2024 Acer One Review: The Most Underrated Budget Laptop Right Now!

In the competitive landscape of budget laptops, finding a device that balances performance, aesthetics, and functionality is challenging, especially under ₹25,000. Enter the 2024 Acer One, a laptop that has surprised many by offering an impressive package at an equally impressive price point. After a detailed analysis, it’s clear that this is a gem in the budget segment.

Quick Summary

• Price: ₹21,000 (with bank discounts)
• Processor: 11th Gen Intel Core i3
• RAM: 8GB DDR4
• Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD
• Display: 14-inch Full HD (1080p) LCD
• Weight: 1.4 kg
• Battery Life: 5-5.5 hours
• Operating System: Windows 11
• Ports: USB-A, USB-C, HDMI, LAN, MicroSD slot

Design and Build Quality: Aesthetics That Defy the Budget

One of the most significant challenges with budget laptops is their design. Often, they scream “cheap” with their flimsy plastic builds and lack of attention to detail. Surprisingly, the 2024 Acer One breaks this mold.

• Minimalistic Design: The Acer One has a clean, industrial look that is typical of more premium laptops. While the chassis is plastic, it doesn’t feel as cheap as many other laptops in this price range.
• Portability: Weighing in at just 1.4 kg, this laptop is incredibly portable, making it easy to carry around for students, professionals, or anyone constantly on the go.
• Sturdiness: Despite its lightweight build, the Acer One feels sturdy. Yes, there’s some flex in the lid and keyboard, but nothing that detracts from everyday usability.

Performance: Punching Above Its Weight

When discussing budget laptops, performance is often the most significant compromise. However, the Acer One surprises with its snappy day-to-day performance.

• Processor: Powered by an 11th Gen Intel Core i3, the laptop is more than capable for daily tasks. This processor is a step up from the usual Celeron chips found in this price segment.
• RAM and Storage: With 8GB DDR4 RAM and a 512GB NVMe SSD, multitasking is a breeze. Whether it’s browsing with multiple Chrome tabs, streaming, or working on documents, the laptop remains responsive.
• Real-World Usage: In testing, the laptop handled 10+ Chrome tabs, Cinebench runs, Steam downloads, and background tasks with ease. Despite high CPU usage, the system remained stable and responsive.

Benchmark Results:

Upgradeability: Future-Proofing Your Investment

One of the standout features of the Acer One is its upgradeability. The laptop allows for easy hardware upgrades, which is rare in this price range.

• RAM Slots: The laptop comes with two RAM slots, one of which is empty. This means you can upgrade the RAM to improve performance even further.
• Storage Expansion: There’s also an easy-access slot for adding an HDD, allowing for significant storage expansion.

Display: Adequate for the Price

The 14-inch Full HD (1080p) LCD panel on the Acer One is what you’d expect from a budget laptop. While it’s not going to blow you away, it’s certainly good enough for everyday use.

• Sharpness: The display is sharp enough for general tasks like browsing, word processing, and watching videos.
• Brightness: The brightness levels are average. While it’s sufficient for indoor use, outdoor visibility might be a challenge.
• Viewing Angles: The viewing angles are decent, and while color accuracy isn’t perfect, it’s good enough for casual media consumption.
• Drawbacks: The bezels are thick, giving the laptop a slightly dated look, and the plasticky finish around the screen doesn’t help. But considering the price, these are minor gripes.

Keyboard and Touchpad: Usable, But Not Perfect

The keyboard and touchpad on the Acer One offer a mixed bag of experiences.

• Keyboard: The typing experience is quite good for a budget laptop. The keys have decent travel and feedback, and the layout is comfortable with full-sized arrow keys. However, it lacks backlighting, and the quality of the key stickers might degrade over time.
• Touchpad: While the touchpad supports gestures and is adequately sized, the rough texture of the surface detracts from the overall experience.

Battery Life and Charging: Decent for Basic Use

Battery life on the Acer One is average but acceptable given its price.

• Usage: With general browsing and text editing, the laptop delivers around 5 to 5.5 hours of battery life.
• Charging: The laptop comes with a 45W charger that charges the battery in about 1.5 hours. An added bonus is that it supports USB-C charging, which isn’t common in budget laptops.

Audio and Connectivity: Some Compromises

• Speakers: The bottom-firing speakers are average at best. They aren’t very loud and sound tinny, so don’t expect an immersive audio experience.
• Connectivity: The laptop supports Bluetooth without issues, but Wi-Fi connectivity can be a bit confusing. Although the task manager shows Wi-Fi 6, actual performance in speed tests was slower than expected, likely due to the older modem in the 11th Gen Intel CPU.

Software: Clean and Bloat-Free

The 2024 Acer One comes with Windows 11 out of the box, and unlike many budget laptops, it doesn’t bombard you with bloatware.

• Office Apps: While the Office apps are pre-installed, you’ll need to purchase a license separately.
• Bloatware: The only pre-installed software is McAfee, which, unfortunately, seems to be a fixture on many laptops these days.

Final Verdict: The Best Budget Laptop Under ₹25,000?

The 2024 Acer One is a strong contender in the budget laptop segment. It isn’t perfect, but it offers excellent value for money, particularly in terms of performance. The combination of an 11th Gen Intel Core i3 processor, 8GB RAM, and a 512GB SSD is hard to beat at this price point. While there are some compromises, particularly in design and display quality, the Acer One excels where it counts—performance and usability.

If you’re looking for a budget laptop that can handle day-to-day tasks without slowing you down, the Acer One should be at the top of your list. Its upgradeability, decent battery life, and solid performance make it one of the best choices under ₹25,000.

Pros:

• Solid performance for the price
• Upgradeable RAM and storage
• Lightweight and portable design
• Supports USB-C charging

Cons:

• Average display quality
• Rough touchpad texture
• Speakers could be better
• Wi-Fi connectivity can be inconsistent

Table: Acer One Specs Overview

In conclusion, the 2024 Acer One isn’t just another budget laptop—it’s a game-changer in the under ₹25,000 segment. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or someone who needs a reliable machine for everyday tasks, this laptop delivers excellent value for its price. Highly recommended!