Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsAcer Spin 5 - First Impressions Are Spot On!
Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2018
I cannot share too much regarding this 2 in 1 laptop since, it is only the first day I am working with it. I will say that when you are using the battery charger, it does run hot. As for the weight yes, it is a bit on the heavier side however, it is built seemingly solid. I also called Smart Guard, for additional protection on this item and they shared that they do not get many requests on issues with the Acer Spin 5 but, they do get many for the Surface Pro, just thought I would share this. If I decide to keep this, which at this time I do not see my sending it back, I will be buying additional protection. If you decide to purchase this, you do not need to buy the protection plan at the time of purchase; with Smart Guard, you have 90 days and, you can buy a plan that covers you from the date of purchase smart, no pun intended as they will cover you from surges from day 1.
The keyboard is solid, no bouncing, at all. I do not know why other reviews of this states otherwise. It is a full backlit as well. The 13.3 is big enough in order to remain mobile, you do not need a 14" laptop. The downside, you can try a trial run of MS 365 for a short time but, you can utilize your MS apps via OneCloud without the purchase of the software. I am writing a book so, being mobile is very important to me.
My Acer Spin 5 came with the battery operated Stylus which, I did not expect BUT another savings! It is a very smooth tool and one that you really should not live without especially for note taking and design apps.
I am attaching some the initial opening of the box, for your review.
Update: I have been using this laptop for only 2 days. I have to say that I really love it! BUT, I do not think I can deal with the inconsistent battery life. First of all, Windows 10, Ede, is the main culprit however, using the it is not an option, I am not about to install an alternative to this program and certainly not using Chrome. Having said this, every time I look at the battery life, it changes, constantly from 1 hour to 3 hours and, I only had 1 time when it actually said 13 hours. YOU would not be able to surf the Web, AT ALL in order to obtain such a life expectancy. I have uninstalled the bloatware but upon a re-boot, all apps were back, WHAT?? I literally have had it running for nearly 2 hours, doing almost nothing and I have 78% battery life left. I have to keep my laptop in a Dim brightness and in conservation mode; unrealistic when you need a portable device to do whatever you need it to do for you. Ugh. I am going to drain down the battery today and then do a full re-charge, again and if that doesn't solve the problem, I am sadly going to have to return this item.
ACER! Listen to your customers. You have a stellar, mid-range budget laptop with the Spin and your selling feature of a 13 hour battery life, dependent on one's usage is truly false advertisement. Everything else about this product is spot on and I am really torn by the main functionality which, is the battery.
Will provide 1 last update for my final assessment/verdict.
Update: I called Acer, I now have a claim #, in case the following does not occur:
1 - The Acer tech told me that it would be normal for the battery life to go from 100% to 71% within 3 hours of my sort of usage. In order to test this theory, I recalibrated the battery by doing the following:
A - Turn off the laptop
B - On the bottom of the keyboard, insert a paperclip in the small pinhole for a count of 20 seconds
C - Turn on the laptop
D - Fully charge it to 100%
2 - Once the above has been done, clock my work for a period of 3 hours which includes, web surfing, YouTube videos and other off the grid tasks.
I began the test at 4:25 PM and it is now 6:00 PM. The current battery is at 87% with the battery saver engaged. I have also altered the usage of the battery through a series of steps that will hopefully save as well.
If the battery power drops to 71% (which is why I called Acer to begin with) before the 3rd hour, I have a problem with the battery at which point I will call Acer back with my claim # and then to work with Amazon on my next step.
As I said before, I am really bummed if this turns out to be the problem. I would considered a replacement but, I hope it does not come to this. As a side note, with the current battery life left, it is stating I have over 9 hours left? Not sure about this but, we'll see.
More to come - as I sit here typing on my Acer which, I love so very much otherwise!
Update: At exactly 7:25 PM, I checked the battery life, 75%! The Acer tech was spot on! That said, I only worked on the Web, played YouTube videos. At this time I have 5 hours and 58n minutes left. Please keep in mind that my battery modification is based on how much battery I would like to sustain and, I have it on battery saver mode. You really have to investigate the best options for your needs in order to get the most out of the battery.
I will continue to leave 3 stars for the next handful of days and will update in another 2. I am really hoping that the battery has been adjusted for the longest life possible because I truly do not think, at this price point, one could do better in their choices for a portable device. The backlit keyboard is also a wonderful asset since most do not come with this option.
More to come.....
Update: Today, I have been on/off my laptop. It is 8:10 PM and here is the current read for the battery: 15 hours and 24 minutes available at 76%. I had it in sleep mode for a period of time at which point, the laptop does not use any battery energy. I have the power saver on with night mode for not only battery savings but to also be much for forgiving on your eyes! Of course, the more you use it the lower the "hours" are going to reflect. Overall, I am still very pleased with the Acer Spin 5. Please make sure to really research the Acer Spin 5 models as on the Acer website, this one and one other are also sold through them as on Amazon. There are a few other models that are not.
More to come...
August 14th, 2018. I love this laptop! I have been able to work on it , all day with time to spare. I do keep it on battery saver mode which, helps a great deal. There is no color saturation/bleeding or white spots. I have not really utilized the stylus pen that I received, all that much however, it is responsive.
I also want to share what I learned about my laptop. The box it arrived in had the original extended model number crossed out to reflect the one that I bought, which ends of 58WW. My laptop states it ends if 552K. Here is where it gets interesting:
1 - My laptop IS the 58WW version: 4 usb ports and and SD slot whereby the 552K does not offer.
2 - The 552K version DOES come with the stylus oen (which I received) but, the 58WW DOES NOT.
I decided to purchase a 2 year extended/accidental warranty directly through ACER. My SNID # did not allow me to purchase the warranty through ACER BUT my S/N number did. Whatever the mix up, I am fine with as my model IS the one I thought I bought through Amazon. I would strongly reccommend that you consider the warranty through the manufacturer and not a 3rd party company.
The mobility of this item has been invaluable to me and would be for you!
I feel that I got a real deal on this item and, I decided to spread out the payments for 24 months with 0 APR through Amazon, just in case I need to do so.
Lastly, it does NOT run hot and the fan is NOT loud. Please, please do your research to ensure you know what you are buying and test it out for at least the first 30 days.
My current conclusion, I would buy this item again!!
