual design of this notebook is a little uninspired. The keys feel nice enough to type on, and though the 15.6in 1080p TFT LCD screen is a little dim, it’s still more than enough for your day job and a movie after-hours.
Pop the hood and you’ll find 500GB NVMe SSD storage, 16GB of RAM and an Intel i7 CPU. Graphics are handled by the integrated Iris Xe on board. Again, with a brief look this seems solid enough, but with a R15,000 price tag you wouldn’t be out of line hoping for a little more ‘oomph’. You can pop it open and do some light upgrading, but not enough to make the Vero stand out.
The only exciting thing going on here is port-side, where you’ll find a USB-C, two USB 3.2 Gen 1s, a USB 2.0, an HDMI port, the DC-in for charging, an ethernet input and a headphone jack. Everything you could need and more.
Acer Aspire Vero Verdict – Green-ish
While the Vero is plenty capable, it’s really being sold for its eco-friendly message. That’s admirable, but there are a handful of other laptops that are just as green but more powerful. And at this price-point you’ll probably be able to find something significantly more capable, even if it leaves a slightly bigger carbon footprint.
Bottom line is: the Vero is totally fine for what it is, but does its message a disservice by being forgettable overall.