Reviews related to : Acer
Acer provide a wide range of good quality, well specified electronic gadgets from laptops to PDAs, MP3 players, cameras, televisions and much more besides. Not as well known as the lead players, Acer is the 4th largest world-wide branded PC manufacturer, and they do a lot more besides!
This Notebook made by ACER is one of the Nitro 5 range. Its not quite the most powerful but still should help you to stay alive for longer if you are into games. It is also a very useful business notebook as it has numeric keyboard included to the right of the main keyboard.
Going around the outside of the there is a Kensington Lock port, Ethernet, USB3 and audio out on the left, the front is clear, on the right are three LED's and two USB3. The back has charging port, USB 'C' and HDMI. The base has four mid sized rubber feet to keep it off whatever you place it on and allow extra ventilation. The 104 keyboard is 3cm in from the back and this space has the rather good speakers. Left and right has a .65cm gap and the 10.5x7.
Quite unusually this is not an actual review. Nitro is a range of notebooks, the one I wanted to review was not currently available from ACER. To buy it is only available from VERY, so next week all being well I will tell you about the model I am reviewing that is a little less powerful and -because the VERY offer is so special- is more expensive. If my review continues to be as promising as it currently looks then this unit if I had reviewed it could well earn the very rarely awarded 5 by 5 award.
So what does this offer firstly the screen is bigger than most at 17.3 inches, second it has a 1TB SSD drive twice the size of the unit I am reviewing. It has a 12th Gen Intel processor where my unit is 11th Gen. Most other features are simular so while this unit costs £999 against £1049 for the unit I am reviewing you see why with the larger screen, slightly later Gen Intel processor and double the size of SSD this is a very powerful unit.
A Chromebook is an alternative to a Windows PC if all you use it for is emails, scouring the web and suchlike. These days a Chromebook has anti virus built in so you are already saving money and you should be safe to trawl the net, but as always remember if the offer looks to too good to be true it almost certainly is and you will probably get bugs that you do not want.
The measures 36x23.5x1.5cm. Going around the outside it has USB 'C', HDMI and USB on the left. The front is clear, the right side has 3.5mm audio socket, USB 'C' and Kensington lock port. The back is also clear as the screen goes back to 190 degrees. The back has four 3x.5cm small rubber feet in each corner the two at the front vertical and the two at the back horizontal. The weight of the unit is 1.37 kilos which is a tiny amount over three pounds.
This is a very powerful and also large tower system. This tends to buck the trend of making things smaller and smaller. It is also quite heavy so will need a strong table or desk. It was sent to me as just the unit with just the mains lead.
The Acer Orion 7000 measures 51x49x22cm and you will need a further few centimetres clear behind for any connections. Both the front and back have a clear covering so you can see the fans and various coloured lights. The top has a large ventilation grill as well as four USB ports (three are USB, one USB 'C') and a couple of audio ports, there is also one other item.
A 16inch notebook that does not weigh that much, it also does not feel that much larger when you move around with it. Unlike a lot of such devices I get to review this one has an AMD processor, this one runs at 2.7GHz. It has 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.
Its dimensions are 36x24x1.5cm and it weighs only 1179grams which is meant to be the world’s lightest. The viewable screen is 34x21.5cm which gives the notional imperial diagonal measurement of 16inches, this is 4K 3840x2400pixel and OLED. On the left edge are two USB ‘C’, USB3 and HDMI. The right side has 3.5mm socket for headphones, USB3 and two LED’s. Both the front and back are clear. The screen goes back to around 45 degrees.
This latest offering from Acer is the Swift 5 a small and light notebook that has Windows 11. Just because it is small does not mean it is not powerful. There are a range of models with different processors, sizes of SSD drives and memory.
The Acer Swift 5 measures 31x22x1.5cm and weighs 1278 grams. On the left side there are two USB ‘C’ ports an HDMI port and a USB port. On the right side are 3.5mm audio out socket a USB port two LEDs and the all-important Kensington Lock port. The keyboard is 84 keys with the alpha keys being full size. There is a 2cm border behind and to the sides of the keyboard with 9cm in front and the 10x7cm trackpad being mounted centrally in this area.
If your main uses of a PC are for emails, browsing the web and word processing or spreadsheets then a Chromebook can be cheaper and even a more secure form of connection to the outside world as Chromebooks are both automatically updated in the background and have Anti-Virus protection built in so you can remain in a safer environment.
This one from Acer measures 36x23.5.1.5cm and weighs 1677g and can show a full HD screen. Going around the outside on the left is a USB ‘C’ port a USB port and 3.5mm socket for headphones. The front is clear. The right side has micro SD card port, Ethernet connection, USB ‘C’ port and finally a Kensington Lock port. The rear is also clear as the screen goes back beyond 180 degrees. The viewable screen is 34x19.
At last a company starts to do something about sustainability as the case on this unit is made from recycled plastic, it has a slightly rough feel no doubt not essential but to make you feel you are doing your bit. This latest offering in the Aspire range is called Vero. The strap line comes up on bootup ‘Vero for Planel Earth’. What does this latest offering from Acer have to offer both for sustainability and also for value for money in these testing times?
The Acer Aspire Vero AV15-51 measures 36.5x24.5x1.7cm and weighs 1800grams. Going around the outside has power input, Ethernet, HDMI, two USB3 and a USB ‘C’. Both the front and back are clear the right side has two LED’s, 3.5mm for headphones and a USB3 finally a Kensington Lock connection. You can also charge the unit with a USB ‘C’ connection. The base has four horizontal 2x.7cm yellow rubber feet, behind the front feet are the 2.5x1.5cm speaker outlets.
I still get requests to review Desktop systems and this latest offering from Acer is much smaller than most, in fact not only smaller but also a great deal lighter. In fact I placed it on top of my own normal sized Desktop system and this amplifies the smallness. It also comes with small cordless Keyboard and mouse that take just one USB port to connect both.
It is 29.5cm tall, 9.5cm wide and 32cm deep add another 5cm to the last figure for cables into the back of the unit. The mouse is 10.5x6x3.5cm at most and weighs 81 grams with battery inserted. The keyboard is 41x11x2cm the last figure is at the back; at the front it is hardly 1cm. The keyboard has 112 keys with the numeric and alpha keys being full-size.
So many people moan about Windows continual upgrades, with a Chromebook they still occur but in the background. So do you really need Windows, the answer lies in what do you use your PC for, if you use Windows programs then the answer is yes. However if you use it for Browsing, sending and receiving emails writing books or using spreadsheets possibly not as a Chromebook can do all that and now it even supports the Google Play store.
This latest offering from Acer has another plus ‘touch’ so ideal for those not keen on the Touchpad. It is 32x22.5x1.5cm this last measurement is at the back, at the front it is only a tad over 1cm. It weighs only 1284grams. The viewable screen is 31x17.3cm which gives you very close to the imperial measurement of 14inches, the aspect ratio is 16:9. The left side has USB ‘C’ and 3.5mm headset socket. The front is clear; the right side has USB3 and Kensington Lock socket.
This is a powerful Notebook from Acer that is very fast and while not a featherweight at 1.41 kilos it is very solid so should stand the odd knock or three. It still has the ability to be used in an office environment as it has Ethernet and a full sized HDMI port. So what else does this latest offering have to temp the user to dig into their wallet.
The Acer TravelMate P4 measures 32.5x22.8x1.3cm and weighs 1.41kilos. The left side has DC input, Ethernet, HDMI, two USB3 ports and USB ‘C’ which can be used to charge to save carrying a power brick on your travels. The front is clear. The right side has on/off button, two LEDs, micro SD, 3.5mm audio out and a further USB ‘C’. The back is also clear as the screen goes back to 180 degrees. The base has a long 28x.
This portable projector has an internal battery big enough to show two full length movies. Connection types are Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, direct cable and more. Best of all it costs less than £400 and it has an Auto Portrait mode when needed. The base allows you to connect a tripod, even without one you can choose its position as it is twelve sided.
It is 10x10x18cm and setup once I had charged it – recommended at three hours – took only as long as it took me to read the thirteen sides in English in the 176 page Quick Start Guide. A long press on the on/off button and the projector light comes on with an easy to follow screen that lets you choose the source and how you want to connect.
This is a powerful Notebook which at the time of setup you can have as Windows 10 or Windows 11. I choose Windows 10 and after the normal 15 minutes’ worth of questions answered was able to use the machine, as usual there are a number of updates to do to bring it right up to date. So after a few days having done all the updates I expected to be offered the chance to upgrade and as I was not I restored it and this time I choose Windows 11.
The Acer Predator Notebook measures 32x22.5x1.8cm and weighs 1722 grams. The screen is 31x17.5cm, 14inch. The viewable screen is 1920x1080 with the default display set to 150%. Bootup is 8 seconds while shutdown is 5 seconds. It has an 11 Generation Intel 17 processor running at 3.3GHz. It comes with 16GB RAM and has a 1TB SSD (952GB). Going around the outside on the left has a Kensington Lock port, Power input, USB3 port, USB ‘C’ which can also charge.
This Acer Aspire 1 is the first unit I have seen that offered me the chance to upgrade to Windows 11; you can read my thoughts in an item published last week. So now having done the upgrade I move on to the review of this rather nice if somewhat lower power and capacity unit. It is however all wrapped up nicely with a 14 inch full HD screen, and it’s very well priced.
This Acer Aspire 1 measures 32x23x1.5cm and weighs 1494 grams. The screen is 30.5x17.4cm and this gives the notional imperial diagonal measurement of 14 inches. It comes with 4GB of RAM that has 3.81GB usable and has a 64GB SSD which is 57.1GB actual size. The Processor is an Intel Pentium Silver N6000 which runs at 1.1GHz. After the upgrade it now has Windows 11 Home version 21H2. There is an 84 key keyboard with the alpha keys being full size. There is 2.
Most items I get to review have Intel chips in and while specifications say something like Intel i5 or equivalent until I have tested an equivalent I am reluctant to say something will work. A while ago Parallels brought out a product that would allow Chromebooks to run Windows, most recent Chromebooks can run Android Apps but Windows was something new.
If your company or education establishment wants to save on the cost of Windows notebooks this Chromebook may help as it has the basic power and memory to run Parallels for Windows allowing you to run Windows in a ‘sandbox’ while still running Chrome on the machine your company will however still need Windows licenses for every Chromebook running it though, currently they are Windows 10.
If your company or education establishment wants to save on the cost of Windows notebooks this Chromebook may help as it has the basic power and memory to run Parallels for Windows allowing you to run Windows in a ‘sandbox’ while still running Chrome on the machine your company will however still need Windows licenses for every Chromebook running it though, currently they are Windows 10.
There is a list of Chromebooks from all the major players but so far only Acer have gone out of their way to find me units that qualify. The basic requirements are an i5 Processor or equivalent, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage as with any such project more is better. Chromebooks are great for basic things like word processing, working with emails and browsing the Internet.
Here is a recent Chromebook from Acer, this is a powerful unit more than capable of running Chrome Apps and that also means Android Apps – although some may look a little strange with the swap from portrait to landscape – so things that you use every day on your phone can now be viewed that little larger in your living room as well as on the road.
The Acer Chromebook Spin measures 30x23x1.5cm, the last figure at the back if you measure at the front it's barely 1cm, it weighs 1368 grams. Going around the outside has USB ‘C’, USB3, 3.5mm socket for headphones and Micro SD card socket on the left side. The front is clear. The right side has volume rocker, HDMI out, USB ‘C’ and finally on/off button. The back is clear as the screen rotates 180 degrees to become a Tablet. The base has four landscape rubber feet 3x.
This is a very powerful and also rather expensive offering but when you get a boot at six seconds and shutdown at two seconds this immediately tells you it will not be ‘cheap’ so what exactly does this latest offering from Porsche and marketed by Acer offer.
Porsche AP714-51GT laptop measures 32x19.5x1.5cm the last measurement is at the rear because at the front it is only 1cm thick. The viewable screen is 30.5x17.5cm which gives the notional diagonal imperial measurement of very close to 14 inches, the display is full HD 1920x1080 and the default is to show this at 150%. Going around the outside has connections on the left for power in, HDMI out, USB3 and USB ‘C’. The front is clear while the right side has a 3.
This latest version of the Swift 5 is small and powerful and while it is intended for use when out and about, as it has a full size HDMI port there is no reason while it should not be used at home or even in the office if it is the latter then make good use of the Kensington Lock socket or someone else will be using it.
The Acer Swift 5 measures 31x21x1.5cm the last measurement is at the back of the side as it is only 1cm at the front edge. It weighs only a tad over a kilo at 1041 grams. It is gun metal grey in colour apart from the hinge at the back and the Acer logo on top which are both copper in colour. The screen goes back to 135 degrees and the viewable screen dimensions are 30.5x17.3 which gives the notional diagonal imperial measurement of close to 14 inches.
This is one of the new breed of Chromebooks that give you much more functionality and even allows access to the Google Play Store and that also allows you to link to your Android phone. In fact it bears little resemblance to an early Chromebook that did not even have the ability to store things offline. This should really be considered a totally new category of product.
The Acer Chromebook Spin 511 measures 29.5x21.5x2cm and weighs 1212 grams. The viewable screen is 23.5x14.5cm which gives the notional diagonal imperial measurement of 11.6inches and this gives you a variable screen resolution of up to 1518x853 which may make text a little small for some but a slider lets you change it through a range of resolutions up to 911x512. Going around the outside, on the left side is a small blue LED denoting power on, next is a USB ‘C’ then USB3.
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