As a user who just bought this Acer Swtich Alpha 12 with Acer Active Stylus pen, I have to say that 8:37 in this video may be wrong because the top of the pen doesn't have any function at all except good-looking. To use its eraser function, you need to press and hold the upper side of the button on its body , and then the tip becomes an eraser, but it's OK to me since it's still handy~
I bought this laptop last year and it was one of my biggest regrets. I am a designer and this active pen sucks for drawing. I draw better lines with better pressure sensitivity with an old ass Bamboo Wacom. It's so hard to draw smooth lines with this pen unless if you install LazyNezumi which significantly slow down the laptop. Should have saved more money for a Surface Pro or buy a small Cintiq. If I don't need to install Illustrator and Photoshop and save some working files, I would buy iPad Pro and Apple Pencil instead. This thing not worth my money at least to cater to my needs
Interesting points. To be honest, I'm not looking at buying this device for it's drawing capabilities. However, I couldn't bring myself to buy the Surface Pro. On one level, it seems to be a fantastic machine. The issue is that it's a Windows machine and I Can't abide by the continuous non-consented updates their machines impose. As for the iPad. Pfft.
Finally a 2 in 1 with decent specs and affordable price that is available in the Philippines! Thanks for the review Lisa and MTR. Looks like this will definitely be my next machine. I can live with the battery life since all the laptops in the same price range have the same or worse, and only HD screens (and my current 4 year old Lenovo NEVER got better than 1 hour unplugged). I can use this as my main laptop on my desk or sit on the couch with it and read, surf, and watch movies. Acer answered my prayers.
+HT D (Syncrellion) I'm also using Surface Pro 3 core i5 4 gb RAM 128 gb memory. I'm considering to upgrade to this Acer laptop with i5 8gb of RAM 256 gb memory. Do you think it's a good upgrade? Considering how we love using the Pro 3 with all the Microsoft's exclusivities we have as Surface users?
+Dian Azhari Syam my only beef with the Acer is the touch sensitivity with the stylus. it's nothing like the surface. any stylus that works on phones or iPads will work on the Acer. using a stylus on the surface was more snappy. writing on the Acer is doable, but just not as good. my screen had a lot of light bleed around the edges too. only noticeable when the screen is dark like watching a movie. it's not horrible, but for those who care,i feel the surface screen is better. aside from that, I find it to be zippy browsing and using word . have RU-vid streaming music, while having a bunch of tabs open researching and other software open for productivity. also used gimp(free Photoshop) and it seemed to work well. it makes no noise. can get a little hot on the backplate. I tried putting a fan on the back doing a benchmark and it kept it cool and it never throttled. in fact I never saw it throttle at all while doing most of this stuff. my surface would throttle just watching 1080p vids on RU-vid. if you want to do some extended intensive work on it and want to avoid throttling, find a way to keep the back cool and you'll have problems since the loop inside draws cool temps from the metal back plate and circulates it around the cpu. so all in all, I think it's an amazing little device for the money. I got the i7 512gb for ,$1100. an equivalent surface runs close to 2k or more.
Finally a strong alternative to the very good but quite pricey Surface Pro line up. Been using the Surface Pro 3 for one and a half year and very satisfied with it. Thinking about upgrading to the Pro 4 with higher specs but its price tag is too much for me. Love this Acer's price, the built quality, the stand, the included keyboard and pen.
Thanks Lisa for the most thorough reviews. Only site to talk about other pens that are compatible with the devices (Dell and HP) and also to point out the fact that it can be charged through USB-C. Basically made the tablet an instant-buy for me when it went on sale for $499 at Microcenter. Ridiculous deal, I upgraded from a Note 12.2 Pro.
Hey! Great job with this review, I learnt a lot of small details (both positive and negative) and it really helped me decide which computer to buy for school! Thank you for an awesome review and keep up the good work!
I will never understand why someone does not release a Microsoft budget Windows tablet that runs cool and has high power and most importantly is lower cost. They could sell so many more units!
High power = High cost If you want a core processor with a low enough TDP to operate in a tablet, this is what you have to pay. You just can't get this stuff any cheaper, if it were possible you would see it.
As someone who loves gaming and was originally in the market for a gaming laptop or something with a half decent dedicated GPU that I could use for a couple years like the Lenovo yoga 700, this is really impressive. I'd love to get his simply because of the portability, price and performance... Definitely a fun looking device.
I am going to add this to my wishlist on amazon and see what happens when the next line of Surface devices release. I'm still using a Surface 3 and it does what i need it to for now.
I just picked up an Acer Switch i7 8GB and 512SSD. When I compare to my Surface Pro 4 with i7 8GB and 256 SSD I can honestly tell you in my opinion for the average user that is not solely relying on the pen, the Acer is definitely worth it. What got me was the price, $600.00 difference and the Acer came with the keyboard and pen. The pen works well but in my opinion, not as fluid as the Surface pen.
Really impressive machine from Acer. Looks like it falls behind the SP4 in battery life and pen performance but it's also like $400 less. I watched the whole thing and makes me reconsider the iPad Pro 9.7 I've been thinking about getting. Great review and look forward to a smackdown.
There was a nice deal for the Transformer 3 Pro couple weeks back and I did alot of research for it, but in the end I didn't pull the trigger, the fan noise is ridiculously atrocious and an absolute deal breaker for otherwise such a beautiful product, search "T303UA fan noise" and you will get what I mean. It was a real shame cos it was priced similar to this Acer Switch Alpha 12 and the T303UA is much better with the screen and build quality, but that fan noise is simply unacceptable.
Turtlemaster Ninethousand I just got the Acer Aspire Switch 12 a couple weeks ago, and so far I'm loving it to pieces! The fact that this tablet is fanless and has a water cooling system makes it super tolerable to use. The screen is also good considering it's 2K, but the T303UA's screen is probably better, but by a marginal difference. Overall build quality is not bad considering it's an all metal build, however I don't like it as much as the T303UA. The whole metal body on the Alpha 12 is not as clean and simplistic and doesn't have those beautiful chamfered edges found on the T303UA. However despite my dislike on the Alpha 12's build quality, I am absolutely not regretting my purchase. I got the base model for CAD $599 at BestBuy, which is around USD $450. That's pretty cheap FYI!!!
Every single time I watch some videos to see how is handwriting experience in a tablet I have to say this... 1) If you're right handed, put the camera on the left 2) If you're left handed , put the camera on the right Why? Because it's obviously better for seeing how the pen works, if it has some delay or imprecision. If you're left handed and put the camera on the left, all I see is your hand.
hey Lisa, can you do a more direct comparison (smackdown) to surface pro 4.. when u mention each thing like key travel, speakers, screen, camera, hinge, I want to hear how it directly compares to the surface.
Lisa, do you still have a 12" Macbook laying around. That would make a great Smackdown as well, given the ultraportable factors, and the difference in experience/hardware versus the prices of each.
Out of the Lenovo IdeaPad Miix 700, HP Spectre x2 1012, HP Elite x2, and the Acer Switch Alpha 12, which do you believe has the best buy for performance, price, and specs?
I just received my very own switch alpha so far so good. I have the core i3 one and its not bad battery life not too bad either depends on screen brightness. So far so good I really am a surface fan but too expensive for me . But Acer has done an excellent job at getting a surface like device too the masses. Happy Switch Alpha 12 owner!!!
Great review.. Was waiting for this one and the Asus transformer Pro 3 or such.. I dont know why Asus is delaying its launch.. one of these 2 is surely getting a buyer soon.. !!!
Good revew! Nice to get some info on if it will take a charge over the USB-C port. Been trying to figure that out for a few days. Do power banks work as well?
You can charge the system via its USB Type C port if you get a proper Type C power adapter. Phone Type C charger will not charge the system... Saw some phone Type C charger... kinda scary. But, I was easily able to charge my Switch Alpha via it's Type C port from Acer's USB Type C dock. I got it online because I wanted to project it to my larger screen for Excel and PPT... with one cable, I was able to charge the system, and connect to the LCD (via the dock). Not sure about power bank... but I don't recommend using crazy Type C to Type A cable to power bank.... probably need to find a power bank designed for higher wattage system... Type C checks for power profile.
currently the online microsoft store has the i3 4gb version has it for 379.99. And even though the pen cost extra 50 dollars, it total 430 dollars after tax. definitely a great value.
Yes, smackdowns - I am looking for an alternative. The kickstand hinge of my Surface Pro 3 failed, and it was rarely used. That, plus constant overheating issues, and having paid so extra for i7 (I always need to keep a fan on it to use it), leaves wanting another option. I do use mine for art. I recall you did a review on another Surface Pro clone that was very favourable, but I don't recall the name.
2019. Can no longer purchase the Acer pen so now you will be stuck with the capacitive pens. Tried lots of different active pens and none work. I guess its still better than getting the latest Pentium gold Surface pro.
i still really love this 2in1. sad they didnt continue this type of affordable alternative to MS Surface line. the cheaper ones from chuwi and dere are not on the same spec range for their price and those other alternatives are fan cooled
True! I'm moving to the UK next month or so and planning to get the laptop while I'm there. Hope the exchange rate will not change my mind. I do like this laptop!
preston richards it's pretty good, about 5 to 6 just web browsing. it also has a Micro sd storage too if you need the extra space. but other wise not bad.
If you're in Canada, Best Buy has the i3 version for $699 and the i5 for $899 I took my Surface Pro4 (i5) back and got the i3 Alpha Switch 12. I saved around $650 and (for what I use it for) the performance is about the same.
JUST A WARNING FOR FOLKS , pretty decent product , EXCEPT If you are buying to use the pen with ONE NOTE - It is horrible , cannot use it and do not buy it for that purpose . Perhaps the future Lisa can specifically test the pen with ONE NOTE as many of us buy these Products for Note taking.
jamoga pen actually works fantastically well in OneNote for me. I just got this product less than a week ago. Maybe updates fixed it? Not sure but it's great for me.
Lisa, once again an excellent review. I wonder about the well touted liquid cooling as regardless of which Windows Surface clone I consider or use the temperature is still too hot and the hardware functions as a hand warmer. Do you think we will ever see an effective liquid cooled machine - as I do not think this one qualifies?
would you please consider reviewing various budget Windows tablets or lower cost Windows tablets in terms of any benchmarks for heating as so many of them in the news these days are running hot - hotter than most people can stand and yet no one seems to be reporting it. you might consider doing a Smackdown of fanless against those that have fans and the advantages and disadvantages of both types
I just realised the pen holder is in the left side of the keyboard...why?Isn't the majority of the population right handed?Edit: Just realised you are left handed.Does the pen holder come attached to the keyboard ?Can you order one with a right pen holder or do you attach it like a sticker in the keyboard?
Its a bit late. Kaby Lake is around the corner. Cant imagine manufacturers are happy about that. I would like to see a Vaio Z quad core clone at an affordable price with Kaby lake.
ATTN ARTISTS: The Surface Pro 4 is not the class if high end non-Wacom tablets. The Vaio Canvas Z is. I do not work for Vaio, I'm a professional artist(you can look up my name and see my work). I find it a travesty that Vaio made that machine for us and people are investing in a far inferior machine in the SP4. The Vaio constantly goes on Flash sales that take it below 1k, and it's base model is i7 Quad Core. @MobileTechReview, I'd love to see you guys revisit the smackdown with the current pricepoints, not the release versions, but with artists in mind.
@3:04 you mention having to press and hold the power button. I just bought one of these and it seems like, rather than waking up, it does a complete reboot when I do this...I think it has a bug whereby it won't Wake up after it sleeps...even though it only takes about 5 seconds to boot, it's still kinda irritating that it needs to reboot every time
Hello and thanks for the review. Big fan!! I'm considering this or the Teclast X5 Pro. Both cost USD$680.00 in my country, Which one would you recommend? I definitely don't need it for gaming. My primary use is productivity and media streaming. My priority is battery life. The Acer available to me is the Acer Switch Alpha 12 SA5-271-395G 12" Intel Core i3-6100U 4GB 256GB.
I have a Surface Pro 4 at work and a Switch 12 at home. I don't find the edges of the Acer any issue. It feels solid and as comfortable as the Surface. I do notice the weight, but at 12", I'm not holding either one-handed that often. I have no heat issues with the Acer. It only gets warm if you are really maxing out the i5 processor. That means something other than videos, Netflix, Office, web browsing, etc. The only time I can get it hot is by forcing it to play more demanding games. Even then, it isn't so hot you can't hold it and most importantly, I don't know of any cases where I would be stressing it where it wouldn't be upright anyway. The Surface has fans. These are good, but I can still hear them. They also come on are fairly moderate usage. Fans can also be blocked, have grills for dust and crumbs, etc.
Videos. Not really. They typically aren't pushing the machine much. Only times I've noticed it getting warm is playing non-casual games on it. Civilization, Torchlight, etc. I've never noticed it getting warm with Netflix or downloaded movies. Then again, most of the time you are watching videos... the unit isn't flat on your lap. Battery life for videos would vary, but you are likely down into the 4-5 hour mark. If you are using WiFi heavily (say Netflix) more on the 4 hour mark. If battery life is an issue... I purchased a RavPower battery which supports USB-C (20V) charging for $65. With it plugged in... you are into the 12+ hour range.
I can't tell for sure, but is the right hand bezel (in landscape) wider than the left? It might just be because of the Intel sticker giving a bit of an optical illusion, but it might drive me a little crazy if I end up getting one.
Very nice and thorough review! If this had been 13.5"-14" inches, I would return my Dell 13 7000 2in1 and get this...maybe. lol I'm not a huge fan of Acer.
Hi Lisa. Thank you for a great review! I was wondering if this pen could/is work(ing) with the specre x360 13 and 15 inch, since the dell pen is about to go out of stock everywhere and hp's pen is not that great and is also only available for purchase in US.
Great review, Lisa! Are there any tips you can give us to get usb type-c charging to work? I've tried a usb c (to type A) cable connected to a quick charge 2.0 adapter and it has not worked. Is there some special magic to it?
I forgot who asked where I bought my Acer USB Type C dock. I bought it in Micro Center. You can also buy it from Acer's site. My friend's new 12" Mac also worked on this dock. The one with the single type C Mac. With my Switch Alpha, I was able to extend to two displays on the dock. I also have a RF KB/Mouse with a dongle on the dongle, which made my desktop pretty clean. But i am not sure if Mac supports 2 extended display.
Hello Lisa Gade thank you for the amazing review, do you know where can i buy a stylus of this computer? i just bought one and would like to use with pen for academic purposes. Thanks ^^ i can only find on US acer market place
Hi, I'm a college student who plans on recording instructor's for later use and was wondering how this works with the OneNote audio recording software? If you stand a good distance away with it in laptop mode facing you, will it be able to clearly pick up the instructors voice?
So, I have a dell 7350 that use the same technologie for the pen. Do you think this Acer pen would also work on my Dell tablet? It looks like a good upgrade over the dell active stylus. Thanks!
