Positioned as the crown jewel of Acer’s convertible laptop offerings, there’s a lot to like about the Spin 7 – even if the price is a little high at first glance. Though it’s branded as the thinnest the category has on offer, the Spin 7’s biggest asset isn’t form-factor, it’s value.
Arriving at an RRP of $1999, the Spin 7 isn’t super pricey nor does it scream budget. However, the even-handed device finds a conservative sweet-spot between gutsy specs and robust design. While it certainly doesn’t set a high watermark for either, it’s old school approach to servicing both isn’t hard to appreciate and delivers surprisingly good performance.In fact, the Spin 7 feels positively old-school in lots of ways. It’s got a significant (but not excessive) price-point, tried (but true) aesthetics and genuine (if unnecessary) versatility that come together with aplomb.
Acer are playing things a little safe here but it’s an approach that pays its dividends.Spec-wise, the Spin 7 packs a 1.3Ghz i7 processor and 8GB of RAM. In terms of storage, you’re getting a serviceable 256GB of internal SSD to work with. The long and short of it is that the Spin 7 boots fast and can handle most of what you’ll likely want to do with it, in relative-silence no less.If you’re a bit of a power user (or addicted to opening new tabs in Firefox) you’ll quickly hit the ceiling on what the Spin 7 can offer but for most people, it’ll prove fast and responsive enough.While it doesn’t quite make it to double digits in terms of battery, we found the Spin 7 delivered respectable results of between 6 and 8 hours – depending on the usual suspects.
The Spin 7 boasts a 14-inch touch display that’s bright and clear to use, even if it does succumb to glare from time to time. Acer’s BluelightShield and Colour Intelligence technology are hard at work here help to minimise eye strain and improve colour saturation – and their presence yields some noticeable improvements.However, it’s with audio that the Spin 7 shines surprisingly bright.
The Dolby-powered speakers built into the keyboard carry an unexpected level of quality and range. The Spin 7’s wider rectangular touchpad works well too. It, alongside the Spin’s 360-degree hinge and “tablet-style” volume slider (located next to the power button), represents several details that detract from the old-school sensibilities at work here.While able to flip in on itself and be used like a tablet, we found using the Spin in this way to be a little cumbersome too comfortable for our liking. Your mileage may vary in this regard.
All told, the Spin 7’s metal body does come with a few drawbacks. The material used here is very prone to smudging and feels oddly weighed at times. It’s easy to hold and handle but always feels a little off-centre when placed on your lap. The Spin 7 is also lacking in USB ports, featuring only a pair of USB-C outputs (one of which is often occupied by the charging cable). The Spin 7 does come with a simple converter kit but it’s still a detail that’ll prove irksome to some.
If anything, these new-school features feel tacked onto the core strengths of Acer’s latest product. They’re concessions that add value but go little beyond the bare minimum. Despite sitting in the convertible category, it’s clear that the Spin 7 is betting it all on the tried-and-true – and it’s a bet that pays off.
Acer’s Spin 7 is available now at JB Hi-Fi, with prices starting at $1,999.
