The good news is that the typing experience on this Acer is excellent. Budget laptops often skimp on the keyboard, but not this one. The keys have long travel, are well spaced, and there’s not much of the keyboard deck flex that you’ll find on other budget laptops. Speaking of which, the chassis is pretty solid overall; the Aspire is a bit thicker, but that gives it a sturdy feel and doesn’t feel cheap despite the generous use of plastic. It’s not particularly pretty, but Acer does score style points with a tasteful text logo on the lid. (I Really For some reason, I am drawn to the word “Aspire” at the bottom.
I do have one concern about durability: when I opened the laptop during testing, I felt the lining pull away ever so slightly from the display bezel when I gripped the cover. This was unexpected for me, and may have been an accidental mistake when gripping the cover, but it raises questions about whether the laptop will hold up over the course of years of use.
For those who like their displays in portrait orientation, the 1,920 x 1,200 pixel screen has a 16:10 ratio, giving you more vertical space to work in. As a writer, I like this ratio because it gives me more room to work on my documents, so I’m glad the display has it. However, the quality of the screen is what you’d expect from a $300 computer, with washed-out colors and terrible viewing angles.
Another disappointment is the webcam. Simply put, if you’re looking for the best performance for video calls, the Aspire Go 14 is not for you. The 720p camera is subpar, and it looks blurry and washed out. You might be better off getting a different webcam.
Photo: Dan Thorpe Lancaster
The port selection is pretty solid, with two USB-A ports, one USB-C port, and one full-size HDMI port. Unfortunately, this laptop charges via a barrel plug, but the long battery life means you probably won’t need to travel with the included charger. Too Frequently. I wish it had an SD card slot for additional storage.
For the price, you can’t ask for much more. The Aspire Go 14 meets and in some ways exceeds most expectations for a $300 laptop. Good battery life, a great typing experience, and enough power to perform basic tasks make this laptop a decent Chromebook competitor. The downside to this laptop for many is the lack of storage space, although you can carry a USB drive to store documents and other media.
If you don’t need Windows in your daily life, it’s worth considering a Chromebook Plus laptop as an alternative: you won’t get the same battery life, but you might get a better screen and webcam, and these machines often sell for under $400.
