Acer today unveiled its latest eco-friendly laptop in the Acer Aspire Vero 15, coming soon for $700, with high-end specs and a recycled plastic body, and we’ve had a chance to spend some time with it ahead of the full launch.
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Acer Aspire Vero 15 – What’s so special?
The premium laptop market has for years focused on materials such as metal and glass to build out the body of a machine, but Acer’s Vero line takes a different approach to the materials used.
In the case of the Acer Aspire Vero 15, that includes a chassis that’s built from post-consumer recycled plastic, literally giving new life to plastics that have already been used once before. This laptop is made up of around 30-40% PCR plastic, with the entire build cutting down on CO2 emissions by approximately 30%. The keycaps also use post-consumer recycled plastic, with 50% of the total made from PCR. Acer says the materials as a whole are more durable and contribute to a longer life span for the laptop as a whole.
Acer is planning to sell this new Vero design in a few “world-reminiscent” colors, including the new “Cypress Green” model we tested, which is a unique and great-looking option.
You’ll also find eco-friendly materials used throughout the packaging, with the whole package using 100% recycled paper and 90% recycled cardboard. The box can even be reused as a laptop stand.
Specs: What’s inside the Aspire Vero 15
The Acer Aspire Vero 15, when it debuts later this year, will be packing some premium specs for a Windows machine. That includes Intel’s latest 13th Gen processors, up to a Core i7 with Iris Xe graphics.
- 15.6-inch IPS LCD, 1920×1080
- Up to Intel Core i7 13th Gen
- Up to 16GB LPDDR5 RAM
- Up to 1TB SSD
- 2x USB-C with Thunderbolt 4
- HDMI 2.1
- 1x barrel power plug for 45W charging (USB-C can also be used)
- 1440p QHD webcam
- Wi-Fi 6E
Our test unit was a preproduction model, so we can’t really comment on battery life or overall performance, as the configuration used isn’t necessarily what will be sold in the months to come.
9to5Toy’s Take
Over the past week, I’ve been using the Acer Aspire Vero 15 as my daily laptop, and it’s been an interesting experience. This early sample of the device doesn’t necessarily match what will be sold later this year, but it gives a good sense of what to expect.
In terms of actual use, I really haven’t felt like there’s anything different on the Vero compared to a traditional laptop. It’s just as fast, and there’s really been no downside in terms of pure functionality.
Rather, all of the changes that come with the Vero versus a regular premium laptop come from the physical hardware.
The Vero’s design is a lot boxier compared to most other laptops, and its matte plastic chassis just feels different. It’s not a bad thing, though. The way this machine is built makes it feel sturdy and tough and not shy about what it’s done to be more eco-friendly.
And, to be honest, I kind of love it.
I wish it were a little bit thinner, but I’d happily start using a recycled plastic laptop like this in place of my usual Razer machine. It’s not as heavy, and I’m not as worried about damaging it, and it feels nice knowing that the product is giving plastics a new life instead of letting them sit in a landfill or, worse, in the ocean. It’s an idea I hope to see more brands adopt in time.
The rest of the hardware holds up pretty well too. The display inside is only 1080p, but it doesn’t feel like I’m missing out compared to a higher-resolution display. The only complaint I really had was the scaling, which makes the 15-inch display feel a little cramped. Turning down the scaling to 115% through Windows settings quickly fixed that, though.
The keyboard, also made up largely of recycled materials, is one area that will be a bit divisive. Compared to a lot of premium laptops sold today, these keys have a lot of travel and don’t have much in terms of a tactile click or tap. But, for some, that might be a good thing. Going from my desktop’s mechanical keyboard to the Vero felt a bit less jarring than some of the other laptops I’ve used lately. The keys are also backlit, and despite being made from recycled plastic, I didn’t feel any notable difference in their finish.
The one thing I wish Acer did better here was easier access to future upgrades. On prior models of the Vero line, Acer had (mistakenly) teased user-upgradable RAM and storage but ended up pulling the rug on that prior to release, and the company tells us that’s still the case here – both the storage and RAM are fixed and can’t be upgraded by the end user. It’s a shame, really, as being able to upgrade hardware would be a much more eco-friendly move than using recycled materials.
The Acer Aspire Vero 15 launches in June in the US, starting at $699. The existing model is quite similar with a 12th Gen Intel chip and is currently on sale for $499 at Best Buy.
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