Acer Spin 7 laptop review: 5G support and a day of autonomy
Bright, remarkable, thoughtful, so briefly that it can describe the exterior of the Acer Spin 7. And indeed, the notebook stands out in the context of primarily faceless colleagues.
First, an unusual emerald blue color catches the eye. The case is made of an alloy of magnesium and aluminum, but the surface looks like matte plastic. In addition, it is treated with a unique antibacterial composition. The people of the next century began to worry about their health and hygiene, and the Acer developers immediately revived.
In addition to the antibacterial properties, the casing appeared to be very difficult to scratch or damage in any way. It always looks new, without traces or traces of operation. At least, based on the results of the weekly test, this is precisely the impression.
The laptop is well thought out is eloquently hinted at by unique rubber bumpers on the inside and outside of the computer. They prevent the keyboard from coming into contact with the screen and, in general, rubbing surfaces against each other.
Weight 1.4 kilograms, thickness 15.9 mm: the notebook is very comfortable and ergonomic. The device can be sent to sleep by simply pressing the power button located on the far right. This location also suggests the nature of the tablet device.
Portable tablet
If anything, the Acer Spin 7 is a laptop and tablet in one person. You can open the computer halves, sit at a table, and work on the keyboard and touchpad in the usual way. The sensor and keys are comfortable and ergonomic. There is even a backlight on the keyboard; however, it is yellow and looks very original.
The lid opens 360 degrees, turning the device into a large 14-inch tablet. The glossy glass is a modern and durable Gorilla Glass from Corning. Multi-touch gestures are compatible, oleophobic, and even have an antimicrobial coating. But most importantly: the sensor is friends with the pencil.
The Acer Active Stylus branded stylus is already included and securely attached within the case, where it charges along the way. The pen recognizes 4096 degrees of pressure – Wacom AES 1.0 technology at its best. In general, designers, illustrators, and other professionals will be delighted.
Screen is ok
We are talking about a 14-inch Full HD matrix suitable for office or home tasks and professional work with content. The NTSC profile is 72% covered at a 1500: 1 contrast level, which means you can easily edit photos and videos with the expected result. The brightness margin is not a record (300 nits), but it allows you to work comfortably indoors.
Mobile platform: pros and cons
The Acer Spin 7 laptop is rare when a seemingly ordinary laptop runs on truly mobile hardware. Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 5G with 8 Kryo 495 cores and a frequency of up to 3 GHz is used as the engine. It has several pros and cons. Let’s go in order.
First, the use of a mobile platform elevates autonomy almost to the sky. The laptop performs more and more than its “ultrabook” classmates, but we’ll get back to that.
Second, the Acer Spin 7 lacks active cooling. The laptop remains silent in absolutely any conditions; besides, the case does not heat up to the level of a frying pan.
Now about the cons. The main thing – a laptop can not be called a game. Yes, in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, you can play more or less comfortably only in minimal settings. However, the Adreno 685 graphics subsystem allows you to efficiently run the desktop counterparts of mobile toys, such as Asphalt 9 or the more popular ‘Tanks.’
ARM and applications
Because Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 5G is an ARM processor, the computer needed a special edition of Windows 10 Home, that is, a 64-bit ARM version. For the end-user, there is no difference – all popular and sewer apps work the same way, with no unnecessary questions, delays, or brakes. However, some programs can run in emulation mode.
Native versions of ARM64 and ARM32 applications are supported, and the system itself runs the x86 utilities in emulation mode. The Windows Store automatically feeds the laptop with the most suitable version. However, like developer sites, many can independently determine the user’s operating system and send them a link to the software they need. As a general rule, it is not necessary to search incredibly for the required edition.
Traditional Win x64 applications are not assimilated by the system at all. Fortunately, many developers have adapted their creations to the ARM architecture, so there are no particular problems. For example, the company’s office suite, many Steam games, Adobe Photoshop, etc. they work without questions.
At 5G speeds
Acer Spin 7 – an excellent start to the future because, in addition to LTE, the laptop already supports fifth-generation networks. A tray for a nanoSIM card is provided at the rear. Thanks to your modem, you can forget about the often dangerous and slow public Wi-Fi. And you don’t have to bother with a smartphone to distribute the internet from it. You are saving charge on a mobile device and body movements.
The rest of the connectors of the external adapter, which, like the pencil, are already included; you do not need to buy anything extra. The little docking station will please with a USB Type-A, Ethernet, HDMI, and even a full-size VGA port for connecting older monitors and projectors.
Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 ac) and Bluetooth 5.0 are responsible for the wireless protocols. Below the navigation keys is a fingerprint scanner so that you can log in quickly and securely.
Do not forget about the sound, which is responsible for two high-quality speakers. The sound is clean, sometimes even three-dimensional. The volume is slightly above average, so you can easily watch a movie or TV series without plugging in headphones.
Last but not least, for some users, the advantage of Qualcomm’s mobile platform is phenomenal autonomy. Acer claims to have 29 hours of mileage, but this is the most ambitious result.
The laptop is expected to perform more minor in the real world, but it still outperforms 90% of Windows machines. According to my observations, about a third. The output is at least 10-12 hours on a mixed cycle, including office apps, YouTube video viewing via Chrome, various tests, and even the occasional launch of Adobe Photoshop. But YouTube video with half the laptop screen’s brightness can spin a little over a day.
The laptop is charged via a USB-C connector and a proprietary 45-watt power supply. However, if you want, you can power the computer with a simple power bank.
