The Acer Aspire Vero 15 (2023) is a good computer. You can rest easy knowing that Acer has spared no expense in making this as eco-friendly as possible. In fact, this might be the first laptop I’ve come across to embrace the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” slogan. It reduces the amount of material used, reuses a lot of recycled material, and is made to be easy to recycle at the end of its life.
It’s a bit dated and, while a solid all-around performer, is basically a $750 model with a $850 price tag. But, being cutting edge – at least in carbon footprint if not design – comes at a cost. If you’re willing to pay that price for the environment, you’ll find some issues here and there but no deal-breakers, as long as you don’t need a more specialized machine.
Acer Aspire Vero 15 (2023): Price & availability
How much does it cost? $849.99 / AU$1,699 (about £672.72)When is it available? Available nowWhere can you get it? Only available in the US and Australia
The Acer Aspire Vero 15 (2023), which just hit digital shelves in the summer of 2023, goes for a reasonable-sounding $849.99 / AU$1,699 (about £672.72). With its 13th-Gen Intel Core i7 and 16GB of RAM, it’s fairly robust for its price.
However, its 15-inch FHD display and slightly dated design feel a bit cheap. Considering that it’s a bit boxy, I would have expected a somewhat lower price tag. But, all the effort that Acer has put into making this laptop eco-friendly comes from pretty new techniques and technology so that’s probably why it’s about $100 more than I think it should be.
While there’s no Aspire Vero 15 in the UK – residents only have access to a similar 14-inch model – Australians can choose between one with an Intel Core i5 and 8GB RAM (AU$1,399) or Intel Core i7 and 16GB RAM (AU$1,699), though the Crimson Green colorway reviewed here is only available in the US.
As much as I’ve said that I feel this laptop is overpriced, your other options for laptops where the reduced carbon footprint is a central focus are either older versions of the Acer Vero, some of which aren’t any cheaper, or the Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED , which is a much more petite and elegant laptop but also costs $1,399.99 / £1,499.99 / AU$2,099.
(Image credit: Future / James Holland)
Acer Aspire Vero 15 (2023): Specs The Acer Aspire Vero 15 (2023) comes in just one configuration in the US at the moment, though that might change.
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These are the specs for the Acer Aspire Vero 15 (2023)
Component
Review unit
Price
$849.99 / AU$1,699 (about £672.72)
CPU
13th-Gen Intel Core i7-1355U
GPU
Intel UMA Graphics
RAM
16GB LPDDR5
Storage
512TB SSD
Screen
15-inch FHD IPS (1920 x 1080) Display
Ports
1x HDMI, 2x USB-C, 2x USB-A, 1x 3.5mm audio
Wireless
Wi-Fi 6E & Bluetooth 5.0
Camera
QHD webcam
Weight
3.97 lb (1.8 kg)
Dimensions
0.70 x 14.2 x 9.3 inches (17.78 x 360.68 x 236.22 mm)
Acer Aspire Vero 15 (2023): Design
Very eco-friendly but somewhat boxy design Keyboard and trackpad are just okay Decent port selection
With the Acer Aspire Vero 15 (2023), the company has reduced the printed circuit board surface area by 52%. It has 50% post-consumer recycled material in the keycaps, 40% in the chassis (up from 30% in the previous generation), and 50% in the power adapter. The trackpad is composed of ocean-bound plastic. The chassis is completely paint-free. And, the packaging, made up of 90% recycled paper, is 100% recyclable. Plus, part of the inner packaging can be reused as a laptop stand, even if it is kind of meh.
As impressive as the eco-friendliness of this laptop is, the Acer Aspire 15’s aesthetic design is not quite as forward-thinking. In my personal opinion, it looks like a laptop from 2018. And, feels like one at almost 4 lbs. At least it feels very durable.
(Image credit: Future / James Holland)
At least its interesting color choices set it apart. It’s now available in Crimson Green, along with the non-paint finishes Acer has used for its Vero line such as Cobblestone Gray, and Mariana Blue.
As far as the components used here, the 15.6-inch IPS display is just 1080p, more than enough for basic computing but certainly not particularly eye-catching. The keyboard and trackpad are similarly utilitarian.
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(Image credit: Future / James Holland)
(Image credit: Future / James Holland)
(Image credit: Future / James Holland)
The keyboard has a fair bit of travel with keycaps that feel sturdy but not that ergonomic. At least it has a full-sized layout with a somewhat squished numpad on the right side. There’s also backlighting on hand as well.
The trackpad is nice and large with a fingerprint reader embedded in the top right corner. However, that size means it can register accidental presses or near presses from any part of the hand resting near it. Plus, there’s a little more give than I would like. I’ve seen much worse on trackpads. But, I’ve seen better as well.
(Image credit: Future / James Holland)
The port selection is pretty decent for a laptop. Instead of just sporting two USB-C ports and calling it a day as you’ll see on many machines these days, the Acer Aspire Vero 15 also has two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, a Kensington lock and an audio jack to go along with those two USB-C, which are unfortunately situated on the same side.
(Image credit: Future / James Holland)
Acer Aspire Vero 15 (2023): Performance
Solid all-around performance Speakers are decent if unexceptional 1440p at 30 fps webcam
Acer Aspire Vero 15 (2023): Laptop benchmarks
Here’s how the Acer Aspire Vero 15 performed in our suite of benchmark tests:
3DMark: Night Raid: 17,319; Fire Strike: 4,922; Time Spy: 1,789GeekBench 6: 2404 (single-core) ; 9026 (multi-core) 47.0Handbrake 1.6: 8:56CrossMark: Overall: 1461 Productivity: 1474 Creativity: 1435 Responsiveness: 1498Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Gathering Storm: 34.299 fpsWeb Surfing (Battery Informant): 11:23:30PCMark 10 Battery Life: 6 hours 8 minutes
When I first booted up the Acer Aspire Vero 15 (2023), I wasn’t expecting a powerhouse of a computer. And, though this is not capable of any super demanding tasks – you’re not running Cyberpunk 2077 on this or rendering 3D projects – it’s quite capable of everyday computing.
With a 13th-Gen Intel Core i7 and 16GB RAM, it can handle multiple tabs open at once, streaming, and even light gaming. Just out of curiosity, I tried a couple different games at 1080p including CS:GO , Civilization VI (which was also used for benchmarking purposes), and GTA IV . I was able to run the first two games without any issues while the latter experienced enough stuttering that I could play it but didn’t really want to. At the very least, even when pushed, it doesn’t get too hot.
This laptop’s performance is somewhat helped by the fact that it doesn’t need to power a demanding display. The screen has a 1080p resolution so it’s not going to impress next to the new laptops coming out with OLED screens with HDR support. And, its color coverage is, like a lot of aspects of this laptop, good but not great as it has 112.5% sRGB and only 79.7% DCI-P3.
As far as the speakers go, they get decently loud and are okay compared to a lot of other computer speakers I’ve heard. They’re a little boxy, but I could hear all the elements when streaming or listening to music.
If you do video conference calls, you’ll be pleased to know that it comes with a 1440p webcam, though I wish it wasn’t capped at 30 fps. However, Acer did include some software for features like auto-framing and background blur to make the most of its camera.
Acer Aspire Vero 15 (2023): Battery
Very good battery life Four different performance modes to save on battery
In our Battery Informant benchmark, the Acer Aspire Vero 15 (2023) achieved an 11-hour-and-23-minute result. Though that’s not bleeding edge or going to reach the heights of something like the MacBook Air 15-inch , it’s very respectable and more than enough to get you through the day.
Plus, via the VeroSense app, there are four different performance modes to use when on battery mode including one that disables USB charging to get the most juice out of this laptop as possible.
Should you buy the Acer Aspire Vero 15 (2023)?
(Image credit: Future / James Holland)
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[Product name]
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Price
This is a solid computer that’s slightly overpriced for its sustainability efforts. It also has limited configurations and availability outside of the US.
3.5 / 5
Design
It looks a little dated, but its efforts for sustainability are cutting edge. The keyboard and trackpad could be a little better.
4 / 5
Performance
There’s enough power for any day-to-day productivity. Just don’t expect to do any heavy lifting with this laptop.
5 / 5
Battery
Though not amazing, its battery life is very good and more than enough for most people.
4.5 / 5
Average rating
Solid performance in a very eco-friendly package is slightly hurt by its dated design and middling keyboard and trackpad.
4 / 5
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Acer Aspire Vero 15 (2023): Also consider
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Header Cell – Column 0 Acer Aspire Vero 15 (2023)
Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED (2023)
Dell XPS 13 (2022)
Price
$849.99 / AU$1,699 (about £672.72)
$1,399.99 / £1,499.99 / AU$2,099.00
Starting at $899 / £854 / AU$1,898
CPU
13th-Gen Intel Core i7-1355U
13th-Gen Intel Core i7-1355U
Intel Core i5-1230U – Intel Core i7-12700H
GPU
Intel UMA Graphics
Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Intel Iris Xe Graphics
RAM
16GB LPDDR5
32GB LPDDR5
8 – 32GB
Storage
512TB SSD
1TB M.2 NVMe SSD
512 GB – 1 TB SSD
Screen
15-inch FHD IPS (1920 x 1080) Display
13.3-inch, 16:10, 2.8K (2880 x 1800) aspect ratio ASUS Lumina OLED display
13.4-inch, FHD+ (1920 x 1200p) display
Ports
1x HDMI, 2x USB-C, 2x USB-A, 1x 3.5mm audio
2x Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x 3.5mm
2x USB Type-C Thunderbolt 4
Wireless
Wi-Fi 6E & Bluetooth 5.0
Wi-Fi 6e (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.2
Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
Camera
QHD webcam
1080p FHD webcam with IR function
720p at 30fps, no privacy shutter
Weight
3.97 lb (1.8 kg)
2.2 lbs (1kg)
2.59 lb (1.17 kg)
Dimensions
0.70 x 14.2 x 9.3 inches (17.78 x 360.68 x 236.22 mm)
11.66 x 8.52 x 0.46 inches (296.2 x 216.3 x 10.9mm)
11.63 x 7.85 x 0.55 inches (295.4 x 199.4 x 13.99 mm)
If the Acer Aspire Vero 15 (2023) has you considering other options, here are two more laptops to consider…
How I tested the Acer Aspire Vero 15 (2023)
I tested for a couple weeks I used it for productivity, media consumption, and some light gaming I tested the various aspects and features
Having used the Acer Aspire Vero 15 for a few weeks, I did plenty of work on it including writing up articles (including this one). I downloaded and played some games that I thought might be within its capabilities, namely CS:GO , Civilization VI and GTA IV . I also played some streaming videos to get a better sense of the screen.
After a few weeks of using this laptop, it’s clear that it’s a solid all-around Windows laptop that’s good for most general users, especially those who care about the environment.
I’ve spent the last few years reviewing tech gear for gaming and otherwise, where I’ve gotten a feel for what to look for and how to put a piece of kit through its paces to see whether it’s worth the recommendation.
Read more about how we test
First reviewed July 2023
