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MagyarAcer Switch V 10 SW5 (x5-Z8350) Convertible Review
For the original German review, see here.
Acer's Switch V 10 is a 10.1-inch convertible Windows laptop. Our current test device is the successor to the Acer Aspire Switch 10V SW5-014-1742, which we reviewed in May of last year. Visually, the two devices do not have much in common, but inside they share a commonality: both systems are fitted with Atom processors from the Cherry Trail generation. The Switch V 10's competitors consist of other convertible laptops, e.g. the Lenovo IdeaPad MIIX 310 and the HP x2 210 G1.
Case and Connectivity
The Switch's case is almost entirely black, though Acer has embellished the device with a few silvery accents. In terms of manufacturing quality, the little computer does not appear to have any major weaknesses. Its stability, on the other hand, leaves something to be desired. It takes little effort to bend the keyboard, and the laptop is not particularly rigid on the whole.
Acer has not provided the Switch with many ports. The focal point here is the Type C USB port (USB 3.1 Gen 1). This port serves as the video output (DisplayPort over USB-C; requires the purchase of an adapter) and the connection for USB devices. Another USB port (USB 2.0, Type A) has found its way into the keyboard dock. We were disappointed not to find a second Type-C port on the tablet and another Type-A USB 3.0 on the keyboard dock.
The built-in WLAN module has a Qualcomm chip (QCA6174) that supports the WLAN standards 802.11a/b/g/n, as well as the fast ac standard. Our WLAN test, which is performed under optimal conditions (no other WLAN devices in the vicinity, short distance between the laptop and server PC), demonstrated that the device has good data transfer rates.
Connectivity
| Networking | |
| iperf Server (receive) TCP 1 m | |
| HP x2 210 G1 | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad MIIX 310-10ICR | |
| iperf Client (transmit) TCP 1 m | |
| HP x2 210 G1 | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad MIIX 310-10ICR | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| Acer Switch V 10 SW5-017-196Q | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| Acer Switch V 10 SW5-017-196Q | |
Input Devices
The Switch's flat, slightly roughened keys have a short travel distance and clear click-point. The tactile response could be a little crisper, at least for our taste. The keyboard buckles somewhat during typing, though not to an intolerable extent. All in all, this is a reasonably good keyboard for home use. The multitouch-capable ClickPad measures about 9 x 5 cm (~3.5 x 2 inches). Fingers glide easily over the pad's smooth surface, but its click point could be more distinct. The Switch's touchscreen supports 10 touch points. It reacts to input instantaneously and did not cause us any trouble. The touchscreen can also be operated with an active stylus. We tested this functionality with a stylus manufactured by Hama - to our full satisfaction.
Display
The Switch's 10.1-inch touchscreen display has a native resolution of 1280x800 pixels. It offers a good contrast ratio (1286:1), but we expected a better brightness level (238.6 cd/m²). A convertible laptop should reach at least 300 cd/m². At brightness levels of 90% and under, the display uses PWM backlight flickering at a frequency of 877 Hz. Even sensitive individuals should not have to worry about eye problems or headaches at this frequency.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 82 %
Center on Battery: 270 cd/m²
Contrast: 1286:1 (Black: 0.21 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.01 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.1
ΔE Greyscale 7.66 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
76% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
49% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
54.1% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
76.3% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
52.5% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 1.45
| Acer Switch V 10 SW5-017-196Q IPS, 1280x800, 10.10 | Acer Aspire Switch 10V SW5-014-1742 IPS, 1920x1200, 10.10 | Lenovo IdeaPad MIIX 310-10ICR IPS, 1280x800, 10.10 | HP x2 210 G1 IPS, 1280x800, 10.10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | -13% | -2% | -18% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 52.5 | 45.37 -14% | 51.1 -3% | 42.77 -19% |
| sRGB Coverage | 76.3 | 67.5 -12% | 75.2 -1% | 63.7 -17% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 54.1 | 46.88 -13% | 52.7 -3% | 44.22 -18% |
| Response Times | -10% | -33% | -47% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 29 ? | 37 ? -28% | 31.6 ? -9% | 43 ? -48% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 25 ? | 23 ? 8% | 24.8 ? 1% | 25 ? -0% |
| PWM Frequency | 877 ? | 69.4 -92% | 50 ? -94% | |
| Screen | 0% | -40% | -30% | |
| Brightness middle | 270 | 451 67% | 251.9 -7% | 313 16% |
| Brightness | 239 | 440 84% | 233 -3% | 295 23% |
| Brightness Distribution | 82 | 85 4% | 83 1% | 84 2% |
| Black Level * | 0.21 | 0.48 -129% | 0.348 -66% | 0.21 -0% |
| Contrast | 1286 | 940 -27% | 724 -44% | 1490 16% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 3.01 | 3.03 -1% | 6.35 -111% | 6.79 -126% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 4.63 | 6.45 -39% | 11.15 -141% | 14.11 -205% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 7.66 | 1.74 77% | 7.09 7% | 6.78 11% |
| Gamma | 1.45 152% | 2.37 93% | 2.02 109% | 2.26 97% |
| CCT | 6665 98% | 6568 99% | 8590 76% | 6708 97% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 49 | 43 -12% | 52.69 8% | 41 -16% |
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 76 | 59 -22% | 63 -17% | |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -8% /
-4% | -25% /
-31% | -32% /
-31% |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 877 Hz | ≤ 90 % brightness setting |  |
The display backlight flickers at 877 Hz (Likely utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 90 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting. The frequency of 877 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering. In comparison: 54 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18993 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
The display's color representation in the factory default state is excellent. With a DeltaE 2000 color difference value of just 3.01, the display misses the target range (DeltaE less than 3) by a hair's breadth. The panel has no blue cast to speak of.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 25 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 9 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 16 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 52 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.9 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 29 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 8 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 21 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.25 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 30 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (34.5 ms). | ||
Acer has selected an IPS panel with stable viewing angles for their little laptop. As a result, the screen content looks correct from nearly any position. The Switch clearly is not cut out for outdoor use. Due to the display's low brightness level and reflective surface, working out in the sunshine is simply impossible.
Performance
The Acer Switch V 10 is a 10.1-inch convertible Windows laptop. The little computer is only suited to run simple office and internet-related applications. Our test device is currently on the market for about 360 Euros (~$390). As of the publishing of this review, we were able to find only one other current version of the Switch V 10. As well as the eMMC storage offered by our test device, its brother is also fitted with a 500 GB hard drive (located in the keyboard dock). Windows 10 Pro serves as the operating system.
Processor
Acer has equipped their Switch with an Intel Atom x5 Z8350 (Cherry Trail) processor. This quad-core processor has enough performance power for simple office and internet-related applications. Thanks to its low TDP (less than 4 watts), the SoC can be passively cooled - and indeed, so it is. The chip uses its turbo in both AC power mode and battery mode, and it runs at 1.7 GHz (Multi-thread) or 1.7 to 1.92 GHz (single thread).
| Cinebench R10 | |
| Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit | |
| Acer Switch V 10 SW5-017-196Q | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad MIIX 310-10ICR | |
| HP x2 210 G1 | |
| Rendering Single 32Bit | |
| Acer Switch V 10 SW5-017-196Q | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad MIIX 310-10ICR | |
| HP x2 210 G1 | |
| Geekbench 3 | |
| 32 Bit Single-Core Score | |
| Acer Switch V 10 SW5-017-196Q | |
| 32 Bit Multi-Core Score | |
| Acer Switch V 10 SW5-017-196Q | |
| Geekbench 4.0 | |
| 64 Bit Single-Core Score | |
| Acer Switch V 10 SW5-017-196Q | |
| 64 Bit Multi-Core Score | |
| Acer Switch V 10 SW5-017-196Q | |
| JetStream 1.1 - Total Score | |
| Acer Switch V 10 SW5-017-196Q | |
| HP x2 210 G1 | |
| Acer Aspire Switch 10V SW5-014-1742 | |
System Performance
The hardware in the Switch V 10 has been designed to run simple office and internet-related applications. The computer's fairly weak performance power becomes noticeable when it tries to load websites that are packed with advertisements. The score in the PC Mark benchmark is reflective of the performance capabilities of the SoC. It would not be possible for the user to install or replace hardware to improve the computer's overall performance.
| PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 1520 points | |
Help | ||
| PCMark 8 - Home Score Accelerated v2 | |
| Acer Switch V 10 SW5-017-196Q | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad MIIX 310-10ICR | |
| HP x2 210 G1 | |
Storage Devices
The Switch has a 64 GB eMMC module on board. Of the 64 GB, about 43 GB remain available to the user. The module's transfer rates are in the normal range for eMMC storage. Those who desire more storage can expand the space with a microSD card.
Another version of the convertible laptop comes with a 500 GB 2.5-inch hard drive in the keyboard dock. It would not be possible to retrofit our test device with a 2.5-inch drive - there is neither a SATA connection nor space inside the dock.
| Acer Switch V 10 SW5-017-196Q 64 GB eMMC Flash | Acer Aspire Switch 10V SW5-014-1742 Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142 | Lenovo IdeaPad MIIX 310-10ICR 64 GB eMMC Flash | HP x2 210 G1 64 GB eMMC Flash | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CrystalDiskMark 3.0 | -2% | -14% | -14% | |
| Read Seq | 153.9 | 167 9% | 151.9 -1% | 134.1 -13% |
| Write Seq | 101.1 | 94.9 -6% | 87.3 -14% | 66.1 -35% |
| Read 512 | 136.2 | 149.9 10% | 144.5 6% | 112.9 -17% |
| Write 512 | 91.5 | 26.35 -71% | 58 -37% | 57.7 -37% |
| Read 4k | 12.58 | 17.26 37% | 9.35 -26% | 15.79 26% |
| Write 4k | 12.38 | 13.85 12% | 12.26 -1% | 10.06 -19% |
| Read 4k QD32 | 23.81 | 33.39 40% | 29 22% | 35.31 48% |
| Write 4k QD32 | 33.93 | 17.38 -49% | 13.18 -61% | 11.84 -65% |
Graphics Card
An Intel HD Graphics (Cherry Trail) GPU is responsible for graphics output. This unit supports DirectX 12 and runs at speeds of up to 500 MHz. The results in the 3D Mark benchmark are in the normal range for this GPU.
The decoder integrated into the GPU eases the processor's burden during video playback. The decoder supports all the common formats, including H.264 and its successor, H.265. The latter allows for smaller file sizes at the same picture quality. During playback of our test video (4k, H.265, 60 FPS), the CPU load level was below 10%. We used the Windows 10 "Movies & TV" app to play our video. This app supports hardware-accelerated playback of H.265 material, whereas the Windows Media Player does not.
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 410 points | |
Help | ||
| 3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU | |
| Acer Switch V 10 SW5-017-196Q | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad MIIX 310-10ICR | |
| Acer Aspire Switch 10V SW5-014-1742 | |
| HP x2 210 G1 | |
Gaming Performance
The Switch's hardware is fit for playing casual games - such as those available in the Windows Store. Games that demand a lot of the hardware, e.g. “Watch Dogs 2”, are not playable.
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
| Trackmania Nations Forever (2008) | 97.8 | 25 |
Emissions and Energy
The Switch runs silently. It has no fan, and no other part of the device whirs or squeaks to break the silence.
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 (1.68 GHz) and graphics core (500 MHz) both ran at very high speeds for about 5 minutes. Then both units began to throttle, slowly and gradually. After about an hour, the processor's speed clocked in at 1.2 GHz, while the graphics core ran at 420 MHz. The device never grew excessively warm. During the stress test, the computer's temperatures remained under 40°C (104°F) in all of the spots we measured.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 38 °C / 100 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 37.7 °C / 100 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26.2 °C / 79 F, compared to the device average of 30.2 °C / 86 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (33.5 °C / 92.3 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.1 °C / 82.6 F (-5.4 °C / -9.7 F).
Speakers
The stereo speakers are located along the front edge of the tablet component. They produce an acceptable sound quality, though bass tones are almost entirely absent. Users will need to rely on headphones or external speakers for a truly satisfying sound quality.
Acer Switch V 10 SW5-017-196Q audio analysis
(-) | not very loud speakers (66 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 28.6% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (7.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.6% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (9.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 6.7% higher than median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (7.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(-) | overall sound is not linear (31.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 90% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 8% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 21%, worst was 57%
Compared to all devices tested
» 88% of all tested devices were better, 2% similar, 10% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 26%, worst was 134%
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 (10.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 4% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 94% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 20%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 3% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 96% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 26%, worst was 134%
Frequency diagram comparison (checkboxes above are selectable/deselectable!)
Power Consumption
While the computer was idling, we measured a maximum energy consumption rate of 5.6 watts - a good result. At the beginning of the stress test, this number rose to 12 watts. After about 5 minutes, the number slowly began to sink again, in correspondence with the CPU and GPU's falling clock speeds. The power supply's nominal power rating is 15 watts.
| Off / Standby |   0.25 / 1.24 Watt |
| Idle |  2.9 / 5.3 / 5.6 Watt |
| Load |
10.9 / 12 Watt |
    
| |
Battery Life
In our WLAN test, which is designed to simulate practical, everyday use, we run a script that loads new websites at a regular interval. The "balanced" profile is active, the laptop's energy-saving functions are deactivated, and the display brightness is set to about 150 cd/m². The Switch reached a run time of 8:13 h.
Note: Our test device's battery demonstrated a wear level of 16%. In other words: The original capacity of 28.2 watts was no longer available - the capacity dropped to just 23.7 watts. With a fully functional battery, the Switch would run even longer.
| Battery Runtime - WiFi Websurfing | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad MIIX 310-10ICR | |
| HP x2 210 G1 | |
| Acer Switch V 10 SW5-017-196Q | |
| Acer Aspire Switch 10V SW5-014-1742 | |
Pros
Cons
Verdict
The Switch V 10 is a new 10.1-inch convertible Windows laptop from Acer. Its Atom processor has the right level of performance power for simple office and internet-related applications. A decoder integrated into the GPU eases the CPU's burden during playback of videos in all the common video formats. The device runs silently and hardly warms up at all. Of the 64 GB of gross storage space, about 43 GB remains available to the user. Those who need more will have to make use of a microSD card. The keyboard is good enough for home use, though it is not designed for people with large hands. The IPS display delights the eye with its stable viewing angles and high contrast - although it could be brighter.
Acer's Switch V 10 is a well-rounded convertible Windows laptop.
However, Acer deserves some criticism for their stinginess in terms of connectivity. A second USB Type-C port on the tablet and another Type-A USB 3.0 port on the keyboard dock would have finished off the computer nicely. On top of that, Acer is only offering a one-year warranty. We are used to better customer care from this company. Even Acer's laptops from lower price brackets generally come with a two-year warranty.
Acer Switch V 10 SW5-017-196Q
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01/10/2017 v6(old)
Sascha Mölck
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