Acer Aspire S3 ultrabook unboxed, first impressions

We got this Acer Aspire S3 ultrabook this morning. It was a prize from last week’s raffle by Acer Philippines during the launch event of the Aspire S3, one of the first ultrabook to be released in the country.

The Aspire S3 took some design pointers from the Macbook Air with its brushed aluminum finish, curved corners, tapered edges and that signature chiclet-type keyboard.

It’s thin, it’s light and definitely sexy. It’s not as thin as the 13-inch MBA but within range. And unlike the Air’s tear-drop design, the Aspire S3 is flat from tip to base.

Except for the SD card reader on the right and the 3.5mm audio port on the left side, all the other ports are found at the back — 2 USB 2.0 ports and a full HDMI port aligned neatly at the back end.

Back in Singapore, I saw all of the PC stores in Sim Lim had this unit on display and came with 3 configurations — a Core i3, i5 and i7.

In the Philippines, I am told this is the only configuration available at the moment:

Acer Aspire S3 specs:
13.3â€³ LCD display @ 1366Ã—768 pixels
Intel Core i5 2467M 1.6Ghz dual-core
4GB DDR3 RAM
320GB SATA HDD + 20GB SSD
Intel HD Graphics 3000 w/ 128MB RAM
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
1.3MP webcam
2-in-1 card reader
USB 2.0 port
HDMI port
Windows 7 Home Premium

This is almost the same configuration as the Php60+k Macbook Air, sans the HDD. In a way, if you just look at the specs and form factor, you’d say the S3 is cheaper than the MBA by about 25%.

The trackpad is smooth and easy to use, multi-touch works great, and the full-sized keyboard is comfortable to use. It’s just been a day so far so we can’t really make any solid conclusions.

So far, the Windows Experience Index shows really good numbers. Give me a week for the full review.

Suggested retail price of the Aspire S3 is Php44,900.

Abe Olandres

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

https://www.yugatech.com

24 Comments

Soul Annihilator says:

14 years ago

For some reason, I’m always attracted to Acer and Asus laptop designs. I hope the price will get lower soon (though the price is pretty reasonable at this point)
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Iyan Sommerset says:

14 years ago

Nice, except for the fact that I really hate chiclet keyboards. I like my keys as big as possible, with little-to-no space in-between them. How does that trackpad work? I don’t see any buttons.
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Jay says:

14 years ago

hi yuga, hope you would be able to review the new lenovo e120. just got mine. good for everyday use. i am curious on your views about it.
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Ehdanne says:

14 years ago

This is a good chance for the Filipinos especially those who are Apple enthusiasts. A model that resembles that of Apple will definitely boosts the confidence of its owners.
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daddyjoey says:

14 years ago

MBA with white keyboards. :D
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garz says:

14 years ago

I smell a lawsuit from Cupertino.
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Stu says:

14 years ago

Hi Iyan… Maybe this trackpad works like Mac’s. The trackpad itself is the the button (press-able). Just guessing. :)
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jcruze057 says:

14 years ago

they had a lot of give-aways last week like a digital camera, dvd reader and free wireless mouse. i almost bought one but so sad, i was not able to bring my atm with me
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tiffany@home theater says:

14 years ago

Nice. I love the specs and the fact that it looks like Apple. The price is high though but it’s worth it. I wanna have one. ;)
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jego207 says:

14 years ago

Not bad though, the price is reasonable. But please, another iCopied design. I hope manufacturers come up with something orignal that will set them apart from Apple.
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