"Easier said than done" is the high-quality word I can think of to explain Intel's ultrabook initiative. On paper, the plan seemed smooth enough, although production partners and knowledgeable consumers alike would testify that it is been something however. Aspirations to compete with Apple's ultrathin MacBook Air were met with some of compromises as hardware makers struggle to find the precise blend of features while maintaining the overall fee someplace round Intel's $1,000 goal.

The last couple of ultrabooks we've reviewed were not with out fault however on the other hand, each sold for less than $900. This led me to contemplate what kind of product could be feasible if Intel's proposed $1,000 target price wasn't a hassle. Could some hundred dollars tacked on the pinnacle end make a difference among a vanilla ultrabook and something absolutely special?

That's some thing Acer is inclined to gamble on with its contemporary flagship ultrabook. The i7-prepared S5 packs a few improvements not visible some other place further to an accessory bundle designed to make on-the-move computing much less painful. Our assessment unit ships for ~$1,250, that's a chunk extra than Intel ideally wishes you to spend. But within the equal respect, what is a few hundred greenbacks greater to a person who's already organized to drop a grand on a new pocket book? A line from Planes, Trains and Automobiles comes to mind here, "Anyone who'd pay $50 for a cab could honestly pay seventy five."

Acer Aspire S5-391-9880 - $1,249

  • thirteen.three" 1366x768 LED-backlit TN display
  • Intel Core i7-3317U (1.7 - 2.6GHz)
  • Intel HD Graphics 4000
  • 4GB of DDR3 RAM
  • 2 x 128GB SSD in RAID 0
  • SD/MMC card reader (left)
  • Audio jack (right)
  • 2 USB 3.0, HDMI, Thunderbolt (returned)
  • 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0+HS
  • 1.three-megapixel (1280x1024) webcam
  • Chiclet keyboard (no backlight)
  • three-cell 2310mAh battery (6.five hours)
  • 12.80 x 9.eighty five x 0.59 inches, 2.6 kilos

The S5 comes with a beefy Core i7-3517U clocked at 1.9GHz (Turbo Boost up to three.0GHz), 4GB of RAM and 256GB of flash storage -- no hybrid caching device right here. The latter hardware upgrade is of unique hobby to me as I've been petitioning for manufacturers to ship portables with speedy flash-primarily based storage for a while.

In maximum instances, an SSD is the satisfactory aspect upgrade for any contemporary machine, but Acer took matters one step similarly because the S5 is geared up with two 128GB SSDs in a RAID0 configuration. It goes with out saying that the garage subsystem ought to be blazing fast.

At first look, the S5 looks to be a first rate ultrabook, however upon closer inspection, we commenced to look a few shortcomings that we hoped might be averted at this rate point. The keyboard deck, palm relaxation and outside lid all seem like built of brushed aluminum, but unlike some classier ultrabooks that use a unibody aluminum shell, there is numerous plastic in play right here. One may want to argue that a plastic shell cuts down on weight, but aluminum is a very lightweight building cloth in its own right.

There's handiest a bit bit of flex inside the keyboard and even though the layout is acquainted and ideal, backlighting is especially absent at the S5 -- once more, a piece disappointing given the cost of the device. Acer did a first-class activity with the trackpad in terms of placement, size and responsiveness even though it's really worth noting that it is slightly recessed which could take a bit time to get conversant in.

To keep the S5 as slender and glossy as feasible, Acer has implemented a unique answer known as MagicFlip, which has a motorized I/O panel that rises from the bottom of the laptop, lifting the returned of the laptop a chunk whilst used. Unsuspecting observers will most effective find a headphone jack at the proper aspect of the system, the electricity jack on the rear and a electricity button and SD card reader on the left facet. Pressing the MagicFlip button on the proper side of the keyboard well-knownshows a complete-sized HDMI port, USB 3.zero ports and a Thunderbolt port.

The progressive function presents the AS an extremely trim profile -- zero.fifty nine inches to be genuine -- but it is in the end little extra than a gimmick.

Some of the exhaust vents are constructed into the retractable get right of entry to panel, because of this the S5 will mechanically extend whenever the machine warms up and calls for extra cooling. Furthermore, having to open the door every time you want to plug in an external force or join the gadget to an outside screen can be cumbersome. Fortunately, the mechanism is wise sufficient to recognize if you accidentally close the door while something is plugged in or whenever you close down the pc.

The S5 ships with a mediocre-at-pleasant 13.3-inch 1366 x 768 TN panel framed with an uninspiring, cumbersome bezel. At this fee factor I truly expected an IPS display, or at least, a bump in resolution over less expensive ultrabooks. Instead, the S5 ships with a glossy display that has first rate color duplicate but horrible viewing angles. Color transferring changed into particularly obtrusive throughout video playback where any function off middle led to a degraded picture first-class. Furthermore, the lid as an entire wasn't very inflexible and exhibited a lot of wobble while flicked with a finger.