Acer Aspire Lite 14 review: A 2.2K display on a budget

Buying a budget laptop in 2025 might be boring. The same compromises and the non-regulated laptop market in Nepal make it even more confusing. But hey, if you manage to dig in, you can find out some good options for the price. Take this Acer Aspire 14 Lite for example, which brings a 2.2K display and a USB-C charging, that too on a budget. But is it the best for the price of 79,999? Let’s find that out in my Acer Aspire Lite 14 review.

Acer Aspire Lite 14 Specifications

• Dimensions, Weight: 1.5 kg
• Display: 14-inch LCD, 2240 × 1400 resolution, IPS panel, 60Hz refresh rate, matte finish
• Keyboard: Standard (non-backlit)
• Security: Kensington lock slot, BIOS security
• Processor: Intel Core i5-1334U (13th Gen), 10 cores / 12 threads, 1.30GHz base
• Graphics: Intel integrated graphics (shared memory)
• RAM: 16GB DDR5
• Storage: 512GB SSD
• Audio: Up-firing stereo speakers
• Battery: 58Wh, 65W charging
• Webcam: HD (720p) with physical shutter
• I/O Ports: 1× USB-C, 3× USB-A, 1× HDMI, 1× microSD, 1x 3.5mm headphone jack
• Wireless: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1 or above
• Price in Nepal: NPR 79,999 (16/512GB)

Acer Aspire Lite 14 Review

Display

• 14″ WUXGA IPS display
• 60Hz refresh rate, 100% sRGB color gamut
• 300 nits brightness

Let me begin with the display side of things first. For the price, the Acer Aspire 14 Lite’s display is just so good. You are greeted with a 14” display with an IPS panel, instead of a TN panel with terrible viewing angles and terrible contrast. More than that, it’s a 2.2K res display, which is absolutely rare in this segment. So, the visuals are quite good, whether you are watching a movie or just doing daily chores. It’s always a treat for a budget laptop. Meanwhile, the brightness level is just decent. It hits up to 229.3 in 100% while the 75% level gave me around 172.9 nits in my testing. All in all, the indoor usage was fine for me, although I wished it were a bit brighter. 

I have to say, the color reproduction on the Acer Aspire Lite 14 is very decent for the price. With around 81% sRGB coverage (100% claimed on the official specs), it’s very decent for a budget laptop, intended for color-sensitive tasks like photo editing, although not very professionally.

Design and build

• 12.76 x 8.47 x 0.78 inches (W x D x H)
• 1.43 kg, All-plastic build

Now let's talk about the build quality of this thing. The Aspire Lite 14 is made entirely of plastic. While the lid has a cool-looking pattern and the keyboard deck, on the other hand, boasts a polished finish that gives it a more premium look. All in all, the minimal design, plus the elongated hinge, are nice touches. So, you get better airflow under the laptop to keep things cool naturally. The keyboard deck doesn't flex under relatively light pressure.

The port selection on this thing is pretty good, though. There are three USB-A connections (all with a faster USB 3.2 Gen 1 spec), one microSD card reader, one full-sized HDMI 1.4, and one USB-C port with 3.2 Gen 2 speed. The Aspire Lite 14 charges via a Type-C port, but the one that it ships with is a bulky one, just like any barrel charger body. But you can always use any compatible PD charger or a charging dock like Ugreen's.

Performance

• Intel Core i5-1334U
• 10 cores / 12 threads, 4.6 GHz max turbo frequency
• 16GB DDR5 RAM, 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD

Well, well, the performance side isn't that interesting since this guy packs a U-series chipset– Core i5-1334U processor. On the bright side, this is more power-efficient than the H Series ones, but not that powerful in CPU power. I mean, you can still do the normal tasks quite well without any major hiccups. Thanks to the 16GB of DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration alongside 512GB of PCIe 4.0 SSD, multitasking felt very decent. Plus, the Read and Write speeds are also impressive for the price. Have a look below!

This means I had no trouble handling my everyday tasks on the Acer Aspire Lite 14. I could easily browse Chrome with 10–12 tabs open, stream music on Spotify in the background, and even do other tasks.

Meanwhile, the Aspire Lite 14’s integrated GPU is just average for the price. It packs Intel UHD graphics, which is not that powerful for gaming, but if you wish to do it lightly, it can run games like Valorant smoothly.

So if you are a normal user and don't want more power, this one should cater to you just fine!

Battery

• 58 Watt-hour battery
• 65W power adapter (USB-C)

Then again, I found the Aspire Lite 14’s battery life to be decent. The 58Wh battery inside was giving me 5-6 hours of screen time under my usual, casual usage.

Keyboard and trackpad

• Full-size keys without Numpad
• No backlight
• Plastic multi-touch trackpad

The keyboard and trackpad on this budget laptop are pretty average overall. The trackpad is made of plastic, and the keyboard doesn't have backlighting. Plus, the "Delete" button is right beside this Shift key, making me press the Power key multiple times above due to my muscle memory.

Webcam

• HD (720p) camera
• Physical privacy shutter

Like most budget laptops, the Aspire 14’s webcam leaves a lot to be desired. It uses a standard 720p sensor with a physical privacy shutter, which works okay in well-lit environments but struggles otherwise. During video calls, you can expect blown-out highlights and noticeable digital noise.

Talking of the speakers, I’m someone who’s always fond of upward-firing ones, but this guy’s speaker is just average. The loudness is just not adequate for a room with some chatter. If you're in a quiet room, then it's fine.

Acer Aspire Lite 14 Review: Conclusion

So, to wrap up this review, I think the Acer Aspire Lite 14 is a viable budget laptop in Nepal right now. It's got a high-res 2.2K display, which looks good, while the performance is also decent for someone who’s not doing highly intensive tasks. The unit I tested has 16GB of RAM, providing me with a fluid multitasking experience. Meanwhile, the speakers and brightness are not total deal breakers, but I wish they were better.

Acer Aspire Lite 14 Review: Pros and Cons