Acer Expands Fanless 2-in-1 Notebook Lineup with Switch 3 and Switch 5

Acer made several announcements at their Next@Acer event in New York city on Thursday, including the latest from their fanless 2-in-1 notebook lineup introducing the Switch 3 and Switch 5. The Switch 2-in-1 notebooks easily converts to a tablet, hence the name and utilize Acer’s liquid loop cooling system for a fan-free and silent method of keeping temperatures in check while maintaining the compact form factor fit for a tablet.

The Switch 5 2-in-1 features Acer’s patented auto-retracting kick-stand for adjusting viewing angles for the full HD IPS+ touch display panel, a finger print reader with Windows Hello, and is powered by an Intel 7th generation Core i5 or Core i7 processor. It runs on Windows 10 and has a battery life of 10.5 hours. It is lightweight and compact, measuring 292 (W) x 201.8 (D) x 12 (H) mm (11.5 x 7.94 x 0.47 inches) and weighing 1.27 kg (2.8 pounds). The Switch 5 tablet alone measures just 9.6 mm (0.38 inch) in height, and weighs 0.92 kg (2.03 pounds).

The Switch 3 on the other hand can be configured with either an Intel Celeron or Pentium proecssor and is outfitted with a 12.2 inch 1920 x 1200 FHD IPS panel with a 178 degree viewing angle and a 10-point touchscreen. The battery life is rated for up to 8 hours of usage. The Switch 3’s metallic top cover and complementary etched edging actually caught the attention of the judges at the Red Dot Award 2017 and won a Product Design award. The Switch 3 measures just 295 (W) x 201 (D) x 16.3 (H) mm (11.61 x 7.91 x 0.64 inches) and weighs 0.9 kg (1.98 pounds) when the tablet and keyboard are connected. The Switch 3 tablet alone measures just 9.95 mm (0.39 inch) in height, and weighs 0.9 kg (1.98 pounds).

Both the Switch 5 and Switch 3 come with attachable magnetic keyboards, although the Switch 5 has the added convenient of LED backlit keys. The keyboards are just 5.85mm thin with 1.4mm of travel and has a large trackpart built in. The keyboards also double as protective cover for the screen when the Switch devices are transported.

In terms of pricing and availability, the Acer Switch 5 will be available in North America in June starting at $799; in EMEA in June starting at €1,099; and in China in July starting at ¥7,499. The Acer Switch 3 on the other hand will be available in North America in June starting at $399; in EMEA in June starting at €499; and in China in July starting at ¥4,999. An optional USB Type-C dock for commercial use of the Switch 5 is also available, which includes the ports and connections commercial customers need: DisplayPort, HDMI, two USB 3.1 Type-C ports and three USB Type-A ports, as well as audio input for microphone and audio output for speakers.