Acer Aspire AS1551 Review

Acer Aspire AS1551-5448 Review

Acer Aspire 1551

Acer Aspire AS-1551

The Acer Aspire 1551 is a thin-and-light notebook, or a revved-up netbook and hits a sweet spot that many are looking for. With discrete ATI Radeon graphics and plenty of processor muscle, the AS1551 promises a valuable compromise between netbook portability (weighing only 3 lbs) and notebook performance (AMD Turion II Neo Dual-Core processor). Acer offers the Aspire 1551 in in two models – the AS1551-5448 and AS1551-4755. Here are the key differences:

	AS1551-5448	AS1551-4755
Processor	AMD K625 (1.5 GHz)	AMD K325 (1.3 GHz)
Memory	4GB RAM	3GB RAM
Storage	320 GB HDD	250 GB HDD
Retail	$549.99	$479.99

For a modest price bump, the AS1551-5448 offers a number of important benefits over the AS1551-4755, and we recommend customers strongly consider the AS1551-5448 to enjoy the best balance of the netbook & notebook worlds.

Gonzo Gadgets Take

There is nothing else in the market quite like the Aspire AS1551 and we believe Acer has a winner on its hands, at least until competitors catch up. The price matches the specifications – it’s not bargain basement but by no means top of market. For a truly thin-and-light notebook computer that can do real work, the price seems fair.

Pro’s:

Generous screen resolution (1366×768 on an 11″ screen)
Plenty of video muscle for full-screen HD movies & some gaming
Great processor capability for serious application use, given the incredibly light weight
Chiclet keyboard with good feel
Truly thin & light – a great traveller
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

Con’s:

Too much bloatware installed by Acer (either reinstall Windows or simply uninstall 1-by-1)
Limited vertical viewing angle
Glossy screen may be difficult in sunlight conditions
Screen can present a washed-out appearance at default setting
Build quality not the highest – some flex in the keyboard, speakers are weak
Battery won’t last the listed 5 hours (3 more likely) with full video- and processor- usage.

Again Acer has taken a risk and developed the Acer Aspire AS1551 for a gap in the market. Are there enough people excited by a portable that delivers near-laptop performance at netbook size & weight? We think so. We believe Acer has found an untapped market and the AS1551 (especially the AS1551-5448) really delivers the goods. You’ll find an excellent traveler here that can do real work on a desk or lap, provided you don’t need CAD and extreme gamer performance. The Aspire AS1551 offers an enticing blend of ultra-portability with good-enough punch that most will not be frustrated by its limitations. This is a great choice for students, business travelers, and those on the go but frustrated with the poor performance of netbooks and the huge price tags of the MacBook Air and its PC equivalents.

What Customers Are Saying

User reviews were limited at the time of this writing (July 11, 2010).

NewEgg – 5/5 Stars
Acer Aspire AS1551-5448 11.6″ Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit NoteBook

Amazon – 3/5 Stars