Acer Aspire V5-552PG-X809 Pro Reviews

The Acer Aspire V5-552PG-X809 looks very similar to its brethren, with a nearly identical case and many of the same parts that are used in the higher-end iterations of the series. We still like the look of the notebook, and we appreciate the accurate touchscreen and surprisingly good speakers. But the difference between this and the other models we’ve reviewed—embodied by its AMD A10 APU and capable GPU—lies in its balance between battery life, application performance, and graphical prowess. It’s not that this isn’t a competent PC; on the contrary, it can handle many modern games on medium settings, which is nothing if not impressive given its relatively small size. The problem is that this is essentially the only area where the V5-552PG really sets itself apart from the competition—meaning nothing else it offers is really all that impressive. The keyboard, while backlit, is middling at best, the display is thoroughly bland, the hinges tend to bounce under the slightest bit of vibration (such as during typing or tapping), and the battery life is nothing to write home about. In short, this notebook is nothing special. While it wouldn’t make a poor choice at the right price, at $799, there are better options available from Acer even in the same lineup. Take a look at our recently-reviewed Aspire V7-582P-6673 for one such option (for just $50 more), or bump the price up a couple hundred more dollars and you’ll even score a (great) 1080p screen to go with it. The V5-552PG has a number of positive qualities, but given the competition, there’s just too many other solid options to be able to wholeheartedly recommend it.