Acer Spin 3 review

Acer Spin 3

The Acer Acer Spin 3 ranks as the #796 laptops globally, achieving a LibraScore of 60. Across all metrics, this product stands out most for its #655-ranked features among 777 laptops. Consider the Acer Chromebook Spin 511 or Razer Blade 14, which offer higher scores while staying in the same price range.

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Key takeaways
The Acer Spin 3's decent but non-exceptional performance is sufficient for everyday use and basic creative tasks.
The Acer Spin 3 boasts an impressive build quality with a sturdy, metal-coated design.
The Acer Spin 3's display excels with excellent color accuracy and smooth touch capabilities, despite some brightness limitations.
The Acer Spin 3 boasts an impressive display with 100% sRGB color rating and IPS panel technology.

Is it Worth it?

The Acer Spin 3 is a solid choice for content creators and creative users. Its high-quality build, metallic coating finish, and great display with crisp resolution and decent color accuracy are major positives. The keyboard and trackpad are also satisfying to use. However, its battery life falls short at around 8 hours of day-to-day usage, and performance can be thermal throttled under heavy loads. Despite these drawbacks, the laptop's value lies in its ability to deliver a lot for its price. If you're willing to overlook some minor issues, the Acer Spin 3 is definitely worth considering. Its overall package makes it a great option for those who need a reliable and feature-rich 2-in-1 laptop.

Build

The Acer Spin 3 boasts a sturdy build with most of the laptop having a metallic coating finish. The lid is robust and can withstand minor bumps, while the body feels premium and well-built. The keyboard deck is also made of metal, giving it a solid feel when typing. The weight distribution is even, making it comfortable to carry around. Overall, the Spin 3's build quality is impressive, making it a great choice for those who value durability and aesthetics. A metallic finish gives it a premium look that rivals more expensive laptops. A better alternative might be Acer Chromebook Spin 513, featuring a next-level build.

Display

The display on the Acer Spin 3 is a highlight of the device. It features an IPS panel with a 16:10 aspect ratio, which provides excellent color accuracy and minimal screen flickering. The touch capabilities are smooth, and using the stylus is seamless, with no visible latency. Color accuracy is impressive, with a 100% sRGB rating or 68 Adobe RGB. However, peak brightness is only 300 nits, leading to noticeable reflections under bright lighting conditions. Overall, the display is suitable for content creation and creative users, but may not be ideal for those requiring higher brightness levels. You may find Acer Spin 1 a better fit, thanks to its superior display.

Performance

The Acer Spin 3's performance is decent, but not exceptional. With an i5 processor, web browsing and word processing are smooth experiences. However, when pushed to its limits with tasks like 4K video editing, the machine can struggle with frame drops due to thermal throttling. The eight gigabytes of RAM also holds it back in demanding situations. Gaming performance is slightly better, with games like GTA 5 running at a steady 30+ frames per second. Despite some caveats, overall performance is still sufficient for everyday use and content creation tasks. If you’re after a better performance, Toshiba Portege X30 could be the ideal option.

Battery and Charging

The Acer Spin 3's battery life is average, lasting around 8 hours under mid-load usage. However, this drops to 5 hours when performing more intensive tasks such as 1080p video editing. The laptop also heats up during intense use, with a peak surface temperature of 39°C. In terms of charging, the Spin 3's battery can be replenished quickly, but specific details on charging time were not provided. Overall, the battery life is just average and doesn't stand out as a particularly strong feature.

Connectivity

The Acer Spin 3 boasts an impressive array of ports, including USB-A, USB-C, HDMI, and an SD card reader. The addition of an Ethernet port provides a reliable wired connection option. A high-speed Wi-Fi module also ensures seamless wireless connectivity, making it ideal for creators who need to stay connected on-the-go. For an improved connectivity, Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus is worth considering.

Features

The Acer Spin 3 boasts a metallic coating finish, great display with high color accuracy, crisp resolution, decent keyboard and trackpad, and plenty of I/O ports. Its features include an IPS panel, 16:10 aspect ratio, and 100% sRGB color rating, making it suitable for content creators and creative users. You might want to check out Acer Chromebook Spin 513, featuring an upgraded features for a superior experience.

Support and Maintenance

The Acer Spin 3 boasts impressive build quality with metallic coating and a great display. However, its performance is hampered by thermal throttling, particularly during intense tasks. Battery life is just average at around 8 hours, making it less ideal for long usage sessions.

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