What you need to know
- Acer just announced the new Spin 5 for 2022, and we have a hands-on with it.
- The 14" convertible laptop has a siloed Wacom stylus, DTS audio, and a WQXGA display, low-blue light TUV certified screen.
- The Acer Spin 5 convertible laptop (SP514-51N) will be available in the United States in July 2022, starting at USD 1,349.99, and in EMEA in July 2022, starting at EUR 1,399.
For those looking for a convertible with all the right specs and the latest technology, Acer is offering up the new Spin 5. The company sent over an early production unit for us to get a closer look, and it ticks all the right boxes if you're in the market for a do-it-all 14-inch laptop.
Weighing just 1.3kg (2.86lbs) and coming in at just 16.9mm thin, the Spin 5 is not the lightest or thinnest 14-inch laptop this year, but it's right up there with the best of them without sacrificing battery life.
The display is now a 14-inch 16:10 WQXGA (2560 x 1600) touch display with low-blue light TÜV certification and an 88% screen-to-body ratio. It's on a rotating 360-degree hinge, hence the Spin moniker, letting you shift the laptop quickly into different postures, including tablet mode.
| Category | Acer Spin 5 (2022) |
|---|---|
| OS | Windows 11 |
| Display | 14-inch16:10 WQXGA (2560 x 1600) touchLow-blue light TÜV certification88% screen-to-body ratio |
| Processor | 12th Gen Intel Core i7-1260P |
| Graphics | Intel Iris Xe |
| Pen | Active Stylus with Wacom AES 2.0 |
| Memory | Up to 16GB LPDDR5 |
| Storage | Up to 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD |
| Expandable Storage | microSD |
| Front Camera | 2.1MP full HD MIPI |
| Security | Fingerprint reader (power button) |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.1 |
| Ports | 2x Type-C (Thunderbolt 4)2x Type-AFull HDMIHeadphone/mic |
| Audio | Dual with DTS AudioAcer TrueHarmony, PurifiedVoiceAlexa |
| Weight | 1.3kg (2.86lbs) |
Unlike many laptops that support pen and inking, Acer is bucking the trend by keeping a siloed (or garaged) stylus right in the chassis. That makes it much more convenient to take notes, mark up a document, or make a quick drawing, as you'll always have the pen with you versus searching for it in your bag. That pen supports Wacom AES 2.0 with 4,096 pressure levels delivering an excellent Windows inking experience.
Audio is handled by two bottom-firing speakers and "Acer PurifedVoice with AI-enhanced Noise Reduction and DTS Audio to ensure high-quality audio on video calls."
Hardware-wise, nothing is too surprising: Acer packs in the latest 12th Gen Intel Core i7-1260P processor, Iris Xe graphics, up to 16GB of LPDDR5 memory, and up to 1TB Gen 4 PCIe storage. Other highlights include Killer Wi-Fi 6E AX1675i and a solid assortment of ports in 2022, including two Type-C with Thunderbolt 4, two Type-A, full HDMI, microSD reader, headphone/mic jack, and two LED lights.
To keep everything cool, Acer is touting its thermal chops. From the press release:
The Spin 5's TwinAir cooling system is designed with Acer's Vortex Flow architecture, increasing performance by up to 75%. Dual D6 copper heat pipes help maintain optimal temperature for the best performance experience.
In using the Spin 5 for a few days, the overall build quality feels solid, but the excellent keyboard stands out, making this an ideal candidate for those in school or even work where flexibility is vital. While the design is not as fancy as Dell or HP's premium line, Acer adds its unique styling to this laptop.
Heck, even the full HD (1920x1080) 2.1MP front-facing camera, one of the recommendations for Intel Evo certification (which this has), is one of the best we've seen in an Acer laptop. And while it doesn't offer face recognition for Windows Hello, a fingerprint reader is built into the power button for quick access.
Look for the Spin 5 later in July, starting at $1,349.99. EMEA markets also get the Spin 5 in the same month, starting at EUR 1,399.
Besides the Spin 5, Acer also announced Spin 3, TravelMate P4, Spin 4, ConceptD refreshes, Swift 3 OLED, and the wildly exciting Predator Helios 300 SpatialLabs Edition, a new 3D gaming laptop.
