acer aspire switch 10 tablet 2in 1 review

acer aspire switch 10  tablet 2in 1 Description

Acer Aspire Switch 10 SW5-012-16AA 2-in-1 comes with these high level specs: Intel Atom Quad-Core Processor Z3745 1.33GHz with Intel Burst Technology up to 1.86GHz, Windows 8.1, 10.1" HD 1280 x 800 resolution, high-brightness (350-nit), LED-backlit IPS (In-Plane Switching) technology with integrated 5-point screen, Intel HD Graphics, High-definition audio support, 2GB of LPDDR3 Onboard Memory, 32GB Internal Storage, Micro SD memory slot, 802.11a/b/g/n Wireless LAN with Acer Nplify, featuring MIMO technology (Dual-Band 2.4GHz and 5GHz), Bluetooth 4.0, Built-In HD Webcam, 1 - Micro USB 2.0 port (Tablet), 1 - USB 2.0 port (Keyboard), 1 - Micro-HDMI with HDCP support (Tablet), 2-cell lithium polymer battery (5910mAh), Microsoft Office 365 Personal 1-Year Subscription (activation code included), Up to 8-hours Battery Life, 2.58 lbs. | 1.17 kg (Tablet & Keyboard)


 I purchased Acer Aspire Switch 10 a few weeks ago because I needed something more portable than my aging laptop. It initially was much smaller than I expected. I'm just now reviewing this as I wanted to get some hours on the machine first.

First off, Acer Aspire Switch 10 packaging is clean and well thought out. The tablet is the first thing out of the box, wrapped in plastic. After that there is a cardboard flap that pulls out to reveal the keyboard attachment. It is wrapped in a synthetic clothe. Finally, the charger and Office activation pamphlet are under the keyboard, accessed by pulling out the cardboard under the keyboard. In other words, this thing comes tightly packaged in a nice small box.

Setup was quick and easy. It doesn't come with a whole lot of bloatware (to my surprise). Just Acer pc management programs and their own set of productivity tools. I promptly uninstalled all of the included programs. Acer also includes quite a few browser bookmarks on the desktop.

As for actual usage,Acer Aspire Switch 10 will happily run Chrome with a few tabs running, and will actually play light games (and to my own amusement, Minecraft is playable with optifine installed and set up right). This tablet is no monster, but it is definitely no slouch, either.

So far it has been issue free with one exception. Occasionally it would refuse to come out of sleep. Acer Aspire Switch 10 would require a hard reboot and holding the power and down buttons simultaneously to turn off. However, I believe I fixed this issue. Acer released a new BIOS for the Switch and after installing the update I have not had the problem.

If you want something that's small and portable, yet can still function as a laptop and isn't as slow as the dreadful netbooks of the past, this is a strong choice. Because of its size, the keyboard is a little cramped, but it's nothing that you can't get used to.

 Acer Aspire Switch 10 photos