Acer Aspire S3

Gagets & Gizmos

 Acer Aspire S3

The Ultrabook world is continuing its rise to glory as the Acer Aspire S3 (here with the Core i7 processer inside) runs the thin show at .68 inches at its thickest point.

This is by no means the thinnest notebook on earth, nor is it the Ultrabook with the most impressive set of specifications, but this relatively basic model has a stack of features and a full package that will satisfy any general use owner.

This notebook has a 13.3-inch Active Matrix TFT display at 1366 x 768 pixel resolution, CineCrystal (glossy) and clear as day coupled with Intel HD Graphics 3000 and Dolby Home Theater v4 audio enhancement on built-in stereo speakers – that means good entertainment.

The build is great, and the Acer Aspire S3 is a good looking laptop. It’s quite solid despite its thin build. Acer have managed to cram a lot into the Acer Aspire S3 for a budget price.

The Intel Core i5 processor, combined with 4GB of memory ensures that performance is relatively nippy. 

You should be able to do most things with the Acer Aspire S3, including games. The Acer Aspire S3 isn’t the fastest laptop around but it does the job, although you will notice that some application may take longer to load than others when working at full tilt. 

A couple of USB ports and HDMI at the back are most welcome, particularly on a laptop as thin as the Acer Aspire S3. 

Unfortunately battery life isn’t so hot. The Acer Aspire S3 will last you around 5 hours before you’ll need to think about charging it again, when its competitors are boasting more than seven, and tablets such as the new iPad are boasting of 10 hours.

While the connectivity options are appreciated, their placement, at the back makes using them awkward, particularly when using the USB port. 

The arrow keys are also rather small when playing games. Thankfully the rest of the keys fare better, are well spaced and easy to type on. 

The Acer Aspire S3 feels like a middle of the road laptop. It does everything you need it to do without ever excelling itself. A short battery life is the real kicker, but that’s the price you pay for an ultrabook that costs a lot less than many of its competitors.