20 Apr
Blog

Leg Curl : The Ultimate Way To Perform

The leg curl is a beginner's workout that requires you to do the exercise with a gym bench. If you are exercising at home, any common bench can be used indoors as well. With this exercise, you can easily target your hamstrings, glutes, calf muscles, and even shins to improve your flexibility and body strength.

Performing the leg curl is easy. You need to follow the steps directed to you and do what it says. In no time, you will be able to reach the body of your dreams without much discomfort. When done as part of your overall strength training program, it will also help boost your cardiovascular strength and weight management game.

Find out more while reading!

Leg curl: A light workout

The standard leg curl is one of the best ways to build strength, flexibility, and muscle growth. But that's not all. Strong hamstrings also support your strength, balance, and overall body endurance. This has a strong positive influence on your daily functions.

You can also try the variants of this workout to achieve the greatest possible comfort. The prone hamstrings and seated hamstrings are some of the ways for beginners to do this workout according to your comfort and preference. You can also try the many variations such as Gym Ball Leg Curl, Slider Leg Curl and Weighted Slider Leg Curl.

How do I do standard leg curl training?

  • Lie flat on your stomach.
  • Adjust the roller pad so that it can stretch properly a few inches under the calves. Make sure the seats aren't too high for you.
  • Now try to stretch your legs more fully. Pull your ankles close to your buttocks. Do this as much as you can.
  • Now, as you exhale, lift your feet up and keep your hips firmly on the bench.
  • Try to breathe while straightening your knees. Pull your ankles against your buttocks as much as possible.
  • Hold this for a second and gradually lower your legs.
  • Now inhale fully as you gently return to the starting position.
  • Repeat the workout for 8 to 12 reps for the best experience possible.

Variations in leg curl to improve your exercise routine

TRX Hamstring Curl

Set up a chassis trainer. This allows the handles to hang close to the floor. Now lie on your back and place your feet in the handles. So your feet should rest on them. Now lift your hips into a bridge position and form a straight line between your shoulder and knees. Now bring the handles close to you with your legs. Move your feet back up gradually, resisting the temptation to drop your hips to the floor. Repeat the workout.

Gym Ball Leg Curl

All you have to do is lie on your back with your calves on the exercise ball. Lift your hips. Roll the ball near you so your feet are on the ball. Now try again to roll the ball away.

Slider leg curl

Lie on your back with your heels on the slider. Now bring your hips into a bridge position and gradually slide your feet away from you until your legs are straight. So try to keep your hips off the floor and keep your core engaged throughout. Finally, bring your feet back up and bring yourself back to the bridge position.

frequently asked Questions

How is the curl of the exercise ball helpful?

It improves the core challenge of standard hamstring. The exercise ball device increases its value.

Is Weighted Slider Curl Training Important?

Those looking to add weights to their slider curl workout can add this to their routine. It can help you improve your hamstrings dramatically.

Are These Workouts Effective?

Yes, all of the workouts we've listed for you above are extremely beneficial. You can try any of them to decipher the benefits.

The bottom line

Leg curl workouts seem quite challenging for the first few days, but don't panic. Once you get the hang of it, the exercise appears like a cheesecake to you. Make sure you practice these workouts timely to improve your hamstrings, cardiovascular parts, and general strength.

20 Apr
Blog

How To Optimize Your Training for Next Year’s CrossFit Open With Former Champ James FitzGerald

Here's some food for thought from 2007 CrossFit Games Champion James FitzGerald on what to look for in order to maximize the next 320 days of training for next year's CrossFit Open.

For more than 99 percent of those who participated in the 2021 CrossFit Open and the quarterfinals, it's the drawing board again: eleven months of training ahead of you in hopes of improving your efforts over the next year.

Have you spent a lot of time thinking about the method you will use to maximize, give or take your performance in 320 days??

Continue reading

20 Apr
Blog

Nutrition for Building the Most Muscle Possible

By the end of this episode, you will have all of the information you need to plan your muscle building diet plan.

In this episode, I'll explain exactly how I think you should eat to get as much muscle as possible.

Most people exercise their asses, but they build very little muscle. That result is because they are only fighting half the battle.

Continue reading

19 Apr
Blog

How To Optimize Your Training for Next Year’s CrossFit Open With Former Champ James FitzGerald

Here's some food for thought from 2007 CrossFit game master James FitzGerald on what to look for in order to maximize the next 320 days of training for next year's CrossFit Open.

For more than 99 percent of those who took part in the 2021 CrossFit Open and the quarterfinals, it's the drawing board again: eleven months of training ahead of you in hopes of improving your efforts over the next year.

Have you spent a lot of time thinking about the method you will use to maximize, give or take your performance in 320 days??

Continue reading

19 Apr
Blog

Things to Remember Before Buying Dental Instruments Online

Good oral health is important to your general wellbeing. Oral hygiene contributes to both your mental and physical health. Therefore, a visit to the dentist at least every six months is important for your well-being. Dentists use a wide range of equipment and tools to provide medical care to patients. Getting new dental equipment takes a lot of thought and thought. Dental equipment and tools are essential to running a clinic. The tools not only help guide the doctor with proper treatment, but also help maintain high quality infection control. There are a variety of dental instruments – some are basic and needed for the most common purposes, while others are special and needed for more advanced procedures.

There are many things to consider when buying dental tools online. For example, if you are planning to buy a glass bead sterilizer, you need to find the best online stores for it. DentalKart.com has offered the best tools and equipment for ages. Purchasing the right dental tools would also benefit your business. You should also ensure that all of your employees are adequately trained in using the tools. You can also promote these tools as part of your marketing plan to attract potential patients.

How to Choose the Right Dental Equipment?

When it comes to buying the right equipment for the dental facility, this is a big decision. The tools you buy now will be used for a long time later. The primary goal is to offer patients the best possible care. Therefore, it is extremely important to make sure that you are purchasing the correct supplies. Although there are different types of dental equipment available online these days, there are certain things that you need to consider before purchasing them for your dental office. Some of them are listed below:

  • Know Your Budget: Budgeting is a huge part of buying or investing in anything. When it comes to maintaining your dental facility, it's important to set a financial limit. While having the best quality tools you can afford is important, you won't run out of money later. Check out the price tags online – do you need these probes, hand scales, diggers, chisels and carvers for your clinic? Can you afford them with your budget? If not, what tools are urgently needed? It is better to choose them first. With a planned budget, the whole process would be smoother. No matter how sweet the deal, don't buy things that would put you in heavy debt.
  • Know your priorities: make a list of the tools you would need. Then prioritize them in the correct order. First select the ones from the list above, then choose according to your budget. Do a little research and find out which tools are important and needed for most patients. Choosing the right tools is important not only for your patients, but also for running the clinic.
  • Your Patients' Comfort: You can perform multiple procedures for a single treatment. Usually, you need to educate the patient about the options and decide what they are comfortable with. Thinking about patient comfort should also be a high priority for you. Most patients avoid invasive procedures when a safer option is available. In this case, it is better to choose the most commonly used tools and machines.
  • Staff Training: While you may be a dentist, you will need nurses and other health professionals to assist you. They would also handle the instruments. So, when buying dental instruments, consider their comfort. For example, everyone should be properly trained beforehand when dealing with electrical devices. It takes time to get used to new tools. Proper training is essential.
  • Quality of dental instruments: The quality of the products has the highest priority. You would treat your patients with these tools. They deserve nothing but the best of care from you. Hence, it is important to check out the dental equipment company and make sure they are supplying the best products. Good dental equipment helps prevent infections and allergies.
  • The Importance of Investing: There are many things that you think you would need for the clinic but you don't and that would result in a total waste of money. Sit down and make a list of all the products you think you will need. Then go through them and prioritize them in order of their needs. That way, you would end up saving more money and using it for other important tasks.

Last shot

Dental instruments form the core of every dental practice. They are important for treatments. Therefore, you should only buy high quality tools for performing dental procedures. Proper servicing and maintenance are also essential. By regulating your dental instruments from time to time, the risks to patients will be reduced.

19 Apr
Blog

Samsung QN90A Neo QLED 4K HDR TV Review (QN65QN90A)

"The QN90A is a TV knockout."

  • Impressive brightness

  • Fixed black levels

  • Excellent overall contrast

  • Brilliant color

  • Ideal for playing

  • One HDMI 2.1 input

  • Possible screen uniformity issues

If the chatter I see online is any clue, a lot of people have questions about Samsung's Neo QLED TVs. I'm happy to say I have answers. AND some opinions on it. Let's take a look at the QN65QN90A Neo QLED TV, a device that comes with thousands of mini LED backlights and nearly 800 zones of local dimming.

But does it look great? Let's find out.

Jump to: Out of the box | Details | User experience | What is Neo QLED? Test results | About this brightness | Color | From the sweet spot | Image quality | Sound quality | Play | My attitude

Out of the box

A quick fix to the video review (above): Samsung strongly recommends not using the stand mounting method as in the video – and I have to agree. I may prefer my method, but there is a reason manufacturers create these instructions and I would hate it if someone had a bad experience because I made up my mind to become a villain and disregard the instructions. So do what I say (now) and not like me and we'll all be right like rain.

The assembly of the stand is a bit precarious, no matter how you proceed. A positive note, however, is the appearance of the stand. While the TV will flex a little on the stand, this is a safe arrangement. Because it is centralized, there is less of a concern that a media stand has to be wide enough to support it.

Of course, if you're wall mounted – and if so, I recommend Samsung's own no-gap wall mount bracket for the best look – the stand isn't an issue.

Everything else about the unboxing experience is great. There's not a lot of lint, just a bit of plastic peeling off the edges of the TV, and when you're done you're staring at a very attractive TV with almost invisible bezels and a surprisingly thin profile.

Samsung QN90A Neo QLED 4K HDR details

While we tested the 65-inch model QN65Q90A, our test also applies to the other screen sizes available in the series.

Screen size Model no RRP
55 inches

QN55QN90AAFXZA

 $ 1,800
65 inches QN65QN90AAFXZA $ 2,600
75 in QN75QN90AAFXZA $ 3,500
85 in QN85QN90AAFXZA $ 5,000

User experience

Spoiler Alert: I have very few negative things to say about this TV, but one thing I would love to see is the Samsung smart TV interface is being redesigned. That doesn't seem like a big deal if Chromecasts with Google TV and Roku sticks are so cheap these days, but if you used the TV's apps and the like, we'd all benefit from a little update to Tizen.

Samsung QN90A TV streaming and appsDan Baker / Digital Trends

Fortunately, Samsung gets almost all good apps, sometimes before others. If you want to use intelligent assistants, you can choose from the most popular options. We like to have decisions.

While we talk about menus and the like, I have to say hello to Samsung for making this TV so easy to set up and tweak. Choose your preferred SDR picture settings and do some HDR picture adjustments. These are global – across all HDMI inputs and apps – which is a great remedy for headaches for all of us. So yes.

What is this Neo QLED about?

Now let's talk about this Neo QLED business. Neo is Samsung's trademark for its mini backlit LED TVs. You can still get QLEDs with standard LED backlighting – these are a little cheaper – or you can raise extra cash and get into a Neo QLED. For those unfamiliar, mini LED backlighting means the TV has thousands of tiny LED lights instead of hundreds of larger ones. It also has a lot more control zones – just under 800 on this set. In theory, this means that the TV should be able to get brighter, especially on HDR highlights, while keeping bloom and halo effects at bay – this is where you get a glow of light around a bright object on a black background and have a long time the plague of LCD-based televisions.

Samsung QN90A TVDan Baker / Digital Trends

Samsung QN90A TV close-upDan Baker / Digital Trends

Samsung QN90A TVDan Baker / Digital Trends

Samsung QN90A TV close-upDan Baker / Digital Trends

I'll get into brightness, uniformity, and black level performance soon, but first I'd like to point out that the backlight system seems a little slow. I noticed that when a bright image comes up on the screen after a darker scene, the television says, "Oh, I need to get lighter," and then it does. It may take a second for the TV to catch up at times. To be clear, this is something you don't see often when looking at most of the content – but I've seen it in the content at times before I started taking measurements and noticing it on color window test patterns. It's not something to be upset about, just an indication that there may be room for improvement.

Test results

Speaking of measurements, let's ditch a little. I tested the QN90A with Portrait Display's Calman software, an X-Rite i1 Pro meter, and a SpectraCal C6 meter. In SDR movie mode without adjusting the brightness setting from 23, I got 275 nits straight away, which is great for SDR in most cases. You can increase the brightness to a maximum of 50, and I measured 638 nits with my meter. When I jumped back to HDR in movie mode, I got about 1,583 nits. In standard mode, the TV shot past it and hit just under 1,900 nits – 1867 to be precise.

Samsung QN90A TV remote controlDan Baker / Digital Trends

Now I've seen some comments about these peak brightness numbers being disappointing and I'll have to respectfully disagree. More is not always better. Take the Hisense H9G, for example. The maximum HDR brightness in a similar movie frame setting was a little over 1200 nits, and yet I found it to be unobservably bright at times, most likely due to the processing. On the flip side, the Vizio P-Series Quantum X-Series measures a bit brighter, but honestly, I'd rather see this TV (I'll explain why in a moment). My point is that I am completely satisfied with the HDR presentation of this TV. Part of it has to do with the black levels and backlight controls. Let's look at that.

Brightness, black levels and contrast

I often use a test pattern where white boxes are placed in each corner of the TV screen on an otherwise black background. In this case, I did. I started with SDR and if I look at the pattern with the naked eye you would probably see a little bit of halo around the edges of the white boxes.

Samsung QN90A - flourishingDan Baker / Digital Trends

The HDR enhancement makes the boxes brighter and again it seems like there is more halo, albeit much less than on previous TVs, including the already excellent Samsung Q90T from last year. However, over the years I've learned that bright images on a black background in a dark room can play tricks on the eye.

The brightness and contrast of the QN90A are excellent.

In the video above, you can see that I cover the white box with a piece of cardboard up to the edge. When I do this, the halo or blooming appears noticeably reduced. Why? It has to do with our vision. This isn't the time for an anatomy lesson, but anecdotally we've seen the same pattern supposedly blooming on an OLED TV, and yet we know it can. On an OLED, the black pixels are black. Totally turned off.

What I'm saying is that sometimes what we find blooming when we're in a pitch black room with a white box in our eyes doesn't actually bloom. Don't get me wrong, it's blooming here, but it's less than I've seen in the past, and let me be clear here – the black uniformity on this TV is excellent.

Samsung QN90A Dan Baker / Digital Trends

The problem of shadow detail (often referred to as Black Crush) – or a lack of it – is always an issue, especially for players who need to see details in the shadow in order to play competitive first-person shooters. So I ran low-luminance and high-luminance star field patterns and found that the QN90A came out of black very well. For those who want to purposely increase black for gaming, Samsung offers an adjustment of the settings for just such things.

To sum it up, the QN90A's brightness and contrast are excellent.

colour

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

In the film preset, my measurements immediately indicated that red was a little too far ahead, so I undid that a bit in the two-point white balance menu, and – bam – the color mixing of this TV has reached an extremely impressive area. With HDR, the TV sometimes overshoots or undershoots some colors. Again, this isn't perfection, but the color on this TV is scary good.

From the sweet spot

One of the dangers of using a VA LCD panel is that off-axis issues, blooming, and color shifting become very apparent. I think one of the things that impresses me the most about the QN90A is the off-axis viewing experience. You can see that there is more blooming from the extreme side, but even less than in the Q90T last year, which was again well ahead of the pack. There's also very little color shift – overall, it's one of the best off-angle TVs we've tested here. That means a better place in the house for everyone.

The anti-glare agent is also excellent. If a lot of light comes into the room and you're watching a dark scene, you might see a rainbow effect, but I'd argue that this is better than looking in a black mirror.

Real picture quality

Enough with the nerd stuff. What does this TV look like when you watch normal content in SDR or HDR? It's really damn good. This is proven to be a better TV than the previous Q90T, and that was a pretty good TV already – I know, I repeat myself.

This TV has a very fast response time, which is great news for gamers and movie fans alike.

The images are lush and vivid, colors and HDR highlights pop, and the superior black levels convey a sense of depth that you normally can't get with an LCD-based television. I did notice some screen evenness issues with large swaths of light colors, but overall there was very little dirt-screen effect.

The movement processing is a mixed bag. This TV automatically removes all stuttering from 24p movie content – there isn't even a setting you can access to turn this off, which I think will be fine for most people.

But stuttering. That’s a different story. This TV has a very fast response time, which is good news for gamers, but for movie fans – just like with OLED – stuttering effects can occur. The only way to counter that is by smoothing motion, which creates a soap opera effect that most people seem to hate far less than I do. So maybe it's not a big deal. Movie fans will likely want to choose the lowest setting they can tolerate.

Sound quality

The sound quality of the QN90A is above average. There's not a lot of bass – that's typical – but overall it's balanced and bearable while many of the TVs I test make me wince. It's a little strange that you have to turn the volume up pretty high to get a normal volume in the room, but I suppose that means more precise control over the volume levels.

I'll say that Samsung's object tracking sound is pretty effective too, but not on par with a Sony OLED where the screen is the speaker. Samsung's soundbars go well with the TV, and the Samsung Symphony sound, where the TV's speakers work together with the soundbar, is particularly impressive.

Play

This TV is an excellent choice for gaming because it has remarkably low input lag – less than 10 milliseconds in game mode for all resolutions at 60 Hz and less than 6 milliseconds for all resolutions at 120 Hz. The TV also supports Freesync, but unfortunately no G- Sync. I'm not sure if this is a huge loss for most people as the variable refresh rate is there regardless.

Fortnite on the Samsung QN90A TVDan Baker / Digital Trends

Fortnite on the Samsung QN90A TVDan Baker / Digital Trends

Games on the Samsung QN90A TVDan Baker / Digital Trends

Caleb gaming on the Samsung QN90A TVDan Baker / Digital Trends

Either way, HDR gaming is great on this TV too, with very little crushing of the blacks. If you're playing a really dark game, you can turn up the blacks a bit for slightly better shadow detail. I didn't really need to play it in a dark room, though. The TV comes out of black pretty well and retains most of the shadow detail. However, it's the bright highlights that really sold me. Games popping on this TV.

On the other hand, the TV only has one HDMI 2.1 input. So if you own both the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, you'll have to manually swap them out, or opt for a full-featured HDMI 2.1 A / V receiver to switch between them. Add a gaming PC to this mix – and it's more of the same.

My attitude

With only one HDMI 2.1 input, no Dolby Vision and a smart TV interface that can withstand a facelift, the Samsung QN90A is not a perfect TV. But by the most sensible measures it is really excellent. Setting all the numbers aside, I like to do a simple gut check – I watch a lot of TVs and some of them are a letdown, some are okay, some are great, and some are real knockouts. I have to put the Samsung QN90A in this last category. I just love to see it.

Is there a better alternative?

At this point, I haven't tested a better LCD TV than the QN90A. I'm excited to see what the Sony X95J looks like this year, and LG's top-notch TV looks promising too, but it's hard to imagine that the QN90A will be significantly outperformed. Another alternative could be the brighter LG G1 OLED, although it comes at a pretty high price.

For more options, check out our best 2021 TVs.

How long it will take?

Although the QN90A only offers one HDMI 2.1 input, it supports the latest and greatest in connectivity and backlight technology. It should last owners for many years.

warranty

Samsung offers a one-year parts and labor warranty for home use and a 90-day parts and labor warranty for commercial use.

Should you buy it?

Yes. The QN90A is a remarkable television with excellent picture quality.

Editor's recommendations




19 Apr
Blog

Nutrition for Building the Most Muscle Possible

By the end of this episode, you will have all the information you need to plan your muscle building diet plan.

In this episode, I'll explain exactly how I think you should eat to get as much muscle as possible.

Most people exercise their asses, but they build very little muscle. That result is because they are only fighting half the battle.

Continue reading

18 Apr
Blog

Acer Aspire 5 2021 Review: Budget laptop takes a step back

Acer Aspire 5

"The horrific display on the Acer Aspire 5 ruins a decent, inexpensive laptop."

  • Solid connectivity

  • Superior expandability

  • Good keyboard and touchpad

  • Cruel display

  • Chassis is too flexible

  • Mediocre battery life

  • Poor performance

The Acer Aspire 5 has been one of our favorite laptops for a few years now and has earned a spot on our list of the best budget laptops. Currently, the 2020 version of the Aspire 5 is listed as the best Windows 10 laptop under $ 500, a major segment that the computer dominates. Acer has introduced a slightly redesigned Aspire 5 for 2021 that features the latest 11th generation Intel Core CPUs and makes some significant changes to the case design.

I received an entry-level model with a Core i3-1115G4 CPU with Intel UHD graphics, 8 GB of RAM, a 256 GB PCIe solid-state drive (SSD) and a 15.6-inch full HD display (1,920 x 1,080). This Aspire 5 configuration is priced at $ 480, which is in the sub-$ 500 segment that previous models owned. Can Acer keep its track record with the latest Aspire 5?

design

Acer has optimized the design of the Aspire 5 for 2021. The biggest change is a new hinge that angles the case back several degrees to allow better airflow and to support the keyboard. It's a welcome change from an otherwise mundane design.

As before, the lid is made of aluminum, while the rest of the housing is made of plastic and the rigidity is the same as before. The lid is curved quite a bit, while the keyboard deck and the bottom of the case are a bit stiffer, but still yield to light pressure. Some other budget laptops, like the Lenovo Yoga C640, Lenovo Flex 5 14, and Acer Swift 3, have solid build quality.

Acer Aspire 5Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Aesthetically, the Aspire 5 is pretty bland, with an all-black color scheme punctuated with some chrome-plated Acer logos. If you don't care about the looks of a laptop and are solely focused on the price, the Aspire 5 will satisfy your taste. But it is by no means noticeable. Other colors will be available, including a silver scheme, which is probably more attractive than my boring black review unit.

The Aspire 5 is not a small laptop as the bezels are still too big for modern machines. The side bezels aren't too thick, but the top and bottom bezels could be made smaller, resulting in a laptop that is wider and deeper than usual. The Aspire 5 weighs 3.64 pounds, down from 3.97 pounds in the previous version and is 0.70 inches thick, which is reasonable for a 15-inch laptop.

A particularly nice design feature that the Aspire 5 has in common is its expandability. Accessing the inside of the computer is relatively easy, allowing users to swap out RAM and SSD. Acer also includes a kit for adding a 2.5-inch drive to an empty bay, making it easy to expand storage with an SSD or rotating hard disk drive (HDD). This kind of expandability is rare and welcomed here.

Acer Aspire 5 side viewMark Coppock / Digital Trends

Acer Aspire 5 USB portsMark Coppock / Digital Trends

Acer Aspire 5 closed side viewMark Coppock / Digital Trends

As with many budget laptops that aren't as thin and light as some previous models, connectivity is mostly a strength. On the left, you get an Ethernet port, a full-size HDMI port, two USB-A 3.2 ports, and a USB-C 3.2 port (no Thunderbolt 4 support here). On the right side you will find a Kensington lock slot, a USB-A 2.0 port and a 3.5 mm audio jack. Wireless connectivity is cutting edge with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1.

performance

Acer Aspire 5Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

My test device was equipped with a Core i3-1115G4, an 11th generation dual-core CPU that operates at a full TDP of 12 to 28 watts, but contains Intel UHD graphics instead of the newer Intel Iris Xe. According to our series of benchmarks, this is a slow laptop. Starting with Geekbench 5, only 1,215 points were achieved in single-core mode and 2,544 points in multi-core mode. This is well below the usual Tiger Lake value, which usually exceeds 1,500 in the single-core and 5,000 in the multi-core area. In fact, it is beaten by some newer Chromebooks running the Android version of Geekbench 5, which is usually on the slow side. Even the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 with an Intel Core i3-10110U got close to 1,003 and 2,179.

In our handbrake test, which encodes a 420MB video as H.265, the Aspire 5 took exactly five minutes, which is at best 50% slower than the slowest Tiger Lake laptops we tested. This is the first 11th generation Core i3 that we tested. Therefore, faster CPUs run on all of our comparison laptops. For example, the Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable, a Windows 10 tablet with a Core i5-1130G7 (a slower Core i5), took just over three minutes to complete the test. The same applies to Cinebench R23, another video rendering test in which the Aspire 5 only manages 1,247 in single-core mode and 3,128 in multi-core mode. The difference between the Aspire 5 and the detachable ThinkPad X12 (1,125 and 3,663) wasn't that big, but most other Tiger Lake laptops were again significantly faster.

The Aspire 5 only achieved 3752 points in the PCMark 10 Complete test, our lowest score ever. In the Essentials part of the test, only 8,220 were achieved, in productivity 5,975 and in content creation only 2,921. The detachable ThinkPad X12 scored 4,443, 9,999, 5,936 and 4,157, respectively. As in our other tests, the Aspire 5 is well behind the field.

I found the Aspire 5 to be fast enough for basic tasks like surfing the Internet and working with office documents in real-life use. For $ 480, these aren't terrible results. We didn't test the previous versions of the Aspire 5 using the same set of benchmarks, so we can't directly compare their performance.

display

Acer Aspire 5 screenMark Coppock / Digital Trends

I'm not going to crush words here: this is the worst ad I've ever reviewed. This fact was evident when I first started the Acer Aspire 5 and logged into Windows 10. The display has a noticeable bluish cast which I believe is the result of a cruel contrast and elements on the screen may be difficult to see.

My colorimeter agreed. The brightness was very low at 211, which means you'll struggle to see the screen in a bright office setting. The contrast was confirmed to be extraordinarily poor at just 60: 1 (our threshold for a great display is 1000: 1 and an average budget display is 600: 1). The colors were also poor at just 53% of sRGB and 40% of AdobeRGB – both of which are the lowest in our database, and the typical midrange and premium displays score 95% and 70% or more, respectively. To add insult to injury, the accuracy was also among the worst I've seen with a DeltaE of 10.7 (less than 1.0 is considered excellent and most laptops are below 3.0 in the worst case) ). Only the gamma of the display was where it should be at 2.2.

Nobody will like this display.

In actual use, the colors were washed out, the black text was rather gray, and the display was completely uncomfortable. It's my new standard for "terrible display" and it left a terrible taste in my mouth as a result. Nobody is going to like this display unless they've never used a laptop before and I would pity them for getting such a poor impression of the state of the art. Acer has to get another panel because this is just terrible. The 2019 and 2020 versions of the Aspire 5 were much better.

The audio wasn't much better than the display. The volume was inadequate for all but the occasional YouTube videos, although there was no distortion when turned all the way up. The mids and highs were clear enough, and as always, there was little to no bass. The two speakers aren't bad, mind you, they just don't offer much better than budget quality.

Keyboard and touchpad

The Aspire 5 has a fairly typical island-style keyboard with backlighting, black keycaps and white letters. The keys are a bit small, but also offer a comfortable spacing with the dedicated (but tiny) numeric keypad. The switches are very light weight, with a nice push button and a comfortable bottom effect. This is one area where the Aspire 5 shines and offers a typing experience that is better than many budget laptops.

Acer Aspire 5 keyboardMark Coppock / Digital Trends

Acer Aspire 5 close up of keyboard and screenMark Coppock / Digital Trends

Acer Aspire 5 trackpadMark Coppock / Digital Trends

The touchpad is surprisingly good too, as it's pretty big and responsive. It is a Microsoft Precision touchpad and therefore offers reliable support for the multitouch gestures of Windows 10. It also exceeds the household norm.

Unsurprisingly there is no touch display, and as always, I miss it. There is also no Windows 10 Hello support, neither face recognition nor a fingerprint scanner. This is something we've been seeing on budget laptops lately, and so its omission is noticeable here.

Battery life

Acer has equipped the Aspire 5 with a 48-watt-hour battery, which is not much for a 15-inch laptop. Even with the slower CPU, I was disappointed with the battery life on this version.

In our web browsing test, which ran through a number of popular websites, the Aspire 5 managed just under seven hours, two hours less than the 2019 version with a Core i3, but three hours longer than the 2020 version with a Core i5. In general, that's not a terrible score, but the Aspire 5 is still in the lower bracket of our database. In our video loop test, in which a Full HD Avengers trailer is played until the battery is empty, the Aspire 5 achieved 9.5 hours. That's about 3.5 hours less than the 2020 version and less than 10 hours that we would like to see in this test. Again not a terrible result, but not great either.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Finally, I ran some PCMark 10 battery tests. The first, the gaming test, evaluates how long a laptop will last when the CPU and GPU are under stress. The Aspire 5 came in after 2.25 hours, an average score. In the application test, which is the best measure of the longevity of productivity, the Aspire 5 shut down after almost eight hours at the lower end of our database. The detachable ThinkPad X12, for example, managed over 10 hours.

Overall, the battery life of the Aspire 5 was mediocre. If you're doing typical productivity work, you can get through a work day for a fee. The laptop uses a proprietary charger, but you can charge USB-C in a pinch if you happen to have an adapter handy.

Our opinion

I would love to say that the 2021 Acer Aspire 5 retains its spot as our best budget under $ 500 laptop. Unfortunately not, thanks to slow performance and a poor display. The 2020 model is still on sale, and you'd better stick with it.

Is there a better alternative?

As I just mentioned, the 2020 Aspire 5 is a better choice than the 2021 version. You get a much better display and similar build quality for roughly the same money, and you won't be giving up much on performance and battery life.

If I were looking for a cheaper machine in this price range, I would consider a powerful Chromebook option, and there are plenty of that.

The Lenovo Flex 5 14 with its AMD Ryzen CPU is another alternative. The display is smaller at 14 inches but has better battery life, is much faster, and the display won't embarrass you in public.

How long it will take?

It's not the most rugged laptop, but I suspect it can be solidly used for a few years – and that's about what you would expect for the money. They have up-to-date components, including Wi-Fi 6, though Thunderbolt 4 isn't a bummer. The one-year guarantee is also no cause for celebration.

Should you buy it?

No. The display is really terrible which ruins the experience with this laptop.

Editor's recommendations




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