Acer’s Spin 7 Review: Versatile And Super-Slim Laptop

Acer’s Spin 7 is the thinnest laptop 2-in-1 I’ve ever used and while I loved many of the features, I prefer Acer’s Swift 7 – mostly because the novelty factor of being able to turn your laptop into a tablet wore off very quickly for me.

On the plus side, I love that you can ‘spin’ the Spin 7 around and choose whether you want to use it as a laptop or tablet. Everyone loves variety and the designers have done a great job in creating a laptop that really stands out from the pack. In fact, you have the option of four modes: laptop, tablet, display or tent, so you’ll have no problem finding one that works perfectly for you.

Another plus is how light it is: the Spin 7 weighs an incredibly lightweight 1.2kg, so it’s perfect for slipping into your handbag/manbag. It’s not quite small enough to fit in an A4 pocket but ‘almost; is just as good. Of course, one of its major selling points is that it’s super thin – 12.8 in/325mm wide, similar to Lenovo’s Yoga 910.

The Spin 7 is covered from head to toe in Corning Gorilla Glass. The look and feel of the dark grey metal, with sleek dark edges, is excellent.

One issue for me is, similar to many of the latest ultra-thin and light-weight laptops, there’s a lack of ports: there are two USB 3.1 Type-C ports, but they’re not able to support any of the ThunderBolt peripherals.

Put simply, it means if you’re sitting at your desk charging your laptop, one USB will be for your charger which can cause problems if you need a port for something else.

The Acer’s Spin 7 is the thinnest laptop 2-in-1 – Credit Acer

Everything is very minimalist; on the left side of the Spin 7 is the volume control and power switch. I really like the keyboard as the keys are small but nice and comfortable to type on, so you can type for hours without feeling a strain in your fingers and wrist.

I’m not sure why Acer got rid of keyboard backlights and, for an expensive laptop (AU$1,999) I don’t really understand why they’d do away with that positive feature.

The 14-inch Full HD screen is very impressive as it’s nice and bright (there’s a maximum brightness of 347 nits.) The colour coverage is fine for me as a journalist, but I can imagine it would be a letdown for a photographer as the sRGB colour gamut is set at 83 per cent. Once again, for this price range I’d expect at least 90 per cent.

I was really impressed with the speakers which are loud and everything sounded crisp, so it’s great for binge watching Netflix (my latest obsession: The Crown). Battery life wasn’t quite as advertised – the Acer website promises 8 hours battery life but, for me, I had to recharge after seven hours.

But the touchscreen, which is on a hinge that wraps right around, is definitely a major plus in the novelty factor. The hinge also feels incredibly strong – I was slightly concerned I’d have to treat the laptop like it was glass for fear of the hinge snapping but it’s incredibly sturdy.

The Spin 7 weighs an incredibly lightweight: 1.2kg

There’s definitely a market for a super thin, light, and elegant touchscreen laptops out there. One thing I believe designers need to look out for is paying great attention to the little details, such as having enough USB ports, and making sure battery life really does last as long as advertised. But apart from a few niggling points, it really is a great, versatile laptop.

Spin 7 specs:

• CPU: 1.3GHz Intel Core i7-7Y75 (dual-core, 4MB cache, up to 3.6GHz)
• Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 615
• RAM: 8GB LPDDR3
• Screen: 14-inch, 1920 x 1,080 FHD IPS
• Storage: 256GB SSD (SATA)
• Ports: 2 x USB 3.1 Type-C ports, Headphone/mic jack
• Connectivity: Gigabit 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1
• Camera: 720p HDR webcam
• Weight: 2.65 pounds (1.20kg)
• Size: 12.8 x 9 x 0.4 inches (32.5 x 22.8 x 1.01cm; W x D x H)
• Price: AU$1,999

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