Acer Switch 3 Tablet: Elegance and Performance

Not so long ago, Acer presented its new creation - a 12-inch tablet Switch 3. Given the characteristics of the gadget, it is easily suitable for both office and home purposes. The pros and cons of the new planet are discussed below.

Brief information

The Acer Switch 3 is a twelve-inch tablet that has a pretty stylish look and is designed to work in the home as well as in the office. Representatives of this line are considered universal tablets, and their performance and functionality of all components are constantly updated. Switch 3 is equipped with quite acceptable hardware, including a powerful Intel pentium n4200 processor, 4GB DDR3 RAM, and 64GB internal memory. A small handy addition to the device is that it can be connected to the included portable keyboard and then used as a laptop.

A tablet with this configuration costs around $ 450.

There is also another version of the model, which differs only in a different processor. As it became known, another configuration includes the presence of the Intel celeron n3350 processor, and there were no other differences, considering the RAM and data storage.

Design and dimensions

From the design point of view, the developers approached very elegantly and created a truly memorable sample. All details are made very delicately and gracefully. The body of the construction is covered with a slightly silver color with admixtures of a titanium shade, this appearance looks stylish.

The rigidity of the structure is acceptable, but some disadvantages are still noticeable. With a little effort, you can subject the case to mechanical deformation, so it is worth using a protective cover during operation. The keyboard joint, acting overnight as a display stand, has a black surface with a hint of roughness. At first it looks convincing and beautiful, but later it becomes clear that this is a place for dust accumulation, which is rather difficult to wash off.

Size and communications

Manufacturers have made a relatively compact tablet that does not look bulky despite the display size. Its length is 29.5 centimeters and its width is 20.1 cm. The body of the device has a special metal stand, thanks to which the gadget can be placed in any desired place and in any position. This design is especially convenient when the tablet will work as a laptop.

All necessary gadget connectors are located on the left side of the case. Considering that the metal stand takes up a lot of space, it turned out to be a difficult task to place all communication ports in the remaining space.

As befits a tablet, this representative has a standard usb type-c connector, as well as a usb 3.0 port. The device is equipped with a special slot for external memory, with its help the volume of the device can be increased by 64 GB.

The main communication node of the tablet is considered to be the Intel ac7265 2-band wireless module, thanks to which the device can also support Bluetooth 4.0 technology. During testing for the speed of data reception, the device showed very impressive results - 565 MB per second. Overall, the tablet performs well when browsing the internet. The Wi-Fi system operates stably, no failures were noticed. Also, the tablet has the ability to connect to a personal computer using a usb adapter.

Keyboard and touch input

Acer switch 3 has the ability to dock with an additional keyboard. This happens thanks to special magnetic hinges, which are located at the bottom of the case. Once connected, the device functions like a compact laptop. The additional keyboard is equipped with good backlighting. It is noteworthy that it works well and creates a comfortable feel for the fingers. The short keystroke and balanced pressure point is great for key press operation. The keys are soft and quiet. The only drawback of the keyboard is the space bar, which is slightly unbalanced and has a springy effect.

The touch input is located in a standard place, it functions quite well, does not knock or creak, but loud clicks are sometimes heard when pressed hard.

An additional input device is the 12-inch tablet screen itself. Input performance is top notch, finger pressure is immediate and the display surface is smooth and pleasant to the touch. For more precise work and focused input, you can use the active acer stylus, which is conveniently located on the right side of the additional keyboard.

Screen

The 12-inch display with a matrix type IPS has a resolution of 1920x1200 pixels, which makes this combination standard. The display surface and color saturation are rather mediocre, as the display is difficult to operate in low light conditions and the image is distorted. This effect is not entirely clear, because the average brightness level borders within 340 cd / m2.

Dark tones are in the 0.25 range, and the contrast level is of medium quality, its ratio is 774 to 1. Screen testing has shown that the brightness is incorrectly distributed around the perimeter and has 85 percent distortion. Also, the screen is cloudy.

A contrast ratio of 774: 1 indicates that the color gamut is rather dull and pale. Shaded colors have a gray tint, although ideally blacks should prevail. This is especially noticeable during the daytime. On the other hand the acer switch 3 has the privilege of many tablets in terms of color space coverage. The data is as follows:

1. 91 percent sRGB
2. 59 percent AdobeRGB

In the daytime, with strong sunlight, it is quite difficult to work with the display. Even hiding in the shadows, the image on the screen is very dull and faded, and the reason for this is strong reflection. Unfortunately, the brightness level of 340 cd / m2 does not help the situation and does not smooth out the reflection.

In keeping with the standard configuration, the device is equipped with an Intel Pentium n4200 central processor, an integrated Intel hd 505 graphics card, 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal memory. These characteristics make the tablet a good choice for office and everyday tasks.

Iron

The central processor Intel Pentium n4200 has four cores and has a clock speed of 1.2 - 2.5 GHz. As a rule, the effective clock frequency always interacts with the cooling system and depends on it. Compared to other representatives of this line, this tablet has an average level of performance.In any case, he does an excellent job with his main tasks - office work and surfing the Internet.

The central processor always copes with the assigned tasks, even during the strongest workload.

operating system

The device operates under the leadership of Windows 10. This makes it possible to install a wide range of applications not only from the official windows store, but also many standard programs. The operating system works in the same way as on a laptop or personal computer. The only difference is the presence of some functions for touch screens. This will be convenient if you suddenly need to disconnect the additional keyboard from the device and use it like a regular tablet.

Specifications

Device memory

Acer switch 3 is equipped with a memory slot from the manufacturer Hynix, which has 64 gigabytes. If we take into account the volume that goes to the maintenance of the installed operating system and all the necessary software, then about 30-odd gigabytes remain for pure use. The disadvantage is the speed of information transfer in flash memory; it would be better if the 4K video was read faster. During the work, periodic freezes, friezes, etc. appear.

Video card

The Intel hd 505 video processor is a dubious choice for installation in this device. It has a relatively weak clock frequency of 750 MHz, and the video card does not carry its own memory, but borrows it in the DDR3 slots. It is also worth noting that only passive cooling is built into the video card, and this further aggravates the situation. But the advantage is the quiet operation of the card; due to the absence of fan blades, no noise occurs.

Temperature

It is interesting to observe that despite the lack of active cooling, the internal system practically does not heat up. Apparently, the radiator is made with high quality and absorbs all the accumulated heat. Under moderate loads, the tablet produces only 39 degrees, which makes us wonder. Thanks to this quality approach, users will not have any problems with the device lying on their lap.

During testing of the device, when the system was loaded to the maximum, the central processor worked at a maximum frequency of 2.4 GHz and warmed up to a temperature of 73 degrees. The tablet stayed in such a stressful state for an hour and coped with its task.

Sound system

There are several audio speakers at the top of the device panel. There were practically no problems with the volume, and the voices were heard well during the conversation. However, when the tones are raised, some kind of damping occurs and the sound is slightly distorted. The same effect is observed when watching videos or listening to music. It is best to connect an additional sound system in such a situation; for this, the necessary connector is located in the panel.

Battery performance

The battery in the device is rather weak. Testing suggests that with Wi-Fi on, balanced power mode and a brightness level reduced by six units, the tablet can work for about 5-6 hours. This figure leaves much to be desired. Taking into account the fact that this gadget is intended for office work and surfing the net, it will definitely not meet its expectations.

Advantages and disadvantages

• Additional keyboard and stylus presence;
• Decent design and body material;
• Stable processor and sufficient performance;
• Ease and ease of use.

• Terrible display;
• Weak integrated video card;
• Small amount of memory.

Output

First of all, it should be said that the Acer Switch 3 is a very stylish and elegant tablet. The exterior and all external components look good enough to call the device a business device. The Intel Pentium n4200 central processor copes with its tasks perfectly, although it is not particularly productive. The chip functions well with all system components and is suitable for office environments. Unfortunately, a tablet of this level can hardly be called a full-fledged business representative, since it lacks many functions that ensure complete data security. It can also be noted that an additional stylus is included with the tablet, which makes work more convenient and helps in creative ways.

Of course, there can be no jambs, and in this case it is worth paying attention to the display. In this regard, almost everything is a drawback: Poor display due to a glossy surface, poor contrast, but a high level of brightness. Such a screen makes it difficult to work in strong light conditions. It's also bad that the memory capacity is only 64 gigabytes, although with the conditions of office and home work, it should be at least 128 GB.