PC Advisor

Reviews
£549 inc VAT
TABLET/LAPTOP HYBRID
Acer Aspire Switch 11 V SW5-173
Contact
• acer.co.uk
Specifications
11.6in (1920x1080, 190ppi)
IPS gloss touchscreen;
Windows 10 Home; 800MHz
Intel Core M-5Y10c (2GHz
Turbo) 2C, 4T; Intel HD
Graphics 5300; 4GB DDR3
RAM; 128GB M.2 SATA
Revision 3.0 SSD; 802.11ac
dual-band; Bluetooth 4.0;
1x Micro-USB 2.0 (tablet) 1x
USB 3.0 (keyboard); Micro
HDMI; microSDXC card slot;
stereo speakers; 0.9Mp
front camera, 2.1Mp rear
camera; single mic; 3.5mm
headset jack; detachable
UK tiled keyboard and
buttonless trackpad; 35Wh
lithium-ion polymer
battery, non-removable; 45
W mains charger with IEC
C5 inlet; 298x205x23.8mm
(9.3mm tablet); 1.57kg (761g
tablet and 808g keyboard)
Build:
Features:
Performance:
Value:
Following Microsoft’s blueprint, Acer
has been loyally building convertible
tablet/laptop hybrids for Windows
8, when the operating system’s
developer became hell-bent on
making Windows touchable in a postiDevice
world. The Aspire Switch 11
V is a subtly upgraded version of
2014’s model, now headlining with
Windows 10, an improved screen,
and 800MHz Intel Core M processor
in place of 1.5GHz Core i3.
In essence, the Switch is an
11.6in Windows tablet with a custom
keyboard that snatches into place
with magnets. Once docked, you
get the benefit of real keys and a
buttonless trackpad, which interact
with the tablet through shiny
contacts rather than Bluetooth.
Like Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4 (page
24), the hinged screen becomes
continuously movable to adjust rake;
but similarly to the previous release,
the ensemble is far too back-heavy.
There’s no extra battery in the
keyboard, which is a shame as
battery life still falls short – just
four hours 45 minutes in our
streaming video test, where an
iPad goes twice the distance. It’s
doubly disappointing when 2014’s
Switch 11 ran almost as long with
a real Core i3 chip. The Core M is
Intel’s ultra-low-power processor,
but clearly this setup isn’t as
efficient as it could be.
On some variants you can get
additional storage in the keyboard,
if only a whirring mechanical disk,
but it’s useful to complement the
tablet’s M.2 flash drive.
As a tablet, the Acer weighs
around 760g – or approaching twice
the weight of an admittedly smaller
iPad Air 2 – and this mass can swell
to a portly 1.6kg combined with
keyboard. At 24mm thick, the Acer is
too outsized for the ultrabook club.
Tablet I/O includes microSDXC
slot, Micro HDMI and USB 2.0.
Charging is through a separate
DC inlet, using an unsightly cable
with a spindly plug halfway up the
laptop screen.
The Core M processor means
fanless operation, but only by
aggressively throttling it back to
keep it cool. PCMark 8 Home gave
the Acer just 1916 points, where
sub-2000 scores frequently equate
to ‘annoyingly slow’ real-world
performance. Windows 10 at least
felt reasonably swift thanks to
responsive flash storage.
Unlike an iPad, or even an
Asus Zenbook running the same
Core M chip with HD Graphics
5300, action gaming is out. We
found the Switch 11 V averaged
just 23fps in Tomb Raider at 720p
and the lowest possible detail.
Compared to the iPad Air 2,
Geekbench showed the Acer’s
processor and memory were faster
single-core mode (2208 against 1815
points), but 14 percent slower multicore
(3975 against 4515).
Following Apple, Acer has
eliminated the air gap under the top
glass that makes shiny screens less
comfortable to view, with a full-HD
IPS panel of some merit. Colour
gamut was only 74 percent sRGB,
though it had good contrast (740:1)
and wide viewability. Judged by
eye, it’s a sharp and vibrant screen.
Verdict
At first glance, a two-in-one
seems smart except evidence
suggests few people want or need
Windows tablets. Acer has also
failed to address criticisms of
2014’s Switch 11 in this new model.
This leaves us an underpowered,
ill-balanced and clunky little laptop,
with mediocre battery life and a nice
screen. A better Windows laptop
is the £650 Zenbook UX305, but if
you need a tablet, buy an iPad Air
2 for £399. J Andrew Harrison
February 2016 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 33