Acer Aspire Vero 16 laptop review: Sustainable design, lackluster performance

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Historically, sustainability and tech have not gone hand in hand. The precious metals required to make our electronics often come from conflict areas, with environmental and humanitarian repercussions. However, the tech industry is making strides forward, with Apple pushing toward all its products being carbon-neutral and exclusively using recycled cobalt batteries.

So, for those concerned with being sustainable shoppers, things are getting easier, but they aren’t perfect. The most sustainable practice is to use your electronics until their dying breaths, which unfortunately come much sooner than you’d hope, thanks to planned obsolescence. So when you do need to buy a new laptop, what should you do?

Acer is answering the desire of sustainability-minded shoppers with the Aspire Vero 16. This eco-conscious laptop is crafted from paint-free surfaces and uses recycled and ocean-bound plastics, not to mention it ships in 100 percent recyclable packaging. That’s a lot of good, but the biggest question remains: How does it actually perform? Well, it does just fine, but it could be better. Here’s the full rundown on the Acer Aspire Vero 16.

Acer Aspire Vero 16 specs and price

The Acer Aspire Vero 16 is a classic laptop with a clamshell design. It currently costs $749.99 at Acer. Its specs run as follows:

Intel Core Ultra 5

Intel Arc graphics

16GB of RAM

512GB SSD

16-inch, 1920 x 1200 resolution display in a 16:10 aspect ratio with a 60 Hz refresh rate

Two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, one HDMI port, a Kensington security slot, and a headphone jack

Other Acer Aspire Vero 16 models include 8GB RAM with 512GB SSD or 16GB RAM with 1TB SSD.

Acer Aspire Vero 16 design

My MacBook-using self was in heaven with all these ports.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

Design plays a massive role in the Acer Aspire Vero 16, as it’s the heart of the laptop’s sustainability. The build is a departure from classic metal frames, instead built from PCR (post-consumer recycled) plastics. Plus, the exterior is VOC- and paint-free to further its sustainability, with a touchpad made from ocean-bound plastics.

The exterior instead feels like thick, smooth plastic that reminds me of other recycled plastic materials with its speckled gray color. It is meant to be cement-inspired, which… yeah, that’s what it’s giving. With the plastic structure, it’s highly durable with a MIL-STD-810H military-grade rating. It’s a rugged laptop designed to withstand shock from drops or temperatures. So, while it is technically plastic, this isn’t a crumbling, cheap Chromebook.

While one might expect the Aspire Vero 16 to weigh less being made from plastic, it’s heavier than its metal counterparts. It weighs 3.97 pounds compared to the 15-inch MacBook Air’s 3.3 pounds. Even though the difference is slight, it still feels substantial. I felt that weight when carrying it with one hand like I would my 15-inch MacBook Air. The Acer Aspire Vero 16 was far more difficult to carry with a top-heavy, unbalanced feel.

A snapshot of my love hate relationship with the laptop’s touchpad.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

The biggest design drawback is the recycled plastic touchpad. It was consistently unresponsive as I guided the mouse around the screen. Clicking right and left takes so much pressure that I often felt like I had to slam my hand down to get a response. After my first hour with the laptop, I gave up and plugged in a USB mouse to feel like I could actually use it successfully.

Luckily, the laptop has an abundance of ports. Maybe it’s because I’m usually a MacBook user, but I felt spoiled to have access to multiple USB-A and USB-C ports and an HDMI. When I first saw the plethora, I took a sigh of relief, knowing I wouldn’t need the usual adaptors.

Acer Aspire Vero 16 performance and battery

The keyboard works just fine on the Acer Aspire Vero 16, but the touchpad was constantly finnicky.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

Using the Acer Aspire Vero 16 wasn’t the most thrilling experience. It’s a solid performer that lives up to daily tasks; however, it never blew me away. Initially, I thought it was a slow mover, taking a while and several clicks to open apps and windows. However, most of that problem was a result of the touchpad. Once I moved over to using a USB mouse, things went faster, sparking the realization that the computer isn’t a slow processor; the touchpad is just poorly designed.

It balances multiple tasks well; I was able to move between various programs while working, juggling word processing, email, Slack, and Spotify. Streaming was mostly seamless. The graphics were disappointing while I was watching YouTube videos or streaming episodes of Survivor. I found the video to look grainier and more pixelated compared to the stellar resolution I’m used to with my MacBook. However, if I weren’t so picky, I’d think it looks fine, just a little dull.

Running Geekbench 6, its multi-core test came in at 6,274, middling in range, which I felt occasionally in its performance. After streaming for several hours, I could feel the laptop working harder as it would stall between apps, needing some buffering time to load windows.

Despite the lackluster graphics, I was surprised at the webcam’s resolution. When I tuned into a regular video call, I was pleased with how clear my picture was. However, I was alarmed by how orange I looked, finding quite a bit of color distortion. So, while the 1440p QHD webcam will have your picture sharp, you lose color accuracy.

Sure my summer tan was in full swing, but I’m certainly not that orange IRL.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

On the sound front, both the mic and speakers worked as expected. I could listen to music clearly without a busted, tinny sound.

The Acer Aspire Vero 16 struggles the most with its performance in terms of battery life. With daily use, I didn’t notice how short the battery life was, as I was primarily using it at my desk with close access to the charger. Since it was so bulky, I didn’t really want to haul it around.

I ran a video run-down test to assess the battery, playing Tears of Steel at 1080p on a loop until the battery ran out. The battery life came in at 5 hours 52 minutes, which is outrun by many other laptops we’ve tested. It won’t get you through an entire workday, but that might not be an issue. Its size and heft make it a reasonably stationary laptop, so you may always be close to your charger anyway.

Is the Acer Aspire Vero 16 worth it?

Answering if the Acer Aspire Vero 16 is worth it is a game of priorities. If sustainability and purchasing products with responsibly sourced materials is what you care about most, then the Acer Aspire Vero 16 is certainly a good option. With its thick recycled plastic frame, you can feel good about what it’s made of and enjoy the added durability benefits. With its army-grade durability rating, it will take a tumble and not sustain damage. Plus, at $749.99 with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD, it’s a decent value for the specs.

However, if you’re just looking for a good, budget-friendly, solid-performing Windows laptop, I would look elsewhere. The Acer Aspire Vero 16 is weak in processing, scoring just 6,274 on the Geekbench 6, and lacks battery life, lasting just under six hours. For about $150 more, you could go for the Lenovo Yoga 7i, which has superior battery life and processing, plus it doubles as a tablet.