The category of ultrabook Aspire S7-371 Swift impresses with its ultra-slim design, premium finishes and a next-generation hardware platform, centered around a new family of Intel Core processors on 14nm, codenamed "Kabyle Lake".
Presentation
With a thickness of 9.98 mm (including screen), Aspire S7-371 Acer laptop is the thinnest to date, equipped with a Full HD screen of 13.3 "and an Intel platform with fanless cooling, centered around m7-7Y75 Core CPU model with a dual-core 1.3 GHz nominal frequency (1.61 GHz in Turbo mode). Completely silent during operation and well cooled using a special thanks mostly metal, the new notebook is proposed as an alternative to HP Spectre series, the latter using a 10.4 mm thick casing.
Aspire S7-371 offers the full functionality of a conventional laptop, but the format of a device with a tablet weight and thickness somewhat bulky. Aiming to obtain a reduced thickness as well as the final weight limit, Acer has opted for waiving touch interface, thus avoiding one of the most bulky component of the screen. However, for added elegance it has been preserved shield specific Gorilla Glass touch screens, stretched over the outer frame and integrated LCD panel for better image quality and viewing angles.
To achieve an optimal balance between weight, stiffness and thickness of the shell, Aspire S7-371 is achieved using a combination of brushed aluminum surfaces for the keyboard area and bottom of the housing or plastic for the back screen. Regardless of the type of material used, the joint housing is well done and flawless quality finishes.
13.3-inch screen supports resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, played by an IPS panel with LED light source lighting.
Constrained by the reduced thickness of the shell does not include chiclet keyboard illumination function, but provide well differentiated keys with a stroke average of oppression and shock absorbing system appears when you type. The material is slip resistant and retains no trace of sweat.
The spacious touchpad is roughly the restpad and adopt a monolithic design with click keys left / right incorporated under active surface coated with a finish not slip resistance. Surface touch sensitivity is good, and two physical buttons are pressed lightly, even if not very quiet.
The two speakers are positioned at the bottom of the housing and spaced a convincing stereo effect. Thanks to drivers as they render clear and distortion-free sound at a volume sufficient for use in areas with strong sources of ambient noise.
Unfortunately ultra-slim design of the compromise comes with very limited options for connectivity, the Aspire S7-371 only having a headphone output and two USB-C, one of which is used for connecting the AC adapter. Thus, if we arm ourselves not only with compatible peripherals and accessories USB-C remains the only option using an external USB hub or docking station.
Acer Aspire S7-371-M74S Swift - specifications:
Screen: 13.3 ", 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution, Gorilla Glass 4 and glare filter
CPU: Intel Core Kabyle Lake m7-7Y75 CPU, 1.3 GHz dual-core + HyperThreading, 3 MB cache, 1.61 GHz Turbo, 14 nm
GPU integrated Intel HD Graphics 615
Dedicated GPU: no
RAM: 8GB DDR3 onboard
HDD: 256 GB SSD, Kingston
Optical drive: no
Network: AC WiFi, Bluetooth
Connectors: 2 x USB C, 1 x audio (headset)
Others: Webcam
Operating System: Windows 10
Dimensions: 325 x 230 x 9.05 to 9.98 mm
Weight: 1.09 kg
included accessories
Aspire S7-371 comes with an AC adapter small. Unfortunately the package does not include a protective case for transport, so this will be purchased separately.
Impressions and comfort in use
Elegant and with a thicker thickness of a notebook, the Aspire S7-371 is the kind of laptop that you can take with you anywhere, easily enough to be held with one hand of one of the corners and rigid enough that it does not Ti or theme that you could inadvertently damage.
Rounded shapes and texture adhering 1.09 Kg housing is pleasant to handle, but not very comfortable to hold the feet, the heat generated by the hardware found inside being directed to the strip above the keyboard, and bottom. Reduced thickness has another slight disadvantage, lifting the screen requesting extra skill for the separation of the bottom base.
Surprisingly for an ultrabook, Acer chosen speakers can achieve a high enough volume without sacrificing clarity or restrict listening to high-frequency range of the audio spectrum. Even though bass in songs is as absent, the frequency range is sufficiently uniform played for a pleasant listening, and for even more convenience we can call anytime to a headset.
Autonomy
Multimedia test I used is for a 1080p movie, run using the system profile with the screen brightness Balanced reduced to 40%. Under these conditions, the battery installed in its case Acer Aspire S7-371 gave up after 6 hours and 3 minutes of continuous operation.
Used to surfing, having the same profile selected Balanced power saving, with the screen brightness reduced to 40% and network interface on, Aspire S7-371 lasted 5 hours and 40 minutes.
Conclusion
Given the limitations of construction very thin and fanless cooling system, not expecting the new Aspire S7-371 Swift to impress in tests autonomy nor the performance offered. Lake Kabyle platform with Intel achieved using 14 nm manufacturing process but demonstrates excellent potential in both energy consumption and the level of performance offered. Of course, a decisive contribution to achieving a more seamless experience how to start and use PC applications have an SSD storage device or generous amount of RAM.
Coming from a traditional laptop, the user of a portable Aspire S7-371 series will notice the total absence of noise the fan or hard disk, and this without compromise uncomfortable temperatures on the surface of the housing. Complementing the premium design, the keyboard is a pleasure to use for writing long documents and the screen 13.3 "does not disappoint, even if the glossy finish may be a problem in the presence of strong ambient light sources.
By far, the biggest drawback is given by the lack of options for connectivity, two USB ports-C is practically useless without an external USB hub.