Acer's next generation Aspire S notebook is finally here. Unveiled today at Acer's global New York press conference, the Aspire S 13 aims to provide a top class, ultra slim laptop for half the price of its main competitors.
Measuring just 14.6mm thick, the Aspire S 13 is a stunning piece of engineering, and its weight of just 1.3kg means it shouldn't be too much of a strain in your backpack if you're carrying it around all day. The best part, though? Prices start at just $699, which works out to roughly £490.
That's pretty impressive for a high-end notebook, but you can tell where Acer's had cut some corners as soon as you open up the lid. Its 13.3in Full HD IPS display looks lovely, but the plastic bezel and lid are surprisingly flimsy. Apply a little pressure at either end and it will easily bend and flex in opposite directions, making it feel rather cheap compared to the rest of its aluminium chassis.
It's a shame, really, as the soft-touch, nano-imprint pattern on the outside of the lid looks really quite smart, especially next to its metal hinge. The simple ridge pattern feels great when you pick it up, too, and it certainly makes a welcome change to the glossy glass lids that have adorned some of its more recent predecessors.
Acer's also complemented the Aspire S 13 with diamond-cut edges, most notably around the sides of the laptop and around the touchpad. The keyboard tray also has a hairline metallic finish, so it seems odd that Acer hasn't applied the same attention to detail to the screen enclosure as well.
Still, as long as you don't mind a slightly sub-par display, the Aspire S 13 feels great to work on. The Precision-certified touchpad feels wonderfully responsive underneath your fingers, and its large surface area provides plenty of room for swipes and gesture controls. The keyboard also offers plenty of travel and tactile feedback, so it should you shouldn't have any trouble using it while you're on the move.
It has a decent selection of ports, too. As well as two USB3 ports, you'll find a USB 3.1 Type-C connector, a full-sized HDMI output, an SD card reader, and a headphone jack. It also has 802.11ac Wi-Fi.
The Aspire S 13 will be available in a range of specifications, but all of them will come with one of Intel's 6th gen Core processors and up to 8GB of RAM. Acer's also hoping its battery will last up to 13 hours, but we'll have to wait and see how that figure lines up with our own battery tests once we get a sample in for review.
We shouldn't have to wait long to find out either, as Acer said the Aspire S 13 will be available in Europe this month. Exact UK pricing has yet to be confirmed, but we'll bring you all the latest news as it's confirmed.
