We got this Acer Aspire S3 ultrabook this morning. It was a prize from last week’s raffle by Acer Philippines during the launch event of the Aspire S3, one of the first ultrabook to be released in the country.
The Aspire S3 took some design pointers from the Macbook Air with its brushed aluminum finish, curved corners, tapered edges and that signature chiclet-type keyboard.
It’s thin, it’s light and definitely sexy. It’s not as thin as the 13-inch MBA but within range. And unlike the Air’s tear-drop design, the Aspire S3 is flat from tip to base.
Except for the SD card reader on the right and the 3.5mm audio port on the left side, all the other ports are found at the back — 2 USB 2.0 ports and a full HDMI port aligned neatly at the back end.
Back in Singapore, I saw all of the PC stores in Sim Lim had this unit on display and came with 3 configurations — a Core i3, i5 and i7.
In the Philippines, I am told this is the only configuration available at the moment:
Acer Aspire S3 specs:
13.3″ LCD display @ 1366×768 pixels
Intel Core i5 2467M 1.6Ghz dual-core
4GB DDR3 RAM
320GB SATA HDD + 20GB SSD
Intel HD Graphics 3000 w/ 128MB RAM
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
1.3MP webcam
2-in-1 card reader
USB 2.0 port
HDMI port
Windows 7 Home Premium
This is almost the same configuration as the Php60+k Macbook Air, sans the HDD. In a way, if you just look at the specs and form factor, you’d say the S3 is cheaper than the MBA by about 25%.
The trackpad is smooth and easy to use, multi-touch works great, and the full-sized keyboard is comfortable to use. It’s just been a day so far so we can’t really make any solid conclusions.
So far, the Windows Experience Index shows really good numbers. Give me a week for the full review.
Suggested retail price of the Aspire S3 is Php44,900.
This is really nice! I’ve got one for myself and am so satisfied with its features.