The Acer Aspire S7

Acer have released a good looking, slimmed-down laptop, but can the insides match up to its appearance?

January 16th 2013

Windows 8 is pretty much everywhere now; new tablets, laptops and phones are constantly being released with each one attempting to offer something unique when it comes to the touch input orientated operating system. 2013 could be a massive year for Windows 8 as it looks to gain customers in the tablet and phone market, so Acer are now looking to grab a slice of the Windows 8 pie with the Aspire S7, a laptop that takes advantage of the operating systems touch input by offering up a touch-screen display.

The good looks of the Aspire S7 don't come cheap; its 11.9mm of thickness and shiny white finish will set you back a whopping £1500.

Under the bonnet you'll find some rather pedestrian specifications for the hefty price tag, there's 4GB of RAM as-well as an Intel Core i7 processor, which would be highly impressive if the price was a little lower. It doesn't mean that the Aspire S7 will generate anything less than a powerful performance, but for £1500 you'd be inclined to expect something a little bit special.

The Aspire's main selling point has to be the 13 inch touch-screen, it really brings Windows 8 to life and finding your way through the tiled apps of the Windows 8 is a breeze. The screen has a Full HD resolution of 1920x1080 which sets it apart from a number of similarly sized machines, although so does the price. There's certainly no scrimping on the screen anywhere; the rich, bright and bold colours make the Acer an excellent choice for watching your high definition content.

Let's take a look at the connectivity of the Acer Aspire S7, you'll find two USB 3.0 ports, an SD card slot a standard headphone jack and a micro-HDMI port so connecting your various devices shouldn't be a problem. In terms of storage there's a decent amount; the Acer offers up a 256GB solid state drive.

More than anything the Acer is about looks, it measures up at 323mm wide and 224mm deep and weighs in at just under 1.3KG which is on the light side. It's all about the 11.9mm thickness though, by being that slim, the Acer really has something to shout about.

Overall the Aspire is probably let down by its price point, its power and performance doesn't really match up to the £1500 price tag but if we were going on looks alone, then it would certainly be worth the money. The touchscreen is a big bonus and the laptop enables you to get the full Windows 8 experience but if you're considering the Aspire S7 then you'd be wise to take a long look at whether the specs will be good enough for all your needs.