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Acer Aspire E3-111-C6LG Notebook Review

Fanless. Just low 250 Euros have to be shelled out for Acer's new 11.6-inch netbook. The customer gets a matte screen, quad-core processor, and a very decent keyboard for that. Our report shows whether its worth buying.

For the original German review, see here.

There's simply no stopping netbooks, and they are still popular because they are usually a good compromise of a low price, compact size, and endurance. These qualities fused with a decent keyboard make the little computers to portable typewriters and browsing machines. Acer now launches a new lineup of 11.6-inch netbooks on the market with the Aspire E3-111 series. The company relies on Intel's Bay Trail platform and  afanless operation for them. Read in our report whether the new netbooks are convincing.

We used the Lenovo Thinkpad Edge E145 (AMD E1-2500, Radeon HD 8240) and Asus F200MA (Celeron N2815, HD Graphics (Bay Trail)) for classifying the netbook.

Case

The casing of the little netbook is comprised completely of plastic. This was expected in view of the computer's low price range. The base unit's upper side and the lid's back feature a silver-gray color. Furthermore, Acer imitates brushed metal on the lid's back, and uses mostly matte surfaces. Only the display bezel is glossy.

The casing's build is absolutely satisfactory. We did not discover any flaws. The stability was not conspicuous either. The casing however exhibits the known weaknesses found in most casings: it can be dented marginally under the touchpad and beside the keyboard. The base unit can be warped slightly, but still remains within an acceptable range. The lid is even easier to twist and does that to a greater extent. Also pressure on the back can cause image distortions. The hinges keep the lid firmly in position but rock a bit. Opening with only one hand is just still possible.

Acer Aspire E3-111
Acer Aspire E3-111
The lid's back imitates brushed metal. (Picture: Acer)
The lid's back imitates brushed metal. (Picture: Acer)
There is no maintenance cover.
There is no maintenance cover.

Connectivity

Despite the tight space, Acer manages to install the most important interfaces. The buyer will have to live without a VGA-out, but it can be retrofitted via an HDMI-to-VGA adapter (approx. 20 Euros) when needed. Most interfaces are located on the netbook's rear. Consequently, it is not always easy to reach the interfaces, but the left and right sides of the wrist rest remain free from cables.

Left: combo audio, USB 2.0, memory card reader
Left: combo audio, USB 2.0, memory card reader
Right: Kensington lock slot
Right: Kensington lock slot
Rear: power socket, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, HDMI
Rear: power socket, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, HDMI

Communication

Acer installs a Wi-Fi module from Atheros in the Aspire. It supports the 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi standards. We did not have problems with reception. There were no interruptions in a 15 meter radius around the router. A Gigabit Ethernet chip from Realtek's well-known RTL8168/8111 family, which we find in countless laptops, takes care of cabled radio connections. Even a Bluetooth 4.0 module has found its way into the netbook. The webcam does not produce any masterpieces; its pictures look quite blurry.

Accessories

Besides the usual documents, i.e. warranty information, quick start poster, a driver DVD for Windows 8.1 is also found in the box.

Operating System

The Aspire is shipped with Linpus Linux preloaded. Of course it is possible to install Windows using an external DVD drive or an appropriately prepared flash drive. Acer only supports Windows 8.1. The corresponding driver is found on the included DVD and on Acer's website. Note: Owners of a Windows 8 license and install Windows 8 on the netbook should immediately update to Windows 8.1 (available in the Windows Store free of charge) because some drivers provided by Acer cannot be installed under Windows 8.

Maintenance

Although Acer does not treat the Aspire to a maintenance cover, accessing the innards is not a big challenge. The underside is easy to lift off. After removing all screws on the underside, the tray can be lifted off using a putty knife on the front side. All other clips virtually release themselves after that. The user can access the hard drive, battery, and Wi-Fi module when opened. Replacing the hard drive is no problem. Commercially sold 2.5-inch models with a construction height of 7 mm can be installed. It would even be possible to replace the battery in case of defect.

Warranty

Acer includes a 24-month warranty on the Aspire. Owners of a Thinkpad Edge or an F200MA have to be satisfied with a one-year warranty. The Aspire's warranty period can be extended; a three-year warranty costs approximately 80 Euros.

Input Devices

Keyboard

Acer equips the netbook with an unlit chiclet keyboard. The level, lightly roughened keys feature a short drop and have a clear pressure point. We also like the keys' resistance. Overall, the keyboard surprises with a pleasing typing feel that we would not expect from such a low-priced laptop. The keyboard is even suitable for users who have to type regularly. Nevertheless, it cannot compete with a very good keyboard like for example found in the Thinkpad Edge E145.

Touchpad

The mouse replacement is an approximately 10.5 x 6 cm, multi-touch capable ClickPad (a touchpad without dedicated mouse buttons; the entire pad is a key). The sleek surface makes it easy for the finger to glide. Using gestures is also easily possible owing to the large area. The pad has a short drop and a clearly audible and palpable pressure point.

The keyboard is unlit.
The keyboard is unlit.
The ClickPad supports multi-touch.
The ClickPad supports multi-touch.

Display

Acer installs a matte, 11.6-inch screen in the little netbook. The screen has an astonishingly high brightness for its price range with a rate of 234.9 cd/m². Thus, the device places itself between the Thinkpad Edge (266.1 cd/m²) and F200MA (174.9 cd/m²).

248
cd/m²
253
cd/m²
246
cd/m²
240
cd/m²
245
cd/m²
229
cd/m²
218
cd/m²
219
cd/m²
216
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
AU Optronics B116XTN02.1 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 253 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 234.9 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 85 %
Center on Battery: 245 cd/m²
Contrast: 209:1 (Black: 1.17 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 12.53 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 13.25 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
38.7% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
41.8% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
60.7% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
40.43% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.68
Aspire vs. sRGB
Aspire vs. sRGB
Aspire vs. AdobeRGB
Aspire vs. AdobeRGB

Both the contrast of 209:1 and black level of 1.17 cd/m² of the Aspire's screen is abysmal. These rates are no longer contemporary. The Thinkpad Edge (330:1; 0.89 cd/m²) and F200MA (361:1, 0.49 cd/m²) only provide marginally better rates. The screen in the Aspire cannot reproduce either the AdobeRGB or sRGB color spaces. The coverage rates are 56 percent (sRGB) and 39 percent (AdobeRGB).

The screen is not really convincing in terms of color reproduction either. The average DeltaE 2000 shift is 12.53 in state of delivery. A rate less than three would be ideal. Beyond that, the screen exhibits a clear bluish cast.

CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - Grayscale
CalMAN - Grayscale
CalMAN - Saturation Sweeps
CalMAN - Saturation Sweeps

The Aspire only sports a simple TN screen, and thus it only offers the user limited viewing angles. Using the laptop outdoors is possible owing to the matte surface and quite decent brightness.

The Aspire outdoors.
The Aspire outdoors.
Viewing angles: Aspire E3-111
Viewing angles: Aspire E3-111

Performance

Acer provides a series of basic 11.6-inch netbooks with the Aspire E3-111. Our review sample is available for around 249 Euros. The device is also shipped with Windows 8.1 including Bing (a lower priced version of Windows 8,1; Bing is the default search engine) for around 270 Euros. Users who want it more colorful can take the pink model.

CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
GPU-Z
HwInfo
System information: Acer Aspire E3-111-C6LG

Processor

A Celeron N2930 processor is installed in the Aspire. It is a quad-core CPU that is based on Intel's Silvermont architecture. Thus, the processor is related to Intel's Atom processors and not the Haswell processors. The Celeron clocks with a base speed of 1.86 GHz, which can be increased up to 2.13 GHz via the Turbo. Intel specifies the TDP with 7.5 watts. The processor always ran the CPU tests of the Cinebench benchmark at full speed - regardless whether AC or battery mode.

AMD's counterpart of the Celeron is the A4-5000. The CPU part of this APU is also a quad-core processor, which clocks with 1.5 GHz. The performance of both processors is similar. The Celeron scores slightly better in the benchmarks, but that is not noticed in practical use. In return, the graphics chip of AMD's APU has a clear advantage. It scores considerably better than Intel's counterpart.

Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
2526
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
4013
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
1141
Cinebench R10 Shading 64Bit
2574 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit
5754 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit
1608 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
6.69 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
1.59 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
0.41 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
36 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
133 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
5.96 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
97.8 %
Help
Cinebench R11.5 - CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
Acer Aspire E3-111-C6LG
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2930, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
0.41 Points
HP Pavilion TouchSmart 11-e000sb
Radeon HD 8210, A4-1250, Toshiba MQ01ABF050
0.2 Points -51%
Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E145
Radeon HD 8240, E1-2500, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
0.35 Points -15%
Lenovo IdeaPad S215 59372287
Radeon HD 8330, A4-5000, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT0 12-9WS142
0.38 Points -7%
Asus F200MA-CT067H
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2815, Toshiba MQ01ABF050
0.4 Points -2%
Acer Aspire V5-132P
HD Graphics (Ivy Bridge), 2129Y, Toshiba MQ01ABF050
0.45 Points +10%
Acer Aspire V5-131-10172G50akk
HD Graphics (Ivy Bridge), 1017U, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT0 12-9WS142
0.61 Points +49%
Cinebench R11.5 - CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
Acer Aspire E3-111-C6LG
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2930, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
1.59 Points
HP Pavilion TouchSmart 11-e000sb
Radeon HD 8210, A4-1250, Toshiba MQ01ABF050
0.47 Points -70%
Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E145
Radeon HD 8240, E1-2500, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
0.66 Points -58%
Asus F200MA-CT067H
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2815, Toshiba MQ01ABF050
0.76 Points -52%
Acer Aspire V5-132P
HD Graphics (Ivy Bridge), 2129Y, Toshiba MQ01ABF050
0.88 Points -45%
Acer Aspire V5-131-10172G50akk
HD Graphics (Ivy Bridge), 1017U, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT0 12-9WS142
1.3 Points -18%
Lenovo IdeaPad S215 59372287
Radeon HD 8330, A4-5000, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT0 12-9WS142
1.48 Points -7%

System Performance

The system runs mostly smooth. The weak processor is noticed occasionally - for example when opening applications. The scores of the PCMark benchmarks are also at most solid. However, neither is surprising considering the hardware configuration.

PCMark 7 Score
1648 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
1104 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
1066 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
1032 points
Help
PCMark 7 - Score (sort by value)
Acer Aspire E3-111-C6LG
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2930, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
1648 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E145
Radeon HD 8240, E1-2500, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
1254 Points -24%
Lenovo IdeaPad S215 59372287
Radeon HD 8330, A4-5000, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT0 12-9WS142
1472 Points -11%
Asus F200MA-CT067H
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2815, Toshiba MQ01ABF050
1586 Points -4%
Acer Aspire V5-132P
HD Graphics (Ivy Bridge), 2129Y, Toshiba MQ01ABF050
1721 Points +4%
Acer Aspire V5-131-10172G50akk
HD Graphics (Ivy Bridge), 1017U, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT0 12-9WS142
1973 Points +20%

Storage Devices

The storage device is a hard drive from Western Digital. It has a capacity of 500 GB and spins with 5400 revolutions per minute. CrystalDiskMark recorded a read speed of 104.7 MB/s. HDTune provided an average transfer rate of 84.2 MB/s. These are both good rates for a 5400 rpm hard drive.

Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
Transfer Rate Minimum: 46.7 MB/s
Transfer Rate Maximum: 112.9 MB/s
Transfer Rate Average: 84.2 MB/s
Access Time: 18.1 ms
Burst Rate: 155.3 MB/s
CPU Usage: 1.9 %

Graphics Card

The graphics core in the Aspire also comes from Intel and bears the name HD Graphics. It name already suggests that the GPU is located at the lower end of the performance scale. It supports DirectX 11 and clocks with speed of up to 820 MHz. The GPU is clearly outperformed by the Radeon core in the Thinkpad Edge. Nevertheless, the Radeon GPU is also located at the lower end of the performance scale.

3DMark 06 Standard Score
2044 points
3DMark 11 Performance
264 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
4791 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
354 points
Help
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance (sort by value)
Acer Aspire E3-111-C6LG
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2930, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
264 Points
Asus F200MA-CT067H
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2815, Toshiba MQ01ABF050
222 Points -16%
Acer Aspire V5-132P
HD Graphics (Ivy Bridge), 2129Y, Toshiba MQ01ABF050
321 Points +22%
Acer Aspire V5-131-10172G50akk
HD Graphics (Ivy Bridge), 1017U, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT0 12-9WS142
356 Points +35%
Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E145
Radeon HD 8240, E1-2500, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
464 Points +76%
Lenovo IdeaPad S215 59372287
Radeon HD 8330, A4-5000, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT0 12-9WS142
591 Points +124%

Gaming Performance

The Aspire was not made for dealing with computer games. Our database as well as the performed benchmarks discloses that at most only a few games can be rendered smoothly using a low resolution and low quality settings.

low med. high ultra
Hitman: Absolution (2012) 10.1 6
Tomb Raider (2013) 15 8
BioShock Infinite (2013) 13.3 6.3
GRID 2 (2013) 23.2 12.5
The Bureau: XCOM Declassified (2013) 10.2 6.1
Batman: Arkham Origins (2013) 14 8
Wolfenstein: The New Order (2014) 11.1 9.6
GRID: Autosport (2014) 41.8 12.5
Risen 3: Titan Lords (2014) 8.4 5.9

Emissions

System Noise

Since the Aspire does not have a fan, hardly anything is heard from the little computer. The hard drive's base noise is occasionally audible. Users who want to also eliminate that can simply replace the hard drive with a solid state drive. The Thinkpad Edge and F200MA both sport a fan, but they do not produce an undue amount of noise either. Their fans did not speed up excessively even during the stress test.

Noise Level

Idle
29.8 / 29.8 / 29.8 dB(A)
HDD
30.1 dB(A)
Load
29.8 / 29.8 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Voltcraft sl-320 (15 cm distance)

Temperature

The Aspire in the stress test.
The Aspire in the stress test.

The Aspire's surface temperatures were within an acceptable range in idle mode. The lack of a fan however was noticed in the stress test. Fifty degrees Celsius were surpassed on two measuring points here. The netbook should not be placed on the thighs in that case. Nevertheless, there is no reason for concern because our stress test simulates an extreme situation that will not be found to that extent in everyday usage. The Thinkpad Edge has to be praised because it never surpassed thirty degrees at any measuring point at any time. Devices with a fan generally remain cooler than laptops without one.

The Aspire processed the stress test (Prime95 and Furmark run for at least one hour) in the same manner in both AC and battery mode. The processor and graphics core both clocked at full speed. The CPU was throttled down to 500 MHz gradually as soon as a temperature over 90 degrees Celsius was recorded. The processor again clocked at full speed when the temperature dropped. This temperature threshold was reached for the first time after about 20 minutes. It will naturally be reached sooner in the further course. The CPU's temperature settled to approximately 90 degrees Celsius during the stress test.

 32 °C
90 F
32.6 °C
91 F
30.6 °C
87 F
 
 30.8 °C
87 F
30.4 °C
87 F
29.7 °C
85 F
 
 26.8 °C
80 F
28 °C
82 F
27.3 °C
81 F
 
Maximum: 32.6 °C = 91 F
Average: 29.8 °C = 86 F
33 °C
91 F
35.8 °C
96 F
34.6 °C
94 F
30.7 °C
87 F
33.4 °C
92 F
32.9 °C
91 F
27.3 °C
81 F
28.5 °C
83 F
28.7 °C
84 F
Maximum: 35.8 °C = 96 F
Average: 31.7 °C = 89 F
Power Supply (max.)  33.8 °C = 93 F | Room Temperature 24.2 °C = 76 F | Voltcraft IR-360
(-) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 38.5 °C / 101 F, compared to the average of 29.8 °C / 86 F for the devices in the class Netbook.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 48.1 °C / 119 F, compared to the average of 33.1 °C / 92 F, ranging from 21.6 to 53.2 °C for the class Netbook.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 56.8 °C / 134 F, compared to the average of 36.6 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 29.8 °C / 86 F, compared to the device average of 29.8 °C / 86 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 31.3 °C / 88.3 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 29.3 °C / 84.7 F (-2 °C / -3.6 F).
Acer Aspire E3-111-C6LG
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2930, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
Asus F200MA-CT067H
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2815, Toshiba MQ01ABF050
Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E145
Radeon HD 8240, E1-2500, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E145-20BC000UGE
Radeon HD 8330, A4-5000, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
Heat
16%
33%
20%
Maximum Upper Side *
48.1
31.3
35%
28.4
41%
34.3
29%
Maximum Bottom *
56.8
42
26%
27.5
52%
34.5
39%
Idle Upper Side *
32.6
30.8
6%
27.7
15%
31.7
3%
Idle Bottom *
35.8
37.6
-5%
28
22%
32.8
8%

* ... smaller is better

Speakers

The stereo speakers of the Aspire are on the device's underside. They produce a thin sound that lacks bass. The speakers suffice for occasionally watching YouTube videos. Using headphones or external speakers would be recommendable otherwise.

Energy Management

Power Consumption

Owners of an Aspire do not need to worry about the power requirement. The installed processor is relatively frugal (TDP: 7.5 watts). The power consumption in routine use remained below 10 watts. The requirement did not skyrocket excessively in the stress test either. We measured a power consumption of 17.4 watts. Both the Thinkpad Edge and F200MA are marginally less energy hungry than the Aspire over the entire load range.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.3 / 0.4 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 5 / 7.3 / 7.4 Watt
Load midlight 15 / 17.4 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Voltcraft VC 940
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Acer Aspire E3-111-C6LG
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2930, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
Asus F200MA-CT067H
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2815, Toshiba MQ01ABF050
Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E145
Radeon HD 8240, E1-2500, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E145-20BC000UGE
Radeon HD 8330, A4-5000, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
Power Consumption
13%
7%
-21%
Idle Minimum *
5
4.2
16%
5.6
-12%
Idle Average *
7.3
6.5
11%
5.9
19%
7.7
-5%
Idle Maximum *
7.4
7.1
4%
6.3
15%
7.9
-7%
Load Average *
15
12.4
17%
14.9
1%
22.3
-49%
Load Maximum *
17.4
14.1
19%
20.1
-16%
22.8
-31%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Runtime

The Aspire battery lasted for 7:16 h in idle mode. The Thinkpad Edge (19:43 h) is more than twice as enduring. Idle mode is ascertained with Battery Eater's Reader's test. The screen is set to minimum brightness, the energy profile is enabled, and the wireless modules are disabled. The Aspire shut down after 1:48 h of load. Again, the Thinkpad Edge (4:01 h) lasts longer. The load runtime is checked with Battery Eater's Classic test using maximum screen brightness, the high-performance profile, and radio modules on.

The E3-111 stopped the Wi-Fi test after 4:17 h. And again, it cannot compete with the Thinkpad Edge (8:19 h). The F200MA (5:01 h) also achieves a better time. For this test, websites are opened automatically every 40 seconds. The energy saving profile is enabled and the screen's brightness is set to approximately 150 cd/m². We check the video playback time by running the short video Big Buck Bunny (H.264 encoding, 1920 x 1080 pixels) in a loop. The energy saving profile is enabled, the radio modules are off, and the screen's brightness is set to approximately 150 cd/m². The Aspire lasted for 4:31 h. We did not perform this test with the contenders.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
7h 16min
WiFi Surfing
4h 17min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
4h 31min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 48min
Acer Aspire E3-111-C6LG
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2930, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
Asus F200MA-CT067H
HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2815, Toshiba MQ01ABF050
Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E145
Radeon HD 8240, E1-2500, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E145-20BC000UGE
Radeon HD 8330, A4-5000, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX
Battery Runtime
17%
129%
81%
Reader / Idle
436
1183
171%
H.264
271
WiFi
257
301
17%
499
94%
464
81%
Load
108
241
123%

Verdict

Owing to the very decent keyboard and the matte screen, Acer's Aspire E3-111 primarily solicits itself as a low-priced typewriter. The term "portable" can only be used to a very limited extent in context with the Aspire because the battery runtimes do not prove exceptional. For example, use in the university will consequently be excluded, and its main application field will primarily be at home. Nevertheless, we are certain that the Aspire will appeal to many buyers due to its low price (250 Euros; 270 Euros w/ Windows 8.1).

Lenovo's Thinkpad Edge E145 would be a better alternative. It is clearly superior to the Aspire. Although it does not have as much computing power, it has a considerably better keyboard and lasts much longer. The Thinkpad is currently sold for approximately 310 Euros (without Windows operating system). A version with AMD's A4-5000 APU is available for around 460 Euros (including Windows 7 Pro and Windows 8 Pro).

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In Review: Acer Aspire E3-111-C6LG. Test model courtesy of Notebooksbilliger.de
In Review: Acer Aspire E3-111-C6LG. Test model courtesy of Notebooksbilliger.de

Specifications

Acer Aspire E3-111-C6LG (Aspire E3 Series)
Processor
Intel Celeron N2930 4 x 1.8 - 2.2 GHz, Bay Trail-M
Graphics adapter
Intel HD Graphics (Bay Trail), Core: 820 MHz, 10.18.10.3496
Memory
4 GB 
, DDR3, single-channel, soldered
Display
11.60 inch 16:9, 1366 x 768 pixel, AU Optronics B116XTN02.1, TN LED, glossy: no
Storage
Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX, 500 GB 
, 5400 rpm, 465 GB free
Soundcard
Intel Valleyview SoC - HD Audio Controller
Connections
2 USB 2.0, 1 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: combo audio jack, Card Reader: SD, MMC
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Atheros Communications AR9565 Wireless Network Adapter (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.0
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 21.2 x 291 x 211 ( = 0.83 x 11.46 x 8.31 in)
Battery
30 Wh Lithium-Ion, 11.4 V, 2640 mAh
Operating System
Linpus Linux Lite
Camera
Webcam: HD webcam
Additional features
Speakers: stereo, Keyboard: chiclet, Keyboard Light: no, 24 Months Warranty
Weight
1.29 kg ( = 45.5 oz / 2.84 pounds), Power Supply: 272 g ( = 9.59 oz / 0.6 pounds)
Price
249 Euro

 

The device features decent input devices.
The device features decent input devices.
The hinges...
The hinges...
...keep the lid firmly in position.
...keep the lid firmly in position.
Accessing the innards is possible despite the lack of a maintenance cover.
Accessing the innards is possible despite the lack of a maintenance cover.
Replacing the hard drive is no problem.
Replacing the hard drive is no problem.
Good: Two Wi-Fi antennas are installed.
Good: Two Wi-Fi antennas are installed.
The battery can be replaced in case of a defect.
The battery can be replaced in case of a defect.
It has a capacity of 30 Wh.
It has a capacity of 30 Wh.
The Aspire outdoors.
The Aspire outdoors.
The Aspire... (Picture: Acer)
The Aspire... (Picture: Acer)
...is also available in pink. (Picture: Acer)
...is also available in pink. (Picture: Acer)
(Picture: Acer)
(Picture: Acer)
(Picture: Acer)
(Picture: Acer)

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Pros

+Matte screen
+Quiet operation (no fan)
+Low price
+Decent keyboard
+24-month warranty
 

Cons

-No maintenance cover

Shortcut

What we like

The matte screen and virtually silent operation.

What we'd like to see

Basically, we didn't miss anything. Considering the price, the configuration and build are absolutely satisfactory.

What surprises us

The screen's brightness is relatively high for a laptop from the low-cost sector.

The competition

Asus F200MA-CT067H, Lenovo Thinkpad Edge E145, Lenovo IdeaPad S215, Toshiba Satellite NB10t-A-101, HP Pavilion TouchSmart 11-e000sb, Acer Aspire V5-131, Acer Aspire V5-132P

Rating

Acer Aspire E3-111-C6LG - 08/17/2014 v4(old)
Sascha Mölck

Chassis
73 / 98 → 74%
Keyboard
75%
Pointing Device
81%
Connectivity
58 / 80 → 73%
Weight
72 / 35-78 → 86%
Battery
84%
Display
72%
Games Performance
29 / 68 → 43%
Application Performance
45 / 87 → 52%
Temperature
82 / 91 → 90%
Noise
96%
Audio
40 / 91 → 44%
Camera
40 / 85 → 47%
Average
65%
76%
Netbook - Weighted Average
Sascha Mölck, 2014-08-21 (Update: 2018-05-15)