Building on the previous success of the Aspire S7 and Aspire S3, Acer announced updated versions with fourth generation Intel Core processors: Haswell, improved laptop battery life and WiDi at Computex. While these new Ultrabooks are updates of previous models, there are significant changes.
This year’s S7 endeavors to fix two of our biggest problems with last year’s model: the memory and the battery. 8GB of RAM is now standard on the S7, whereas last year’s model maxed out at a scant 4GB. But our biggest complaint was the disappointing battery, which we’re happy to see has been bumped from 4,680mAh to 6,280mAh Acer as10d71 laptop battery— a 34 percent increase that, coupled with Haswell, should do a lot to improve on the substandard stamina of the original S7. That increase comes with only a marginal increase in thickness and essentially zero increase in weight — the machine now weighs in at 2.87 pounds, versus last year’s 2.86. Otherwise, things are practically the same: a 1920 x 1080 capacitive touchscreen, two USB 3.0 ports, a 128GB SSD, and integrated graphics, all for the same $1,399.
The changes to the Aspire S3 aren’t only on the inside; the whole laptop has been redesigned to echo many of the design cues of the Aspire S7. Made of aluminum, the lid is then sprayed with glossy white paint to give it a reflective quality. There’s even an ambient light-sensing backlit keyboard.
On the outside, the Aspire S7 maintains its sleek, MacBook Air-esque looks, cutting a slim profile at just 0.5 inches thin and weighing 2.8 pounds. An optional high-res 2560 x 1440 panel will cost extra, although Acer hasn’t yet announced pricing breakdowns for its various configurations.
