Faisal Ghaffar 
There are a number of options that you can find in the category of budget laptops that are extremely cheap, but finding quality is a challenge. One option that offers both is the Acer Aspire 3, which has a simple styling, a wide screen and a full-size keyboard.
Design and build
The Aspire 3 weighs 1.81kg, which means it is not too lightweight. But, the added weight means that you can enjoy a 15.6-inch display and a full-size keyboard that comes with a number pad. It is quite solid and typing is also a breeze. There is also a spacious touchpad that feels smooth and firm. It is also very responsive and has a decisive click.
The Aspire 3 is about 0.75in thick, which means it is on the bulky side, but it comes with a healthy number of ports. As opposed to other budget laptops, this one feels a lot more solid.
Display and audio
The 1080p displays that Acer uses on its budget laptops have always helped it stand out. The same applies to Aspire 3, which offers decent color quality. There are two downward-pointing small speakers that produce fairly loud audio.
Webcam and microphone
Even though it is an economy laptop, the Aspire 3 has an exceptional HD webcam that is capable of producing clean and crisp video. The microphone is also able to pick up and filter voices. Even in low light, you will find that the webcam has decent performance, even better than some pricier devices currently available in the market. Thanks to Temporal Noise Reduction and AcerPurifiedVoicesoftware, the mic is able to clear out the background noise and it produces a crisp and clear sound.
Connectivity
Since the laptop is big, it means that it comes with a lot of useful connectors. On the left side of the Aspire 3, you will find a single USB-C port, the DC in, a USB-A port and a full-size HDMI port. There is also a Kensington lock port on the right, a headphone jack and another USB-A port.
Performance and battery life
When you are using a budget laptop, you cannot have too high expectations and the same applies here. Powered by the Quad-core 2.4GHz AMD Ryzen 7320U processor, the laptop is able to deliver decent performance when it comes to everyday tasks. However, you cannot say the same when you use it for gaming or graphics.
Whether you use it for office tasks like spreadsheets and word processing, or even videoconferencing, it works very smoothly. This is good because the Aspire 3 is aimed at small-business and school users. When it comes to playback and movies, the laptop manages to outperform other budget systems. But, the gaming graphics performance is where it falls short.
As far as battery life is concerned, the laptop lasts for eight hours of consistent use, which means it can survive a full work day.
The Verdict
The Acer Aspire 3 is one of the top budget laptops you will find today as it comes with a smart combination of trade-offs.
