A big part of being a gadget reviewer is figuring out the target market for the things I get to review.

I realized early on people don’t all have the same needs, especially when it comes to computers.

What I need to do on my computer as an IT guy and writer/reviewer is different from the computing needs of most people. Think about the differing needs of video editors vs. accountants.

It is easy to review a $2,000 laptop that has all the bells and whistles and say it’s great and recommend it for everyone, but in the real world, not many people I know want to spend that much on a laptop.

It’s kind of like a car reviewer testing out a new Mercedes and then writing they think it’s the perfect car for everyone.

I love to find great products that don’t cost an arm and a leg, which is why I was happy to get a chance to review the new Acer Aspire Go 15 laptop that has a retail price of just $299.

You can find it at acer.com or Amazon. Don’t be surprised if Amazon has it a bit cheaper.

Specs

The Aspire Go 15 (AG15-32P-39R2), has a 15.6-inch IPS LCD screen with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080.

It is powered by an Intel Core 3 processor with 8 gigabytes of DDR5 RAM and a 128-gigabyte solid state UFS drive. UFS is the kind of low-power storage used in mobile devices. It is slower (and cheaper) than top-tier SSDs, but it gets the job done and allows for longer battery life.

It runs Windows 11 with Microsoft Copilot. It ships in S mode, which limits you to use only apps from the Microsoft app store. You can lift that restriction without much hassle to install software from other places.

It has Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1.

On the sides, it has two USB-C ports (for data transfer and charging the battery) and two USB-A ports. It also has an HDMI output and a headphone jack.

Acer says the battery should last 12.5 hours in normal use. I didn’t have a problem with the battery lasting all day.

How is it to use?

This is what I’d call the minimum acceptable configuration for RAM and hard drive.

It won’t take long to fill up the 128GB of storage, because after the Windows 11 installation, when you first boot the laptop and check the available space on the drive, you’ll see there’s just over 73GB left for your files.

That’s pretty stingy. Especially if you want to store any decent-sized photo library. I feel the small storage size was chosen to keep the laptop under the $300 price point. Again, just realize the laptops limitations before you buy.

If I used this one full time, I’d opt to use cloud storage for things like my photos.

So, who is the target market for a $299 laptop? More people than you’d think.

The screen is big, clear and decently bright. The keyboard is comfortable and there is a 10-key numeric keyboard on the right. The trackpad is not too small and it doesn’t lag.

If my mom was in the market for a laptop, I’d would not hesitate to steer her towards this one.

My mom left behind computers years ago in favor of an iPad, but some people really like the form factor and full-size keyboard of a laptop.

The Aspire Go 15 is just right if you want to surf the internet, including web browsing and email. It’ll also do a fine job with Microsoft Office apps, including Teams, which came preinstalled.

Consuming media, such as listening to Spotify or watching Netflix or YouTube is also no problem for this laptop. I wish the speakers were better, but again they’re trying to keep the costs down.

I like the USB port layout. Two USB-C on the left edge and one USB-A on each side.

I wish the Aspire Go 15 had an ethernet jack, but most home users use Wi-Fi and never even think about a wired network connection like I rely on at my office.

But that’s the thing. This is not an office computer. Nor is this a computer for gaming.

But if you want a computer for your mom or a college or high school student, it’s good to know Acer is making affordable computers that should last for more than a few years.

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