Acer Spin 5 is Acer’s latest spin laptop. Coming with a 14-inch screen with a 360 hinge, it is designed for industry enthusiasts. The unit we spent time with was pre-production, which meant that the final version hitting store shelves would probably look a little different, although I was quite impressed with this initial model based on my short time with it.
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Windows 11 ProRuns on Windows 11 Pro -
Wacom AED 2.0 stylusComes with a stylus so that there are 4,069 pressure levels for taking notes -
360 hinge design with touch screenThe screen can rotate 360 ​​degrees to read or view media
Introduction
The Acer Spin 5 is the newest laptop in the Spin series and is designed for industry enthusiasts. Packed with a 12th-Gen Intel processor and Intel Iris Xe graphics, this seems like a great choice for anyone looking for a productivity device.
Acer Chromebook with Acer Spin 5 has been announced along with various new Chromebooks including Spin 514 and Spin 714 – and it seems to be a good option for anyone after a portable laptop.
It is important to remember that the unit we tested is pre-production, meaning it will not look or function as a fully published product. As a result, any issues or problems with the device do not directly reflect the final product, although we would expect the aesthetic preferences, such as keyboard and color, to remain the same.
Also, since I spent a day with the Acer Spin 5, I can’t comment on the battery life or the performance of the device, although I will cover the overall design and specs.
Pricing
Acer Spin 5 will start at £ 1,399.99 and will be available from July. We’ll be sure to update this article once we know the pricing and release dates for Europe and America.
Design and keyboard
- The chassis flexes inside
- Good keyboard and trackpad
- Comes with a stylus included
The Acer Spin 5 weighs 1.3kg and I was able to lift it comfortably with one hand. Although I haven’t spent much time looking at the device during work and commuting home, I believe it will fit most backpacks and it won’t be too heavy to use on the go device, which is currently working hybrid Ideal for anyone.
Despite being of medium weight, the laptop has a thick frame, which is somewhat dated to the overall design. Since it has so many ports – two USB-Cs, two USB 2.0s, HDMI, microSD and a 3.5mm audio jack – I understand why it has this form factor, but it doesn’t have the same smooth look as the Huawei Metbook 14s.
I really liked the keyboard on the Acer Spin 5. The responsiveness of the keys has made typing a breeze, although I can feel the chassis feel somewhat flexible when I type at the bottom or top of the keyboard. In fact, the gap between the touchpad and the keyboard is so curved that it will actually be registered as a touchpad even though it is about an inch away. This issue can be fixed before the release of the laptop, but since it seems quite flexible I would not recommend allowing small children to use this device because I do not think it can withstand a lot of push or fall without damage.
When shut down, the laptop feels much stronger and overall I would say that the outer frame of the laptop has better build quality than the inner chassis.
The touchpad worked well (despite the chassis problem) and I never experienced a moment of feeling slow or unresponsive. I really like the color of this laptop. Sage has made a welcome change from green to silver or gray and has given the laptop a lot more personality and I think it stands out significantly compared to other laptops like Dell XPS 13 OLED (2021) or Acer Chromebook 514.
The included stylus is on the right side of the laptop and can be easily pulled. Although I wasn’t able to draw any, the stylus was responsive when I was writing notes or scrolling through articles and I really like how it can be kept inside the laptop as it is slightly smaller. Without that accommodation, I’d be worried the pen might get lost in the bottom of my bag or in the drawer. The Stylus itself has 4,096 pressure levels and a 266Hz report rate, which I believe was reflected during the rapid response I saw during use.
The screen
- 14 inch screen
- 2560 x 1600 resolution
- Low blue light TUV certified display
- 360-degree hinge design
The 14-inch screen has a resolution of 2560 x 1600 and a 16:10 aspect ratio, which is ideal for productivity work. Acer claims that it is low blue light TUV certified, which makes it safe to use in low light. I can’t say I’ve noticed this feature, although I’ve never been able to use a laptop in a dark environment where it would be most noticeable.
Since I couldn’t watch a full movie, or use the accuracy and brightness level of the colormeter test, I can’t comment on the screen, but I thought the videos I saw on YouTube would look crisp and the colors would look beautiful when vibrating on screen. There was brightness. Acer has not yet shared the net count of the laptop, but from my experience, the screen seemed a bit dark and I found that I had to keep it at maximum brightness to see all the details in a YouTube video. A net is a measure of brightness.
However, I really like the screen for the productivity task, because the 16:10 ratio means I can work with multiple tabs simultaneously without having to be too busy on the display. From the time I tested it, I think the screen lends itself even more to productivity and less intense creative work, especially since no one bothers too much with high-performance features like OLED or Mini-OLED.
The screen can also be folded 360-degree, which I think is ideal for media viewing, and I can imagine it would work well for creating some low-level content. As mentioned earlier, the chassis is a bit slimmer, but I think it seems safer to fold the screen. Interacting with the touchscreen was also great, I had no problem using my finger or stylus and I didn’t notice any screen tearing or judging when scrolling through the articles.
Performance
- 12th Generation Intel Processor #
- Runs on Windows 11 Pro
- Intel Evo certified
Since this is an early hands-on, I can’t comment on Acer Spin 5’s performance but I can go through the specs.
The unit I tested came with a 12th-generation Intel Core i7-1260P CPU and Intel Iris Xe graphics. It has 16GB RAM and can be configured up to 1TB SSD storage. Considering the price, I think these are decent features, although I don’t think you’ll be able to play games in Triple or engage in intensive creative work like 3D rendering or 4K video editing because of the integrated graphics unit. In my experience you need a dGPU to run these processes.
Acer did not comment on the battery, only that it is Intel Evo certified, which means it should be able to last nine hours or more when used in real-world use. The Intel Evo certificate also points to other performance benefits, such as waking up in one second, although I can’t say that I took full advantage of it during my testing.
First impression
I think I’ve spent time with three laptops – including the Chromebook Spin 514 and Spin 714 – the Acer Spin 5 topped the list. The screen was crisp and clean and the aspect ratio made it really easy to operate, also the 360-degree hinge was great for media viewing.
It would have been nice to spend more time with this laptop and see what it’s really capable of, but I’m glad to see an Alder Lake processor and an Intel Evo certification. It should ensure a fast and smooth performance, especially during daily use, which is why I think it is a great competitor as a productivity laptop.
Acer Spin 5 Specs
You can see the complete breakdown of all the confirmed specifications of the laptop on the tablet below and how it compares with other new laptops from Acer.
UK RRP
USA RRP
EU RRP
CPU
Manufacturer
Calm mark recognized
Screen size
Holding capacity
Battery
Battery hours
Size (Dimensions)
Weight
Operating system
Release date
First review date
Resolution
Port
GPU
RAM
Connection
Color
Display technology
Touch screen
Convertible?
A ‘Hands on review’ Our first impression of just one product – it’s not a complete test and judgment. Our author must have spent some time with the product to describe the basic idea of ​​what he likes to use. We call these ‘hands on reviews’ to make them visible in search However, these are always unscored and do not recommend. Read more about our review policy.
Jargon Buster
Knights
The brightness level of a display. 300 nits is considered the minimum target for high-end screens.