Price : 102,000
PROS
·
Slim form factor
·
Gorgeous screen
·
Great build quality
·
Heat management
CONS
·
Average battery life
·
Keyboard could have been better
·
Our Verdict
It's hard not to
fall in love with the Acer Aspire S7's looks and fall in love we did. This
Ultrabook isn't only about looks however. Intelligent design and hardware
choices means that this device performs just as good as it looks. If only the
battery life was better and the keyboard more ergonomic, this could have been
the best Ultrabook yet.
The thing with
fancy gadgets is that they’re fancy. They’re meant to feel like a million
dollars and to make you seem like you’re worth a million dollars and that’s
exactly what the Acer Aspire S7 392 seeks to achieve. It’s a beautiful, sleek
slab of gorilla glass, metal and plastic that weighs next to nothing and is still
a very capable computer.
Design and Build
If ever there
was a laptop that was built just for showing off, this has to be it. It’s a
very slim laptop at just barely 1.2cm tall. In fact, the entire device is
slimmer than the just the screens of most laptops. As a consequence of the
device being so slim, it’s also very light and thus, very portable. We carried
this device on our trip to COMPUTEX 2014 and all we can say is that our backs
were very thankful to the low weight and slim form-factor.
You may not
notice it at first, but the lid of the S7 is actually coated in Gorilla Glass.
Yep, the same stuff that adorns your smartphone. We were a little apprehensive
of the idea of a glass lid, but all apprehensions were laid to rest when we
spent some time with the device. The glass lid gives the laptop a very premium
air and it’s made of good glass, so we didn’t notice even one scratch over the
month or so that we spent with the device.
As you would
have understood by now, the device is very well-built. There is obvious
attention to detail and everything about the design feels very polished and
refined. If anything, the only slight issue we have with the design is with the
power adapter, which feels like something that would belong a cheap netbook
than an expensive Ultrabook (especially one that costs over Rs.1,00,000). But
this is such a tiny little issue and we’ve only mentioned it because it’s the
one discordant note in an otherwise exquisitely designed laptop.
Also, the device
comes with a very nice laptop sleeve that’s just as well designed as the S7
itself and is the perfect companion to such a device.
Features and Ergonomics
Despite being so
slim, Acer didn’t scrimp out on features. The hinge can swivel to 105° and
180°, you get two USB 3.0 ports, one on either side, and you get an SD card
reader along with the usual Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity and HDMI support.
But that’s not all, Acer also provides an “Acer Companion Port” with adapter; a
combination that gives you an extra USB 2.0 port, an Ethernet port and a VGA
port. There is no optical drive, but who really needs one these days?
In terms of
ergonomics, the laptop is actually quite comfortable and that’s primarily
because it’s so slim that you don’t notice the weight. That said, the keyboard
could definitely have been better designed. It’s adequate, but after getting
used to the truly sublime keys of a device like the Toshiba Portege Z30t or
Lenovo Yoga 2, these seem a little frustrating. Ditto the touchpad, which,
again, while adequate, could have been much better.
The touch-screen
on the other hand, is the exact opposite of the touchpad and keyboard because
it’s very responsive and a pleasure to use.
Performance
For a device
that’s this slim, the S7 doesn’t compromise on performance in the least. It’s
powered by the Intel i5 4200U CPU which seems to be a very popular option
nowadays. What’s interesting is that the CPU doesn’t seem to be throttled back,
something that we’ve seen on other devices in this category. The load
temperatures are quite high at 79°C, but the “TwinAir” cooling design (as Acer
calls it) is surprisingly effective and we didn’t feel the heat in the least.
This is a very good example of intelligent design because it allows the CPU to
run at full blast while keeping your lap safe from the heat.
Keeping that in
mind, it wasn’t a surprise to see that the performance was at par with just
about every other i5 4200U powered device in the market. Now the 4200U is, by
itself, quite enough for most laptops, but it’s the overall package of the S7,
with the bundled SSD, that makes the PC feel so zippy.
|
PCMark 8
|
2145
|
|
3DMark
|
41535
|
|
Peacekeeper
|
4451
|
|
Cinebench R15
|
230
|
|
Sniper Elite V2
|
13.1
|
|
Battery Life
|
200
|
|
Screen Brightness
|
226.08
|
|
Contrast Ratio
|
550:1
|
|
Max. Temperature
|
79
|
The screen is
also quite excellent and features a brightness of over 200cd/m2 and a contrast ratio of around 550:1, which is exceptional. The measured
battery life was a bit low at just under 3.5hours, we did expect more from the
device, but that can be attributed to the fact that the device is so slim that
it couldn’t possibly hold a higher capacity battery. Our battery tests do
stress the system considerably so you should expect between 4-5 hours
usage from this device at the very most.
User Experience
The Acer Aspire
S7 is very capable as a portable laptop. We found it to be comfortable to carry
and use and we never really had any complaint with regards to the performance.
Everything was fast and zippy and very responsive. The one major complaint we
had was with the keyboard. While it’s adequate for typing something short, such
as a URL, a short e-mail, etc., it’s definitely uncomfortable when you have to
type long articles. Also, the volume of the speakers is also a little less than
we would like, but at the same time, the screen is so nice and the colours so
punchy that while watching movies, it really felt like we were noticing some
details for the first time.
Verdict
The Acer Aspire
S7-392 could have been the very best Ultrabook in the market, but minor issues
with the keyboard and battery life prevent it from achieving greatness. That
said, this is still a great Ultrabook and is better than most. While it’s not
perfect, it’s definitely a device worthy of consideration. The asking price is
very high, but maybe that’s a price you’re willing to pay for gorgeous looks.
This is a device to lust for, not something you need.
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