Acer Spin 5 Sp513 52n Test

Don't look to Acer'south product names for clues to its two-in-1 convertible laptops' screen sizes. The Acer Spin 3 is a 15.half dozen-inch hybrid, while the Spin 7 is a xiv-inch arrangement. The Acer Spin 5 seen here ($799.99 as tested) is a thirteen.iii-inch convertible, though there's also a xv.half-dozen-inch model. If that isn't confusing plenty, you tin can look for our examination unit of measurement by its model number (SP513-52N-58WW) or office number (NX.GR7AA.007). Whatever you phone call information technology, the Spin v has several things to recommend information technology, from its affordable toll to its aluminum construction and 8th-generation Intel quad-core CPU. Compared with competitors similar the Editors' Selection Lenovo Yoga 720 (xiii-inch), however, information technology'south heavy and unwieldy in Tablet mode, and its criterion performance, while adequate, is nix special.

The Spin v's ($799.99 at Acer)(Opens in a new window) appeal may depend on finding it on sale—and coincidentally, equally of this writing, Acer's site linked to a Micro Center bargain that marked our test unit down from $799.99 to a more tempting $699.99. At that price, we're more sympathetic toward the Spin 5. Information technology's not like nosotros couldn't afford to lose a few ounces ourselves.

A Banal Silver Slab

The Spin five's design is pretty plain, with a crosshatched aluminum lid featuring a chrome Acer logo and a chrome accent strip running around the front and sides of the automobile. The system measures 0.63 by 12.8 by 8.9 inches (HWD), a bit bulky compared with the Lenovo Yoga 720 (13-inch) (0.half-dozen by 12.2 past 8.4 inches) or the Dell Inspiron xiii 7000 ii-in-i (7373) ($849.99 at Dell)(Opens in a new window) (0.62 by 12.2 past 8.v).

Keyboard

Similar Products

Worse, the Spin 5 weighs three.32 pounds, topping the Dell Inspiron 7373 (3.ii pounds), which we complained about as topping the Lenovo Yoga 720 ($849.99 at Lenovo)(Opens in a new window) (2.83 pounds). The extra weight is quite noticeable if y'all're trying to hold the system with one hand in Tablet manner; it'due south even noticeable if y'all're carrying the device in a briefcase. You'll likely keep this laptop on your lap (or, of course, on a desk in Laptop, Stand, or Tent modes).

Our review organisation features a one.6GHz Intel Core i5-8250U processor with Intel UHD 620 integrated graphics, a full HD (1,920-past-1,080) In-Airplane Switching (IPS) touch screen, 8GB of memory, and a 256GB SATA solid-state bulldoze (SSD). The $599.99 starter model gets by with an Intel Cadre i5-6200U and one-half as much RAM and storage. The xv.6-inch model ($999.99) boasts an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 graphics carte du jour instead of integrated graphics, simply putters along with a 1TB spinning difficult drive instead of an SSD.

Hinge

The Spin 5 is solidly congenital, with no flex in the keyboard deck and nearly none when yous grasp the screen corners. Ii chrome hinges hold the screen securely, with little wobble when you tap or swipe the console in Laptop or Stand mode. A wide bezel effectually the display allows room for your thumbs when grasping the unit of measurement in Tablet mode.

The webcam centered in a higher place the screen captures averagely bright, only slightly grainy selfies. It's non compatible with Windows Hi, only the fingerprint reader is. Superlative-mounted speakers behind a grille above the keyboard evangelize ample audio upward to three-quarters book, above which things become raucous and distorted; supplied Dolby software has presets for Music, Movie, Dynamic, and Game modes.

A Full Gear up of Features

Clustered on the laptop's left side, you lot'll find 2 USB 3.0 ports, a USB-C port, and an HDMI port for an external monitor, along with the connector for the compact AC adapter. The power push, a USB 2.0 port, and an sound jack and volume rocker are on the right, as is an SD carte slot that leaves cards protruding.

The backlit keyboard features tiny Escape and Delete keys and cursor arrows; the latter are crowded together with Page Up and Page Downward keys, which squad with the Fn key for Home and Finish. It has a pliant, merely somewhat strong and shallow, typing feel. The chrome-trimmed touchpad glides and taps smoothly, with a quiet click when you press its lower corners.

Lid

The glossy screen offers plenty of brightness—we could piece of work happily with the backlight turned down three or four notches instead of our usual maximum of two—and shows fine details clearly. YouTube and Netflix 1080p videos looked great, with rich colors and ample contrast. IPS engineering science permits broad viewing angles, but the drinking glass overlay shows reflections from the room around you.

Touch-screen operations are quick and precise. I briefly played with Acer's $49.99 optional agile stylus, a bombardment-powered pen that kept up with rapid sweeps and responded to different levels of pressure level; it'southward a handy selection for Tablet-way sketching or scribbling.

A "Kaby Lake R" Contender

Equally I said earlier, our Spin v unit of measurement'due south configuration revolves around Intel's eighth-generation Core i5-8250U, a ane.6GHz (iii.4GHz turbo) quad-cadre CPU that has quickly get the norm for mainstream laptops and convertibles. Information technology wasn't the fastest among the 13.3-inch convertibles we collected for competition—speed demons will frown that it was a step off the stride in our Cinebench processor test and Handbrake video-editing exercise, though hands ahead of systems with dual-core CPUs.

Related Story See How We Exam Laptops

And, like all 2-in-1 systems with integrated graphics, it'southward not built for lively gameplay, coming nowhere near the 30 frames per second (fps) threshold for smooth gameplay in our Heaven and Valley game simulations. The Dell Inspiron 7373, amidst others, did ameliorate in these tests, though still coming far short of the playability of machines with dedicated graphics.

Acer Spin 5 3DMark

In our PCMark 8 office productivity performance examination, the Spin v posted a perfectly fine score of 3,206 (whatever machine able to score over two,500 can run Word, Excel, and PowerPoint with no trouble). And it impressed us with thirteen hours of battery life in our video rundown test, topping the Lenovo Yoga 720's 12 hours and the Samsung Notebook 7 Spin'due south 11 hours and 39 minutes. (Stay tuned for our review of the Samsung unit shortly.)

Acer Spin 5 PCMark8

Not Quite Cut Edge

When making a decision on the Acer Spin 5, y'all'll have to decide whether its capable performance and solid battery life outweigh its, well, weight and bulk. We recollect the system's all-time bet is to play the value card, but nosotros don't see it challenging the Lenovo Yoga 720 for Editors' Pick honors, considering the latter'southward globe-class keyboard, Thunderbolt three, and much greater comfort when held in Tablet mode.

Acer Spin 5 (SP513-52N-58WW)

The Bottom Line

Acer'southward 13.iii-inch Spin 5 is a competent, admitting generic, choice for a convertible laptop. Battery life is its all-time feature; a few extra ounces are its worst.

Like What You're Reading?

This newsletter may contain advert, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Y'all may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.