Acer Aspire P3 ultrabook: Review

Manu Shankar takes a look at the Acer Aspire P3 ultrabook, and finds out why P3 could well be the thing that defines the future

In this day and age, when technology is moving the rate of knots, it’s hard to decide, what to buy and what not to buy.

Desktops got a promotion in the form of laptops, which then transformed into tablets. Now the buzzword in technology is hybrid laptops.

And with an array of hybrid laptops, one can easily be spoilt for choices.

So be it the Sony Vaio Duo or the Asus Transformer Book Duet TD300, all offer users a two in one benefit of tablet and a laptop at the same time.

Though these highly versatile devices command big purse, for many it’s worth every penny spent -- largely due to its comfort level, which allows them to carry it off anywhere.

In this war of hybrid laptops and ultrabooks, Taiwanese company Acer, from making budget laptops to now giving every other brand a run for its money, has upped its game in recent years.

Manu Shankar takes a look at the Acer Aspire P3 ultrabook, and finds out why P3 could well be the thing that defines the future.

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Design & display

Weighing at 1.39 kg, the Aspire P3 is a shade under 20mm thick. With its compact look, one has to say, design-wise, P3 would surpass everyone’s expectations.

Even though Acer is marketing it as an ultarabook, essentially the P3 is a tablet with a keyboard attached to it.

But the P3’s convertible factor should impress one and all, especially those who travel quite frequently.

Packed with an 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 IPS display, the Aspire P3 is powered by Windows 8.

While working on the unit, one can expect a slight problem of popping the tablet out the keyboard cover. Having said that, once you get the hang of it, it ceases to be a problem.

Once this issue is resolved, the P3 comes out as a well-crafted, single silver piece of aluminum, with a strip of white plastic near the top to aid Wi-Fi reception.

Boasting of a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, one can take decent pics, although there is a lot left to be desired when it comes to the camera part.

It has a 3.5mm headphone jack, with Dolby-enhanced speakers, which ensures that the sound is pretty good for a tablet. 

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Build

Aspire P3 tablet does give a solid feel because of its metal finish. However the same can’t be said about the keyboard.

Since it has a touchscreen, initially many would miss the touchpad, before eventually getting used to the touch version of it.

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Battery life and performance

The Aspire P3 is powered by a 4-cell, 5280 mAh battery. While one could get around four hours from a laptop even with extreme workload, the Aspire P3 could last for two and a half hours in the Battery Eater test.

Acer’s Iconia Tab W700 was much better in this regard as it lasted a little close to six and half hours. 

As far as performance is concerned, the Core i3 does ensure speedy and responsive operations. 

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Conclusion

Well to be honest, the Aspire P3 definitely does more than a decent job. For those, who are looking for the luxury of a laptop, it will be a disappointment in the sense that there is no touchpad, no card reader and lack of adequate USB ports.

Having said that, Aspire P3 is a tablet, which gives decent enough performance and of course it does give you the power to carry it off without much trouble.

With a better battery life, Aspire P3 could well be the one tablet to look out for.   

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