Acer Aspire 5 - i5 11th Gen, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD

Thinner and lighter than most 15.6-inch machines, which is the whole argument for an Aspire 5 over the plastic slabs it competes with. The lid is aluminium, the bezels are narrow, and it does not feel like a budget laptop until you pick up the base. Inside is an 11th generation Core i5 with Iris Xe graphics, 8GB of memory and a 512GB NVMe drive, so there is real capability here as well as a large screen and a backlit keyboard with a number pad. Iris Xe makes casual photo and video work practical, and it drives an external monitor cleanly, which we confirmed over both HDMI and USB-C. Condition is very good: no marks found on the panel, an unworn keyboard, a clean aluminium lid, a low cycle count and battery health to match. The fan does become audible under sustained load, which is normal for a chassis this thin and worth knowing. A strong all-round choice for someone who wants one large, capable, good-looking machine. If it is going to sit under a monitor most of the time, note that it will drive one at full resolution over USB-C while charging from the same cable, which keeps a desk tidy.