Updated

Back-to-school shopping is expensive. Lucky for you, Acer took the wraps of its new Aspire V5 series, an affordable laptop with enough power to get your through the coming school year and then some.

Available in both a 14-inch and 15.6-inch variants, Acer says the Aspire V5 series is 30-percent thinner than its previous low-cost notebooks. At its slimmest, the 14-inch model measures just 0.79 inches thick and weighs in at 4.6 pounds. Meanwhile, the larger 15.6-inch version measures 0.8 inches thick and weighs 5 pounds. The notebooks feature soft-touch material and are available in blue, purple, black and silver.

Both the 14-inch and 15.6-inch Aspire V5 can be equipped with either an Intel Ivy Bridge Core i3 or Core i5 processor. Core i5 versions come with Intel's Turbo Boost technology 2.0, which allows the processor to increase its clock speed under heavy load. Storage comes way of a 500GB hard drive, while graphics processing is handled by an Intel HD Graphics 4000 integrated graphics chip. Doubly Advanced Audio v2 helps ensure crisp audio quality.

Acer has also packed the Aspire V5 with its clear.fi technology, allowing users to stream media from their laptop to any other clear.fi-enabled device. Acer Instant Connect which stored frequently used Wi-Fi access points for easy connection and USB 3.0 round out the Aspire V5's features list.

Acer says the Aspire V5 will be available at the end of June. Ivy Bridge-equipped models will start at $629, while second-generation Intel Sandy Bridge-equipped versions will start at just $449.