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Acer Aspire M (M5-481PT / M5-481PTG)

Acer Aspire M (M5-481PT / M5-481PTG)

87 reviews

Apr, 2024

Positive
performance (58)
design (26)
keyboard (18)
price (14)
portability (12)

Negative
screen (9)
touchpad (3)
image quality (2)

General overview
Price comparison

alaTest has collected and analyzed 87 reviews of Acer Aspire M (M5-481PT / M5-481PTG). The average rating for this product is 3.9/5, compared to an average rating of 4.0/5 for other products in the same category for all reviews. People are impressed by the price and reliability. The keyboard and design also get good feedback. Many are less positive about the image quality and touchpad, and opinions are divided on the screen.

performance, design, keyboard, reliability, price

touchpad, image quality

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other products in the same category the Acer Aspire M (M5-481PT / M5-481PTG) is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 83/100 = Very good quality.

See all Acer Laptops

Review analysis

(Based on 87 reviews)

Expert Reviews

User Reviews

Review Ratings

(40% of reviews)
Show all 5 star reviews (31% of reviews)
Show all 4 star reviews (15% of reviews)
Show all 3 star reviews (6% of reviews)
Show all 2 star reviews (8% of reviews)
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Features

performance
Show positive (88%)Show negative (12%)(Show all)

design
Show positive (96%)Show negative (4%)(Show all)

keyboard
Show positive (86%)Show negative (14%)(Show all)

screen
Show positive (47%)Show negative (53%)(Show all)

reliability
Show positive (60%)Show negative (40%)(Show all)

More features

Showing 15 review(s)

Expert Reviews User Reviews

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Showing 1 - 10 of 15 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (72)

Expert review by : John R. Delaney (pcmag.com)

Acer Aspire M5-481PT-6644

The Acer Aspire M5-481PT-6644 is a well-built Windows 8 ultrabook that offers solid performance, 14-inch touch screen, and long battery life at a reasonable price.

10-point touch-screen. Solid performance. Great battery life. Backlit keyboard.

Only two USB ports. No VGA video output. Some bloatware.

Solid performance, a responsive touch screen, and a reasonable price tag are just a few reasons why the Acer Aspire M5-481PT-6644 should be at the top of your ultrabook shopping list. Granted, it doesn't have a 1080p screen like the Asus Zenbook Prime...

Mar, 2013

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Expert review by : Sean Hollister (theverge.com)

Acer Aspire M5 review: the affordable all-purpose ultrabook

Battlefield 3 on a power-sipping ultrabook? They said it couldn't be done. In March, however, Acer and Nvidia proved them wrong. Behind closed doors at the 2012 Game Developer's Conference, the...

Cool and quiet ; Good battery life ; Great build quality for the money

Sub-par screen ; Touchpad and keyboard need work ; Annoying port and button arrangement

Not everything to everyone, but still an easy recommendation

Dec, 2012

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Expert review by : Scott Stein (cnet.com)

Acer Aspire M5 481PT review

The sea of Windows 8 laptops is a rough one, full of confusing twists and turns. Do you buy a touch-screen laptop, or a regular one? Do you pick a clamshell, a convertible, or a hybrid? Sometimes it's best to play it safe.

The 14-inch Acer Aspire M5 481PT has a solid metal body, strong battery life, good performance, a DVD drive, and a touch screen, all for a manageable price.

The screen quality isn't stellar, the touch pad doesn't always handle well, and unlike previous versions, it doesn't offer dedicated graphics.

Considering the total package of features and price, the Acer Aspire M5 feels like a safe bet if you want an all-encompassing Windows 8 laptop with touch that won't cost a fortune.

Nov, 2012

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Expert review by : Steve Schardein (notebookcheck.net)

Review Acer Aspire M5-481PT-6644 Notebook

Affordable touch. Want the full Windows 8 experience but don't wa

Lightweight; Commendable build quality; Good application performance; Multi-touch interface works well; Efficient thermal design; Great battery life

Glossy, low-brightness screen; Poor color reproduction, saturation, and contrast; Awful touchpad; Poor port placement and limited selection

If you aren’t partial to Windows 8 or don’t need a touchscreen, you might find a better choice in the Acer Aspire M5-481TG, which also features dedicated graphics—but overall, if touch is a must and budget is a concern, the Acer M5-481PT is a worthy...

Apr, 2013

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Expert review by : Dan Scharff (techworld.com)

Acer Aspire M5-481PT review

A year and a half ago, the Acer M5-481PT would have been a revelation. A Windows 8 Ultrabook, the M5 sports a third-generation Intel Core i5-3317U processor, 6GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive (with 20GB SSD cache), a 14-inch 10-point multitouch screen,...

The Acer M5-481PT feels like a holdover of a bygone era in laptop design, where all laptops tried to be all things to all people. While its robust feature set and solid build quality are impressive for the modest $800 pricetag, the M5 feels like an...

Dec, 2012

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Consumer review (cnet.com)

Fast, fluid and I can run all my imaging apps!

For anyone looking for a laptop replacement and constantly on the move.

Portability, love the touch screen and the pen! This has replaced my Wacom for editing photos.

So far so good.

May, 2013

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Consumer review (cnet.com)

Touch screen not functional after 1 month

Acer-Aspire-M55 looks like it is a bargain, but I think you get what you pay for: i really would like to know what digitizer for this screen has as I am skeptical it meets win 8 standards and was deactivated with a Microsoft update. Several have posted...

Seems to have all of right hardware, Touch screen, DVD-R and 6 GB RAM

Basically there is a question as to if the hardware is really up to par. The diagnostic utility for a touch screen doesn't exist. There's a question of a more helpful support staff when you call tech support. Be careful.

May, 2013

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Consumer review (cnet.com)

"Beautiful on the outside, ugly on the inside"

Purchased this laptop at Best Buy in January. First, the DVD drive didn't work. It would not read any DVDs. I called tech support and was instructed to delete and update the drive, which fixed the problem. 2 days later the DVD drive once again failed...

Light, thin, great overall design, descent speed.

Mediocre screen resolution, extremely unreliable and crashes constantly. Very buggy out of the box.

Mar, 2013

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Consumer review (cnet.com)

"Excellent Windows 8 Touchscreen device for the price"

This was a great purchase at a low price, and I have grown to love it for the touchscreen experience (a must-have with Windows 8). The extra software from Acer doesn't get in the way too much. The keyboard is the best laptop keyboard I have...

Screen is easy on the eyes and touch works great. I like the back lit keyboard and it feels great to type on. The combo hard drive makes for lots of storage AND quick start-up/wake-up. I have a DVD drive if I need it. USB 3.0 x 2. feels solid.

touch pad is a little mushy, especially for right click. Windows 8 takes some learning, and some programs aren't readily available. NO Windows Media Center, and no way to buy it without "upgrading" to Windows 8 Pro! Camera could be better.

Feb, 2013

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Consumer review (cnet.com)