A flexible laptop indeed

IMAGINE an essential, everyday work laptop with the ability to fold over backwards, and you’ll get something like the Acer Spin 5.
With its tagline, Freedom to Change, the Spin 5 is certainly an option for those looking for a flexible PC.
The Spin 5 does not tout its looks, and it doesn’t need to. Plain but functional, you would not guess that this black beauty is a convertible.
Most flippable laptops tend to have a symmetrical design for their upper and lower halves. The Spin, on the other hand, looks like a regular laptop.

Weighing in at 1.6kg, the Spin 5 may not look light on paper, but actually feels light in the hand.
It does not boast a thin design or a full metal body. What it has is a sturdy and well built ‘body’ as you would expect it to be.
Although the packaging is good, it’s what’s inside the Spin 5 that will determine if it is the one for you.
For its processor, the Spin 5 sports an Intel Core i3-6100U Dual-core 2.30 GHz chip. It is not the fastest, but manages to hold up to other notebooks in its price range.
The Spin 5 also comes with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of SSD storage. It is admittedly small for media junkies, but in a flippable laptop, an SSD is generally the better choice.
If, like me, you consider the storage capacity a little on the low side, you can utilise streaming services, public cloud services, and your own personal cloud.
This gives me access to the files and media I need, without relying on the built-in SSD. However, this may not be the solution for everyone.
Whatever method you choose to use, the Spin 5 is an excellent notebook for consuming media.
It has a beautiful 13.3in Full HD IPS display, with Acer’s Colour Intelligence technology, and is backed by a pair of surprisingly good built-in speakers, with Acer’s True Harmony technology.
Working on the Spin 5 is also a smooth and easy experience.
It has a good number of ports including two USB 2.0 ports and a USB 3.0 port.
It does, however, lack an SD card slot. In its place is a microSD slot instead.
Its backlit keyboard is one of the better ones I have experienced. But it does have a few drawbacks.
It is a little dim at its brightest setting, and it turns off too fast even when plugged in.
The battery life isn’t bad either at 3,220mAh. It lasted between four to eight hours – four hours when used as a media device, and eight hours as an everyday workhorse.
It also runs fairly cool. This could be because of good cooling systems, or because the bottom of the Spin 5 is plastic, which does not conduct heat well.
Either way, it is comfortable on the lap even when in heavy use.
At RM2,199, the value that the Acer Spin 5 brings is hard to beat.
You could get a slightly more powerful laptop at the same price, but you’d be sacrificing flexibility for a negligible increment in power.
The Spin 5 is available at all authorised Acer resellers nationwide.
For more, visit the Acer Malaysia website or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/AcerMalaysia).