Acer Aspire Switch 11 V review

Here is the Acer Aspire Switch 11 V's configuration sent to techradar for review:

Spec Sheet

• CPU: 800 MHz Intel Core M 5Y10c (dual-core, 4M Cache, up to 2 GHz with Turbo Boost)
• Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 5300
• RAM: 4 GB LPDDR3 Memory
• Screen: 11.6-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 FHD LED LCD, IPS, multi-touch
• Storage: 128GB SSD
• Ports: USB 3.0, Micro-USB, Micro-HDMI, MicroSD card reader, Headphone jack
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0
• Camera: 5MP Auto-Focus Rear Camera and HD Front Camera
• Weight: 3.22 pounds
• Size: 11.8 x 8.1 x 0.8 inches (W x D x H)

In terms of hardware, the Aspire Switch 11 V is smack in the middle of the budget 2-in-1 ranks. The cheaper Asus Transformer Book Flip TP200SA ($329, £207, AU$479) may have the same amount of RAM as the 11 V (4GB) but its Celeron processor isn't as efficient as the 11 V's Core M.

The HP Spectre x2, with its 1.2Ghz Intel Core m7-6Y75 and 8GB of RAM has both the 11 V and the TP200SA beat in terms of power, but it's also the most expensive ($799, £799, AU$1,699) of the three.

That being said, power is usually not the most important differentiator in this laptop class. Storage (and design and usability) is.

The TP 200SA at 64 GB has the least, while the Spectre x2 at 256 GB has the most. The 11 V, of course, is in between at 128 GB. At $499 (£549, about AU$689), the 11 V is perfectly reasonable.

Benchmarks

Here's how the Acer Aspire Switch 11 V performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

• 3DMark: Cloud Gate: 3,743; Sky Diver: 1867; Fire Strike: 513
• Cinebench CPU: 185 cb points; Graphics: 21 fps
• GeekBench: GeekBench: 2,081 (single-core); 4,148 (multi-core)
• PCMark 8 (Home Test): 2,003 points
• PCMark 8 Battery Life: 3 hours and 38 minutes

The Spectre x2 unsurprisingly performs the best on our benchmark tests. Its Cloud Gate score is 917 points better than the 11 V's and a whopping 3,141 points better than the TP200SA. It also outshined its two competitors in Sky Diver and Fire Strike, as well.

But these aren't gaming laptops. In the budget 2-in-1 class, the ability to surf the web, run office applications and multitask are much more important than graphics. And in those tasks, the Aspire Switch 11 V more than holds its own.

On the PCMark 8 Home Test, the 11 V performs slightly worse than the Spectre x2, scoring a 2,003 to the HP device's 2,396. But the 11 V absolutely trumps the TP200SA, which only scores a 1,214. Not bad for the weird looking 2-in-1 that is nearly half the price of the Spectre x2 and only $170 more expensive than the TP200SA.

Benchmarks aside, the 11 V did not suffer from any lag or freezing when I had multiple applications and multiple tabs open at the same time. There is a noticeable delay when the screen flips in tablet mode, but all in all the 11 V is a ship that sails very smoothly.

Battery life

Sadly, the 11 V is a juice hog. On the PCMark 8 Battery Life test it lasts only 3 hours and 38 minutes, falling behind both the TP200SA (7 hours, 36 minutes!) and the Spectre x2 (3 hours, 54 minutes). On my personal "movie" test (brightness and speakers at 50%) it performed even worse, lasting only 2 hours and 51 minutes.

Despite its supposedly efficient Broadwell chip, the 11 V's screen also runs a little hot after extended use. The base, fortunately, never heats up at all.