Acer Spin 3: At First Glance
Over the years, we have seen Acer come through with some mind-blowing laptops for different categories. Additionally, their low-budget laptops compete strongly with other low-budget laptops from competing brands.
A good example is the Acer Spin 3, which offers a lot of good features at a reasonable price. Moreover, with this laptop, you can experience a bit of luxury for less money.
Speaking of money, this convertible laptop had a starting price of $589.98 as of the time I wrote this review in November 2021. I consider this price tag less expensive for the quality the Acer Spin 3 possesses, but, the purchasing decision is all yours.
Are you interested in knowing the features that make this laptop worth its price tag? If yes, you have to continue reading.
Acer Spin 3: Design, Dimension and Weight
A satisfying design is not something we see often in low-budget laptops. Most times low-budget laptops come with some wack and far-from-attractive designs.
However, Acer managed to offer a near-luxury look in the Spin 3. This improvement is quite commendable and is one reason to consider the Acer Spin 3 when planning on getting a new laptop.
The exterior of a laptop is the first thing anyone would notice in any laptop. However, when the laptop’s exterior isn’t satisfying, there’s a loss of interest in other aspects of the laptop.
Thankfully, the exterior of the Acer Spin 3 is rather pleasing and impressive.
Specifically, the Spin 3 features a chrome-colored aluminum chassis. Its aluminum chassis is polished with an expensive-looking silver finish.
As a matter of fact, it is a unique blend of silver and aluminum. Moreover, the silver aluminum lid of the Spin 3 has a unique pattern that looks bland from a distance, but it’s actually intriguing when you get closer.
Furthermore, a silver Acer logo takes the center position of the laptop’s lid. This logo gives the laptop a more premium and satisfying look.
However, since the silver logo almost blends with the color of the laptop’s lid, it may be difficult to notice it from afar. Notwithstanding, the silver logo has a shiny finish that makes it very obvious to notice from close range.
Moving on, upon opening the laptop’s lid, you’ll see the Spin 3’s display surrounded by slim bezels.
However, the top bezel of the display is relatively thicker than the side and bottom bezel. My guess is that the top bezel is that thick because that is where the laptop’s webcam is located.
Proceeding to the display characteristics of this laptop, two chrome 360-degrees hinges hold the touchscreen display in place. As a convertible laptop, these hinges allow the Spin 3 to be used in various modes.
These modes include the standard laptop mode, tent mode, stand mode, and tablet mode. Normally, the hinges on a convertible laptop aren’t always solid, but the Spin 3’s hinges retain its screen in place no matter what mode the laptop is in.
About the screen size, the Spin 3 uses a 14-inch touchscreen. This touchscreen display comes with an FHD (1920 x 1080) resolution.
In terms of performance, the display is very bright, even at 50% brightness setting. Additionally, the display is quite tall, which makes it fit in more information and reduces the need to scroll regularly.
Talking about scrolling, because it is a touchscreen, you can use your finger on the screen for scrolling instead of the touchpad. In addition to that, the touchscreen offers swift touche responses and registers taps as well as gestures without any delay.
Moving on to the camera, the Acer Spin 3 features a 720p HD Webcam. This webcam is adequate for casual video calls as well as online conference meetings.
However, the webcam does not support facial recognition for security.
Moving on, the keyboard on the Acer Spin 3 is somewhat poor, as the keys tend to be shallow and a bit soft. Furthermore, rather than cushioning your fingers, the keys will tend to protrude outwardly.
Also, even though the Swift 3 provides a full-size keyboard, the keys themselves are a bit smaller. On a positive note, in terms of typing experience, the keys are well-spaced and should offer a reasonable typing experience.
Additionally, the Spin 3’s keyboard is backlit, which makes typing in dark or low-light environments easier.
Moving on to the touchpad, beneath the keyboard lies a standard-sized touchpad that features a fingerprint scanner on the top-left corner. Although this touchpad isn’t the most accurate or smooth one out there, it still does its job efficiently.
Proceeding to the ports, the Acer Spin 3 comes with a decent number of ports. On the left side, you will find a Thunderbolt 3 port, the charging port, an HDMI port, a USB 3.1 Type-A port, and a MicroSD card reader.
On the right, you will find a Kensington lock, accompanied by a headphone jack, another USB 3.1 Type-A port, and a power button.
That said, another interesting feature of the Acer Spin 3 is the included S Pen stylus. This stylus pen is quite commendable due to the fact that it is designed to feel like a real pen.
To be more specific, the S Pen offers a real pen feeling with a subtle pencil-on-paper sound as you write. Additionally, the pen is great for taking notes, drawing, and scrolling through the laptop.
However, the only downside is that you need to lift up the laptop to take out the pen from its slot. This pen slot can be found on the right side of the laptop.
On a positive note, if the laptop charges the stylus pen for only 15 seconds, you can use the pen for about 90 minutes. Impressive, right?
Moving on to the weight, the Acer Spin 3 is obviously not the lightest laptop out there. However, moving it around shouldn’t be an issue.
To give more details, this laptop has a decent weight of 1501.3 g. In comparison, the Acer Spin 3 weighs less than the Asus Vivobook S15 which weighs 1814.37 g.
However, when compared to the Hp Envy X360 which weighs 1360.78 g, the Acer Spin 3 is significantly heavier.
In terms of dimensions, the Acer Spin 3 measures 325.12 x 231.1 x 17 mm (W x D x H). Comparatively, the laptop is bigger than the Hp Envy X360 which measures only 307.34 x 195. 58 x 17.7 mm (W x D x H).
Nevertheless, the Acer Spin 3 is smaller than the Asus Vivobook S15 which measures 358.14 x 233. 68 x 15.24 mm (W x D x H).
Considering the design, weight, and dimension of the Acer Spin 3 and how it competes with its competitors, I will rate the laptop an eight out of ten in this review section.
Acer Spin 3: Processor (CPU) Performance
When it comes to the processor, the Acer Spin 3 is equipped with an Intel Core i5-1035G4 processor. This processor has a base frequency of 1.10 GHz and a maximum frequency of 3.70 GHz.
Additionally, the processor features a 6 MB cache memory.
Performance-wise, this processor is sufficient for daily computing tasks such as internet browsing and word processing. Also, for multitasking as well as some light gaming, the processor will do the job.
To further establish how well the Spin 3 can perform with this processor, I did some research. According to my research, I discovered that the Spin 3 will be able to loop multiple 4K YouTube videos without dropping a single frame.
Additionally, during my research, I stumbled upon a benchmark test result that was based on the Acer Spin 3’s processing performance. To give more details, this benchmark test is called CineBench R15.
The CineBenchR15 is a standard benchmark test tool that examines the CPU performance or processing power of a laptop. Additionally, it determines how fast or how slow the processor handles tasks.
Furthermore, on the test, the higher the score the better the processor performance of the computer. Thankfully, the Acer Spin 3 got a decent score on the test.
To be more specific, Acer’s Spin 3 achieved a score of 634 points. Impressively, this score is way above the category average of 500 points.
However, the Acer Spin 3’s score isn’t better than the 678 points gotten by the Lenovo C940. On a positive note, the Spin 3 performs better than the Lenovo Yoga C640 which scored only 300 points.
Therefore, I will rate the Acer Spin 3 an eight in this processor performance review section.
Acer Spin 3: Memory (RAM) Performance
The Acer Spin 3 comes with an 8 GB LPDDR4 RAM on a single RAM slot. Unfortunately, the maximum RAM supported on this laptop is also 8 GB.
Therefore, you won’t be able to install a higher RAM stick on the Acer Spin 3’s single slot. However, I don’t really think you will have to upgrade the laptop’s RAM.
This is because 8 GB RAM should be sufficient for most computing tasks and even for multitasking. Specifically, with 8 GB RAM on the Acer Spin 3, you will be able to open about 20 chrome browser tabs without experiencing any lag.
This claim is backed up by the laptop’s PCMark 10 test result. PCMark 10 is a benchmark test that tells us a laptop’s ability to multitask and handle daily computing tasks like word processing.
Additionally, in the PCMark10 test, the higher the laptop’s score, the better the performance. So, from the PCMark10 test, the Acer Spin 3 got a score of 3683 points, which is practically above average.
Therefore, it is ideal to say you will be able to conveniently multitask and perform almost any computing task on the Acer Spin 3 with 8 GB RAM.
The Acer Spin 3’s impressive performance doesn’t end there as it successfully outperforms the Lenovo Yoga C640 on the PCMark 10 test. Specifically, the Lenovo Yoga C640 scored 3313 points on the PCMark 10 test.
In conclusion, the Acer Spin 3 may not support a higher RAM, but its 8 GB RAM is sufficient for most computing tasks. Therefore, the laptop deserves an eight out of ten rating in this memory review section.
Acer Spin 3: Storage Options and Performance
The Acer Spin 3 comes with either a 256 GB or 512 GB SSD storage drive. The choice of which storage option you want to purchase is totally dependent on the amount of data you are planning on storing on the laptop.
Therefore, if you are a storage-hungry user like me, an Acer Spin 3 with a 512 GB SSD is your best buy. Having said all that, it is important to note that this review is based on the Acer Spin 3 with 256 GB SSD.
In terms of performance, I did some digging to find out about the Acer Spin 3’s file transfer speed. According to my research, I was able to gather some information confirming that the Acer Spin 3’s 256 GB SSD should be able to transfer 4.97 GB of data in 13 seconds.
Also, the laptop’s 256 GB SSD should be able to do this at a transfer rate of 392 megabytes per second. In as much as this transfer rate is impressive, you should expect the Acer Spin 3 with 512 GB SSD to deliver better.
Comparatively, the Acer Spin 3’s 256 GB SSD has a better transfer rate than the Lenovo Yoga C930‘s 256GB SSD. Specifically, the Lenovo Yoga C930’s SSD has a transfer rate of 339 MBps.
To further verify the storage performance and transfer rate of the Spin 3, I would have loved to provide a Crystaldiskmark benchmark test. Sadly, I wasn’t able to find the Crystaldiskmark test result of the Acer Spin 3.
Just to be clear about what the Crystaldiskmark test is, the Crystaldiskmark benchmark test determines the read and write speed of a device’s storage.
Nevertheless, from the file transfer speed I offered, it is safe to say Acer Spin 3 performed well in this section. Therefore, I will rate the laptop an 8 out of ten.
Acer Spin 3 Graphics Card Performance
In terms of graphics, the Acer Spin 3 features Intel Iris Plus Graphics. This graphics card is an integrated graphics card, which means it is embedded into the laptop’s CPU.
Therefore, for this graphics card to perform graphics processing, it shares memory with the CPU. Hence, with this graphics card, don’t expect the Acer Spin 3 to run graphics-intensive applications or powerful games.
However, the Spin 3 should be able to run outdated games like FIFA 12. Also, the laptop will be able to play most of the games on the Microsoft Store.
Therefore, if your reason for wanting to purchase a laptop is for high-end gaming, then the Acer Spin 3 is not the laptop for you.
That’s said, now let me share some of the benchmark results I was able to gather about the Acer Spin 3 graphics performance. Specifically, I will offer the laptop’s result on the 3DMARK GPU benchmark test.
If you don’t know, 3DMARK is a benchmark test that analyzes how a laptop can render graphics.
According to the above benchmark results, Acer Spin 3 scored 6,009 points. This score is way above the Lenovo Yoga C640’s score of 4,285 points.
However, the Acer Spin 3 lags behind the Lenovo C940 which scored 8,995 points on the same test. Nevertheless, for a laptop with an integrated graphics card, the Acer Spin 3 performs decently.
Therefore, it will be bad if I rate the laptop below 7 in this graphics review section.
Acer Spin 3: Battery Life and Performance
Proceeding to the battery in the Acer Spin 3, you’ll find a 3-cell Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) battery. According to Acer’s website, the Acer Spin 3 has a battery life of 11 hours.
However, after some thorough research, I found out that the laptop’s actual battery life is around 9 hours. This battery life was gotten through a video playback test.
Essentially, this playback test involves setting the laptop’s brightness to 250 nits. After that, increasing the laptop’s volume level to 100%, then looping a 4K video till the laptop battery runs low.
However, the Acer Spin 3 has a mediocre battery life when compared to the Lenovo Yoga C640. Specifically, on the same video playback test, the Lenovo Yoga C640 lasted an impressive 16 hours.
On a positive note, the Acer Spin 3 has a better battery life than the Microsoft Surface Go 2 which lasts only 7 hours and 35 minutes.
In conclusion, although the Acer Spin 3’s battery life is in contrast with Acer’s website’s claim, it is still a good pick. Therefore, I will rate the Acer Spin 3 an eight in this battery review section.
Frequently Asked Question
Acer claims that the Spin 3 can last for 11 hours after a full charge. However, according to a video playback test, it delivers 9 hours of battery life.
When I wrote this review in November 2021, the Acer Spin 3 had a starting price of $589.98.
Yes, it does. The Acer Spin 3 comes with a 720p camera.
Yes, it is. The Acer Spin 3 comes with a 14-inch touchscreen display.
Unfortunately, the Acer Spin 3 isn’t a gaming laptop. However, its integrated graphics card is capable of running outdated games and most games on the Microsoft Store.
Conclusion
For a laptop that doesn’t cost too much, the Acer Spin 3 manages to stand out due to its impressive features. The laptop’s Thunderbolt port and an integrated stylus are things you won’t find on many other models in its price range.
Also, the laptop comes with an FHD touchscreen display that offers adequate brightness and comfortable viewing angles. Additionally, this laptop features a sleek design, and thanks to its 360-degrees hinges the laptop can be used in different modes.
However, the laptop’s keyboard isn’t particularly great and it features a dull webcam. Notwithstanding, the Acer Spin 3 is a must-buy if you need a sleek, feature-rich convertible laptop that won’t break the bank.
I hope you found this Acer Spin 3 review helpful. If you found the review helpful, kindly click Yes to “Was this page Helpful?” below.
You could also share your thoughts with the “Leave a Comment” form found at the end of this page.
Finally, for more laptop reviews, visit our Laptop Reviews page. You may also find our Laptop Specs page very helpful.
