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MagyarAcer Aspire Switch One 10 SW1-011-14UQ Notebook Review
For the original German review, see here.
Acer's Switch One is an inexpensive convertible Windows laptop with a 10.1-inch screen. The little computer is equipped with an Atom processor from the Cherry Trail generation. The device's competition comprises other hybrid laptops like the Lenovo IdeaPad MIIX 310 and the HP x2 210 G1.
Case and Connectivity
The Switch One's coal-colored case is made almost entirely of plastic. Only the backside of the tablet consists of brushed metal. In the area of manufacturing, the convertible laptop revealed no weaknesses. The tablet component proved exceptionally stable and hardly twistable. The keyboard dock is a different story: we were able to bend and twist it easily.
The device comes with the usual array of connections. The tablet component houses both a micro HDMI port and a micro USB (2.0) port. The keyboard dock is outfitted with another USB 2.0 connection (Type A). Acer chose to leave out the newer USB 3.0 technology. The built-in WLAN module contains a Realtek chip (RTL8723BS) that supports the WLAN standards 802.11b/g/n, but not the fast ac standard.
The Switch One comes loaded with the 32-bit version of Windows 10 Home. Because this version is more conservative with its system resources, manufacturers often install this OS on machines with less performance power at their command. As a result, the computer is incapable of running 64-bit applications, though this fact is immaterial. Nearly every application is available in a 32-bit version.
Connectivity
Input Devices
The flat, slightly roughened keys on the unlit chiclet keyboard have a short travel length. The click point is somewhat spongy, and we wish the keys offered a little more resistance. Due to its construction, the keyboard buckles a little during typing, though not to a bothersome degree. All in all, Acer's keyboard is suited for home use, but prolific typists are likely to be dissatisfied. The multi-touch capable ClickPad measures about 9 x 5 cm (~3.5 x 2 inches). Fingers glide easily over the pad's smooth surface. The pad has a short travel length and a clear click point.
The touchscreen supports 10 touchpoints. It functions flawlessly and reacts instantly to input. It can be operated with fingers or an active stylus. We tested the latter functionality with a stylus manufactured by Hama.
Display
The Switch One's 10.1-inch touchscreen display has a native resolution of 1280x800 pixels. Acer surprised us with this bright (311 cd/m²) and contrast-rich (1086:1) screen. Unfortunately, at 70 percent brightness and below, PWM flickering occurs at a frequency of 52 Hz. It does not take a high degree of sensitivity to develop a headache and/or eye problems with exposure to that kind of flickering.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 82 %
Center on Battery: 271 cd/m²
Contrast: 1086:1 (Black: 0.29 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 6.78 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.1
ΔE Greyscale 7.7 | 0.57-98 Ø5.4
77.9% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
49.9% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
54.3% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
77.8% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
52.6% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.23
| Acer Switch One 10 SW1-011-14UQ IPS, 1280x800, 10.10 | Acer Switch V 10 SW5-017-196Q IPS, 1280x800, 10.10 | Lenovo IdeaPad MIIX 310-10ICR IPS, 1280x800, 10.10 | HP x2 210 G1 IPS, 1280x800, 10.10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | -1% | -3% | -19% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 52.6 | 52.5 0% | 51.1 -3% | 42.77 -19% |
| sRGB Coverage | 77.8 | 76.3 -2% | 75.2 -3% | 63.7 -18% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 54.3 | 54.1 0% | 52.7 -3% | 44.22 -19% |
| Response Times | 533% | 13% | -9% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 39 ? | 29 ? 26% | 31.6 ? 19% | 43 ? -10% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 22 ? | 25 ? -14% | 24.8 ? -13% | 25 ? -14% |
| PWM Frequency | 52 ? | 877 ? 1587% | 69.4 33% | 50 ? -4% |
| Screen | 12% | -8% | 1% | |
| Brightness middle | 315 | 270 -14% | 251.9 -20% | 313 -1% |
| Brightness | 311 | 239 -23% | 233 -25% | 295 -5% |
| Brightness Distribution | 82 | 82 0% | 83 1% | 84 2% |
| Black Level * | 0.29 | 0.21 28% | 0.348 -20% | 0.21 28% |
| Contrast | 1086 | 1286 18% | 724 -33% | 1490 37% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 6.78 | 3.01 56% | 6.35 6% | 6.79 -0% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 11.61 | 4.63 60% | 11.15 4% | 14.11 -22% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 7.7 | 7.66 1% | 7.09 8% | 6.78 12% |
| Gamma | 2.23 99% | 1.45 152% | 2.02 109% | 2.26 97% |
| CCT | 8676 75% | 6665 98% | 8590 76% | 6708 97% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 49.9 | 49 -2% | 52.69 6% | 41 -18% |
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 77.9 | 76 -2% | 63 -19% | |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | 181% /
107% | 1% /
-3% | -9% /
-4% |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 52 Hz | ≤ 70 % brightness setting |  |
The display backlight flickers at 52 Hz (Likely utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 70 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting. The frequency of 52 Hz is very low, so the flickering may cause eyestrain and headaches after extended use. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 19035 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
In factory default state, the display's DeltaE 2000 color difference is 6.78. Manufacturers should strive for a difference of less than 3. The screen also suffers from a blue cast.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 22 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 5 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 17 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 39 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (22.3 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 39 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 17 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 22 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.25 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 50 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (35.1 ms). | ||
The Switch One's IPS panel has stable viewing angles, allowing the user to view the screen content from any perspective. The display's reflective surface is often prohibitive in outdoor use - especially in direct sunlight.
Performance
Acer's Switch One is a 10.1-inch convertible laptop. The hardware only has enough performance power for simple office and internet-related applications. Our test device is priced at around 250 Euros (~$265). Acer also offers other versions of the hybrid computer with different hardware components.
Processor
The Switch One is powered by a quadcore Intel Atom x5 Z8300 (Cherry Trail) processor. The CPU's performance power is sufficient for ordinary office and internet-related applications. The Atom processor runs at a base clock speed of 1.44 GHz. With turbo, the clock rate rises to up to 1.84 GHz. The computer does take advantage of its turbo: it completed our CPU tests at 1.6 GHz (multithread) and 1.6 to 1.84 GHz (single thread).
| Cinebench R10 | |
| Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit | |
| Acer Switch V 10 SW5-017-196Q | |
| Acer Switch One 10 SW1-011-14UQ | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad MIIX 310-10ICR | |
| HP x2 210 G1 | |
| Rendering Single 32Bit | |
| Acer Switch V 10 SW5-017-196Q | |
| Acer Switch One 10 SW1-011-14UQ | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad MIIX 310-10ICR | |
| HP x2 210 G1 | |
| Geekbench 3 | |
| 32 Bit Single-Core Score | |
| Acer Switch V 10 SW5-017-196Q | |
| Acer Switch One 10 SW1-011-14UQ | |
| 32 Bit Multi-Core Score | |
| Acer Switch V 10 SW5-017-196Q | |
| Acer Switch One 10 SW1-011-14UQ | |
| JetStream 1.1 - Total Score | |
| Acer Switch V 10 SW5-017-196Q | |
| HP x2 210 G1 | |
| Acer Switch One 10 SW1-011-14UQ | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Acer Switch One 10 SW1-011-14UQ | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad MIIX 310-10ICR | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total Score | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad MIIX 310-10ICR | |
| Acer Switch One 10 SW1-011-14UQ | |
* ... smaller is better
System Performance
As long as the SoC is not overtaxed, the computer's behavior is fluid and stable. The SoC's weak performance is noticeable when it loads websites that are heavy with ads or multimedia elements, as the device needs some time to complete tasks of that nature. Because the system runs the 32-bit version of Windows 10, its PC Mark 8 Home score is low compared to many of its competitors. There is no way to increase the system's overall performance.
| PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 1315 points | |
Help | ||
| PCMark 8 - Home Score Accelerated v2 | |
| Acer Switch V 10 SW5-017-196Q | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad MIIX 310-10ICR | |
| HP x2 210 G1 | |
| Acer Switch One 10 SW1-011-14UQ | |
Storage Devices
The system's mass storage medium is an eMMC module with a capacity of 64 GB. In factory default state, about 47 GB remain available to the user. Some preinstalled applications and tools can be removed to free up a little more storage space. The transfer rates are normal for an eMMC drive. The storage space can be expanded with a microSD card.
| Acer Switch One 10 SW1-011-14UQ 64 GB eMMC Flash | Acer Switch V 10 SW5-017-196Q 64 GB eMMC Flash | Lenovo IdeaPad MIIX 310-10ICR 64 GB eMMC Flash | HP x2 210 G1 64 GB eMMC Flash | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CrystalDiskMark 3.0 | -19% | -31% | -32% | |
| Read Seq | 169 | 153.9 -9% | 151.9 -10% | 134.1 -21% |
| Write Seq | 109.8 | 101.1 -8% | 87.3 -20% | 66.1 -40% |
| Read 512 | 163.2 | 136.2 -17% | 144.5 -11% | 112.9 -31% |
| Write 512 | 105.6 | 91.5 -13% | 58 -45% | 57.7 -45% |
| Read 4k | 18.95 | 12.58 -34% | 9.35 -51% | 15.79 -17% |
| Write 4k | 23.33 | 12.38 -47% | 12.26 -47% | 10.06 -57% |
| Read 4k QD32 | 29.17 | 23.81 -18% | 29 -1% | 35.31 21% |
| Write 4k QD32 | 37.32 | 33.93 -9% | 13.18 -65% | 11.84 -68% |
Graphics Card
Intel's Cherry Trail generation HD Graphics GPU supports DirectX 12 and runs at speeds of up to 500 MHz. The results in the 3D Mark benchmark are normal for this graphics core.
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 338 points | |
Help | ||
| 3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU | |
| Acer Switch V 10 SW5-017-196Q | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad MIIX 310-10ICR | |
| Acer Switch One 10 SW1-011-14UQ | |
| HP x2 210 G1 | |
Gaming Performance
For modern 3D games, the computer's Cherry Trail SoC is much too weak. Users who want to play games on this convertible laptop should stick with the casual games available in the Windows Store.
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
| Trackmania Nations Forever (2008) | 96.1 | 22.9 |
Emissions and Energy
The Switch One is passively cooled, meaning there is no fan present to make noise. None of the other components generate background noise either.
Temperature
The convertible laptop completed our stress test (Prime95 and FurMark running simultaneously for at least an hour) in the same way in both AC power mode and battery mode. The CPU (480 MHz) and GPU (400 MHz) both ran at low speeds from start to finish. The device never got especially warm. The surface temperature only surpassed 40°C (104°F) in one spot.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 38.4 °C / 101 F, compared to the average of 35.3 °C / 96 F, ranging from 19.6 to 55.7 °C for the class Convertible.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 44.3 °C / 112 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 29.7 °C / 85 F, compared to the device average of 30.2 °C / 86 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 31.4 °C / 88.5 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.2 °C / 82.8 F (-3.2 °C / -5.7 F).
Speakers
The stereo speakers are housed on the bottom edge of the backside of the tablet. Their maximum volume is fairly low, and they produce a tinny sound that suffers from a serious lack of bass. Users will need to rely on headphones or external speakers for a better auditory experience.
Acer Switch One 10 SW1-011-14UQ audio analysis
(-) | not very loud speakers (70 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 12.7% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (4.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 7.8% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (13.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 10.2% higher than median
(-) | highs are not linear (15.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (28.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 87% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 11% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 20%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 89% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 8% worse
» The best had a delta of 3%, average was 20%, worst was 65%
Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (9.3% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 4% of all tested devices in this class were better, 1% similar, 95% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 50%
Compared to all devices tested
» 3% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 96% worse
» The best had a delta of 3%, average was 20%, worst was 65%
Frequenzdiagramm im Vergleich (Checkboxen oben an-/abwählbar!)
Power Consumption
In terms of energy consumption, the Switch One holds no surprises. Under every level of load, the computer's energy consumption rate is normal for a device with this hardware. The power supply is rated at 15 watts.
| Off / Standby |   0.06 / 0.36 Watt |
| Idle |  3.1 / 5.1 / 5.5 Watt |
| Load |
10.4 / 10.5 Watt |
    
| |
Battery Life
Our WLAN test - designed to simulate normal, everyday use - uses a script to keep the system busy by regularly loading new websites. The "balanced" profile is active, the device's energy saving functions are deactivated, and the display brightness is set to about 150 cd/m². The Switch One's battery lasted 8:53 h in this test.
| Battery Runtime - WiFi Websurfing | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad MIIX 310-10ICR | |
| HP x2 210 G1 | |
| Acer Switch One 10 SW1-011-14UQ | |
| Acer Switch V 10 SW5-017-196Q | |
Pros
Cons
Verdict
Acer's 10.1-inch convertible Windows laptop has a Cherry Trail processor on board, designed to run simple office and internet-related applications. A decoder integrated into the GPU lightens the CPU's load while the computer runs videos in any of the usual formats. The device runs silently and hardly warms up at all. One pro: Our test device is equipped with a 64 GB eMMC module. Acer also has models on the market with only 32 GB of storage space. We do not recommend models with such little storage, no matter the manufacturer. 32 GB is simply too little for a Windows 10 system. Of the Switch One's 64 GB, around 47 GB remain available to the user. The hybrid laptop's keyboard is suited for home use. The computer has a good battery life, and its IPS display offers stable viewing angles, high brightness and rich contrast - great features for a device in this price range.
Acer's Switch One is a reasonably good convertible Windows laptop, though it has its weak points.
The device deserves some criticism for its lack of USB Type-C ports. The dearth of USB 3.0 ports is also a drawback. Additionally, Acer is only offering a one-year warranty - a step backwards for the manufacturer.
Acer Switch One 10 SW1-011-14UQ
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02/11/2017 v6(old)
Sascha Mölck
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