Review on Acer Aspire 5 A515-46-R14K Slim Laptop with 15.6-inch Full HD IPS Display, AMD Ryzen 3 3350U Quad-Core Processor, 4GB DDR4 RAM, 128GB NVMe SSD, WiFi 6, Backlit Keyboard, Alexa Built-in, Windows 10 Home (S mode) by James Julien

I bought this laptop for my 10 year old son because it's a great laptop for kids. It has a solid-state drive, meaning there are no moving parts and it can withstand more abuse. In other words, I'm not worried if my son throws this in his backpack. It's also pretty light and portable. However, I had some doubts about the S mode. So what is it? It's a locked version of Windows 10. It's somewhat limited as you can't just run whatever program you want, it has to be a program exclusively from the Windows Store. For example, you must use Bing as a search engine. You must use Microsoft Edge as the web browser. For those interested in programming, you can't use command line shells. Pretty restrictive, right? However, the benefit is that the laptop is safer from viruses and malware as there is a great deal of control over which programs can be used. It is very stable and "safe". If that tells you anything, Microsoft sells S-Mode laptops to schools because of that security and stability. You can now safely exit S mode at any time, but once you exit S mode, you can't go back. Additional Notes: At startup, the default settings really allow Microsoft to track every little thing you do. I had to turn off a lot. If you are passing this on to a child I would recommend you do the same. But otherwise the start was very easy. Cortana talks to you, and after you answer a few questions (you can literally speak the answers), you're done. I noticed that the speakers are very weak, but to be honest, I'm rarely impressed by laptop speakers. That's where Bluetooth speakers come in, and you can easily do just that with this one. The screen is touchless, which you probably can't expect at this price point. I also saw that this laptop has a night mode which I really like. From 8:00 p.m., the display minimizes blue light so as not to disrupt your body's sleep cycle. That was a HUGE plus for me! May I recommend it? If you are a programmer or hope your child will become a programmer, then no, absolutely not. But if you just want to use a computer without necessarily knowing how the parts and software work, then YES! This would be a BIG laptop for you! I also see it as a great tool for seniors as everything is set up to be user-friendly.