The Best Acer Laptops of 2026

A Reviewed favorite for years, the Acer Aspire 5 is known as “a legend” among our reviewers when it comes to inexpensive laptops. The updated Aspire 5 has an all-new design—shedding some of the thickness previously associated with the series—for a more conventional design that still lives up to the expectations of the Aspire name.

The Acer 5 is a classic laptop with chiclet-style keys, a mostly plastic body, and a raft of ports including a full-size HDMI, USB-C, three USB ports, and an Ethernet port. In our tests, the Aspire 5 proved to be a great machine for people looking for a lot of power and a bevy of ports, on a budget and while it was more than fast enough for basic tasks, the battery lasted less than seven hours in our browsing tests. More details about the Acer Aspire can be found on our list of Best Laptops Under $1,000.

Delivering solid game performance for the price, the Predator Helios 300 is a great choice for someone looking for a new laptop for gaming. Proving good for 1080p gaming by our testers, this laptop exceeded 60 frames per second in most games tested and surpassed the standard easily.

When it comes to more demanding games, the Predator may have some issues living up to gaming standards and gamers looking for high levels of ray-tracing performance might need something more. Issues with modern games are non-existent overall with this gaming laptop and players who prefer more mainstream games won’t encounter issues with smooth gameplay even at the highest settings.

Read our full review of the Acer Predator Helios 300 here Predator Helios 300 here.

When it comes to Chromebooks, the best available right now is definitely the Spin 713. While the 311 previously rated high among users, the 713, though pricier, offers more capabilities. A large screen size at 13.5 inches, with a resolution of 2256 by 1504 pixels, makes the Spin 713 great for working or watching movies.

The Spin 713 includes an Intel Core i3 processor—a step up from earlier models—and its battery life stands at a solid 10 hours, lending plenty of time for people on the go. This Chromebook’s backlit convertible keyboard is said to have a nice, quiet feel by customers and they enjoy the extra vertical space on the 3:2 screen rivaling some more expensive competitors’ offerings. There’s even an HDMI port, which you don’t see on a thin Chromebook every day. Most importantly, the 11th-Gen Intel processor can handle a heavy load of tabs with no problem.

Some users mention that the Spin 713’s speakers aren’t great, and that they don’t like that there isn’t a biometric login, but those are reasonable sacrifices to make for a laptop of this quality at this low of a price.

A good choice as a classic laptop as well as gaming, the Acer Nitro 5 is a bit more cumbersome than other Acer models. A large 15-inch, full HD screen makes gaming fun, but users comment that it can be hard to see the four-zone RGB keyboard when the backlight isn’t engaged, adding that the touchpad leaves a lot to be desired.

Buyers on a budget will enjoy the Nitro 5 as an affordable alternative to high-end gaming laptops, and will have no issue using it due to its stable frame rates and quiet fan noise. We’d recommend the Nitro 5 for the more casual gamer or for day-to-day tasks, as its battery life sits at about three hours.

The unbelievably thin Acer Swift 7 seems like a great alternative to bulkier laptops that don’t lend convenience to users on the go, but with its shedding of weight there is an expectation that it is also light on features.

At a total of 1.96 pounds, the Swift 7 is truly the most portable Acer laptop out there, but while its fanless design creates a quiet work companion, unfortunately so do its less than stellar speakers—and the sound output leaves users quietly wondering if it’s worth its weight (or lack thereof). With a processor that’s easily overwhelmed, the Swift 7 isn’t the workhorse that its larger cousins are said to be, and the display can be slow to respond to touch.

Even still, the 14-inch 1080p display is something worth mentioning, as it delivers crisp image quality. Delivering around six hours of battery life, the Swift 7 could be a good pick for those looking to travel light only occasionally. It probably wouldn’t be a good everyday laptop, especially for those of us who run multiple tabs and programs at a time.