If you’re in the market for a portable workhorse, Acer’s got two strong choices

Although tablets never really caught on as portable productivity devices, the rise in popularity of 2-in-1s and ultra slim laptops is hard to deny. Launched at Acer‘s Global Press Conference in New York last week, the new Switch Alpha 12 and Aspire S 13 represents the company’s bid to strengthen their presence in this up-and-coming sector.

With the limited time I got to spend with the devices, I was rather impressed.

Aspire S 13

The Aspire S 13 promised quite a lot. I expected it to be an HP Spectre 13 killer considering both devices were designed to be ultra-thin ultra-portable laptops. But, that’s not what the S 13 is and I’ll be honest, I was a little disappointed going into this.

However, this doesn’t mean that the Aspire S 13 is a bad laptop. During the brief amount of time I spent with the laptop, it does appear to fulfil a lot of what Acer wants it to be.

One of the core foundations of Acer’s approach to tackling this year’s markets (and future growth) is their 2-in-1 and ultra-portable laptop/tablet devices. Alongside the Switch Alpha 12, the S 13 is supposed to be able to hit a section of the market that no other laptop in this form factor can.

Priced at USD699 (around RM2,730), the Aspire S 13 is quite the steal considering the specs and just how thin this laptop is. But, at that price tag, some compromises were made and that’s evident when you pick the laptop up. It feels…cheap, for lack of a better word. The keyboard isn’t particularly impressive either as it feels rather mushy and unsatisfying.

What was great, though, was the sunlight visibility from that 13-inch full-HD panel. The S 13’s screen has a matte finish to it — similar to that on the Predator 15/17 laptops — which does a great job of masking reflection and remaining visible even under the bright sunlight pouring in from the venue’s windows.

It’s light too, coming in at a mere 1.3kg for the non-touch and 1.36kg for the touch variant. One benefit it has over the Spectre 13 is that this comes in a variant with a 10-point touch sensitive display. Some like it, some don’t, but I know after using one, it’s really hard for me to go back to using a non-touch display.

Acer Aspire S 13 specifications:

Operating System: Windows 10
Display: 13″ Full HD 1920×1080 IPS, 10-point touch (optional)
Processor: 6th Generation Intel Core i7, i5, i3U
Memory: Up to 8GB
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 520
Storage: SSD up to 512GB
Dimensions: 327x228x14.8mm
Weight: 1.3kg (non-touch), 1.36kg (touch)
Battery Life: Up to 11 hours (non-touch), up to 13 hours (touch)

Switch Alpha 12

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting too much from Acer’s Switch Alpha 12. There are already so many 2-in-1 Windows laptop hybrids that have failed in their attempt to copy Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4 that I wrote this device off before I even saw it.

Once I did see it, though, I was pleasantly surprised because it was a Surface Pro 4 clone done right. Possibly done better.

There is a common saying in many competitive sports and e-sports where if you can’t beat the best, copy them. And Acer has done that rather well. The first thing I noticed about Acer’s new 2-in-1 was how awesome the attached keyboard was — it was almost Surface Type Cover-like. In fact, it gave me the exact same typing experience the Surface Pro 4 Type Cover (so that’s great).

Acer also borrowed a design cue from the Surface when it came to the rear mounted kickstand. The Switch Alpha 12’s kickstand works in pretty much the same way as the Surface Pro 4’s only that it takes the form of a handle instead of a flat panel. One improvement Acer made was to add a rubberised strip to the bottom of the kickstand which gives it nice grip when on a flat surface.

In terms of build, the Surface Pro 4 wins out a little here, but the Switch Alpha 12 feels a lot more premium than Acer’s other portable workstation Aspire S 13 thanks to its anodised aluminium chassis.

What does set it apart from the Surface Pro 4 (besides its much lower price tag of USD599 — around RM2,335), is that it’s the industry’s first fanless 2-in-1 laptop with a 6th Generation Intel Core i processor. Yup, even the base model comes with at least a Core i3U processor.

Acer keeps everything cool and fanless with their new LiquidLoop technology. This uses a heat pipe to dissipate the heat through a continuous process of evaporation and condensation of the liquid stored within.

A fanless solution is great for small devices because it means that Acer can seal the laptop up to prevent (or at least reduce) dust from getting in. It also means that the Switch Alpha 12 is completely silent even under heavy load.

Pair that with a beautiful quad HD panel and the Switch Alpha 12 can really be an excellent workhorse that can last up to 8 hours on a single charge.

Acer Switch Alpha 12 specifications:

Operating System: Windows 10 Pro, Windows 10 Home
Display: 12″ IPS quad HD, 10 finger touch, 3:2 aspect ratio
Processor: Intel Core i7, i5, i3U
Memory: Up to 8GB
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 520
Storage: SSD up to 512GB
Dimensions: Pad: 292.1×201.4×9.5mm, Pad & Keyboard: 292.1×201.4×15.85mm
Weight: Pad: 0.9kg, Pad & Keyboard: 1.25kg
Battery Life: Up to 8 hours