Computex 2013 | Acer Unveils Aspire S3 and Aspire S7 with Intel Haswell

Acer has just unveiled new models in its Aspire S3 and S7 product lines at Computex 2013. The revised ultrabook series feature design changes as well as Intel's new processor generation Haswell and high-resolution touch screens.

Ronald Tiefenthäler (translated by Jesper Berg), Published 06/03/2013

Ultrabook Haswell

Acer has unveiled new ultrabooks in the Aspire series at Computex 2013, running from 4 to 8 June in Taipei, the Aspire S3 and S7. Both product lines have received a facelift with subtle design changes. Both are also equipped with Intel's brand new 4th generation Core processors code-named Haswell, as well as high-resolution touch screens.

The new Acer Aspire S3 gets a comprehensive upgrade and the Acer Aspire S7 gets an option for a Quad HD (qHD) display with a 2,560 x 1,440 pixel resolution. Acer also uses its own chiclet-style keyboard, where the tilde key is placed together with the Caps Lock key on the left, whereas on the right the 'Ins' key is directly above the Enter key. Both ultrabooks are set to hit the market in July, with the Acer Aspire S3 starting at 1,000 euros and the Aspire S7-392 starting at 1,450 euros.

The new, 0.7 inch, 3.7 pound Aspire S3 Ultrabook borrows some features from the S7, such as the TwinAir cooling system with two fans. It also offers sturdier hinges that allow the lid to be tilted 180 degrees.

However, the S3 does not come with Gorilla Glass; instead the lid has been painted. Its Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) display is powered by an Nvidia GeForce GT 735M graphics card and in the storage department the S3 is available with a 1TB hard drive with an SSD cache.

Acer's new 13.3-inch flagship, the Aspire S7, tips the scales to 2.87 pounds and is just 0.53 inches thin. The display is a "Retina" model sporting a 1,440 x 2,560 pixel (Quad HD or qHD resolution) and unlike the S3, the S7 has Gorilla Glass 2 covering both sides of the lid. WiDi is also included for transmitting video to a similarly equipped TV set.

Acer has equipped the chiclet keyboard on the S7-392 with power-saving Electro Luminescent (EL) backlighting, whereas the cooling solution in the thin ultrabook chassis is the aforementioned TwinAir fan combo.

Compared to the "old" S7, Acer promises a 33% improvement in battery life with the new model, resulting in a total runtime of about 7 hours.