Acer Aspire S5 391-73514G12kk Ultrabook

Acer new Aspire S5 ultrabook is now available in the Philippines. At Php64,900 is is a pretty expensive offering, but is does come with a very decent kit. It has all the bells and whistles one expects.

Quick Specifications:

Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
13.3-inch display (1366 x 768 resolution)
Intel Core i7-3517U processor (4 MB L3 cache, 1.90GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.0GHz)
Intel HD Graphics 4000 with 128 MB of dedicated system memory
4 GB of RAM
128 GB SSD
2-in-1 card reader (SD, MMC)
34 Wh Li-polymer battery pack (6 hours of battery life)
12.77 x 8.95 x 0.44/0.59 inches
2.87 lbs.
HD Web cam,
Thunderbolt port
Two USB 3.0 ports
HDMI out

 

The question everyone will ask of course, is it better than the 13-inch MacBook Air. Since the Acer Aspire S5 comes with 128 GB or storage, it should be compared to the entry level 13-inch MacBook Air. 

The entry level 13-inch MacBook Air sells for Php57,990, which is all of 7K less. That us a substantial price difference. The MacBook Air also comes with a higher resolution display (1440 x 900), an hour longer of battery life and all the bells and whistles you expect from a modern laptop (USB 3.0, Thunderbolt).

Now the Acer Aspire S5 has some advantages, coming with a faster Intel Core i7 processor, against the Core i5 unit on the MacBook Air. The Acer Aspire S5 also has an HDMI port. It is also a bit thinner, actually the thinnest Ultrabook in the world, but at this point, who really cares. 

The Acer Aspire S5 also conceals the ports under flip covers. I am not sure if I am to crazy about having more moving parts.

If you want the Intel Core i7 processor or prefer Windows, than this is the better choice. For my money, I would go with the entry level 13-inch MacBook Air. It is funny when an Apple is the value for money choice, but that is where it stands.