The Acer Aspire Vero 16 is Acer’s latest budget laptop, and it looks set to outpace other laptops in the affordable 16-inch display market. Between its WQXGA screen, current-gen CPU, and solid RAM and storage, it's a pretty stacked laptop that's perfect for demanding productivity work and light editing projects.
What sets the Vero 16 apart from Acer's other offerings is how eco-friendly the build is, and it shows how dedicated the manufacturer is to building laptops that have less of an impact on the environment while keeping the quality up and the pricing affordable.
Acer Aspire Vero 16: Price and availability
The Acer Aspire Vero 16 is slated for an April 2024 release in the US, with pricing starting at $749.99 – that’s around £590 / AU$1,120, but we don’t yet have confirmed release dates or prices for the UK or Australia.
That list price is impressive, considering that the Vero 16 is equipped with an Intel Core Ultra CPU and a large display. Add in its other solid specs and you have a laptop that's competitive with the best ultrabooks and the best thin and light laptops in the same market that cost at least double the price.
Acer Aspire Vero 16: Design
The Acer Aspire Vero 16 has an impressive 16-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600) screen, though it also being OLED would have made this laptop more competitive with Acer's Swift Go 14 and 16.
As mentioned, this is an eco-friendly laptop, and its chassis is more than 60% PCR (post-consumer recycled) material, with the touchpad made from Acer’s OceanGlass, and the packaging made from 100% recycled material. It feels lightweight for a laptop with such a large screen and with such a high-quality build, and the chassis has an interesting texture, giving the Vero 16 a more distinctive look and feel that I personally enjoy.
Like the Acer Swift Go 14 and 16 laptops, the Aspire Vero 16 has a 1440p webcam, which is a clear upgrade over most other ultrabooks, which still use 1080p or even 720p. And this camera even comes with a physical privacy shutter, a feature that in my opinion should be standard on laptops.
Its port selection is pretty decent, with Type-C and Type-A USB ports, an HDMI port, one 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo jack, and a Kensington lock. However, it's missing both an Ethernet port and a microSD slot, which is disappointing.
The touchpad is smooth and responsive, and has a built-in fingerprint reader in the top-left corner; rather convenient for avoiding mishaps with a reader and the power button. The keyboard features lovely backlighting and an interesting detail – the 'R' and 'E' keys are backward, which an Acer rep explained is related to the 'recycle' theme of the laptop.
Acer Aspire Vero 16: Performance
Though we couldn't test the Acer Aspire Vero 16's performance through benchmarks, the Intel Core Ultra CPU all but guarantees a speedy laptop that eats processor-intensive tasks for breakfast.
As for the other specs, the GPU is the standard Intel Graphics, meaning that you won't be squeezing out much power on that end. I wish the Intel Arc Graphics upgrade option was available, as that would have kept the laptop lightweight while still offering a way to customize your laptop to better handle more demanding creative and editing work.
Acer Aspire Vero 16: Early verdict
The Acer Aspire Vero 16 is a solid laptop that generally holds up well to other 16-inch models. What sets it apart is its price, which is quite budget-friendly, especially for the size of the screen, and its impressive eco-friendly credentials.
It shares most of the same specs and upgrades as the Acer Swift Go 14, and even starts at the same price. However, compared to the Swift Go 14, the Aspire Vero 16 is missing key features like an OLED screen, higher RAM options, and a microSD slot, to name just a few.
But, if you want a larger screen for an affordable price, a webcam that has a physical privacy switch, and if you care about the growing issue of e-waste, then this is the laptop for you. Otherwise, you could get the Swift Go 14 or 16-inch model for at or around the same price, and either would offer you more in terms of specs or features.
