Acer Alpha 12" i3 SA5-271 Tablet Hybrid

Is the Acer Aspire Switch Alpha 12 Inch i3 SA5-271 tablet Hybrid worth the money? Windows tablets are all the rage these days. And competition is fierce. Tablet / Laptop brands are all racing against each other to bring out the best and most powerful device that will snag them a huge portion of customers and dominate the market up until their competitors copy the design, put their own spin on it, and take their share of the sales until another brand comes and does the same to them. This is what the market place is like. There's always something "better" on the way as technology keeps marching forward.

Sadly, when it comes to 2-in-1 hybrids (tablet / laptop mix) there seems to be considerable disappointment among the people who purchase them. It's not like every person who buys one is left unhappy, but when compared to stand alone (either one or the other) products, laptop or tablet, reviews tend to be better. Don't get me wrong, not all stand alone's have good reviews (some are terrible), and there are some decent tablet / laptop mixes out there that are pretty good for the price, but surprisingly, with 2-in1's it's the cheaper models that actually score more points with end users. Windows based models like the Linx 1010B and Linx 1020 are much cheaper than the higher specification examples, and less powerful, but seem to have that "Great deal" effect on customers.

Bad reviews are seen much more often when it comes to the more expensive models. I personally think that this is down to people having a much higher expectation from the device due to paying so much money for it. I mean, you get what you pay for, don't you. Well, when it comes to tablet hybrids that is not always the case. The idea sounds great, everything in one device. Use it for everything from work to entertainment, but in reality it has shown to be a difficult balance to get right.

You see, when it comes to 2-in-1 hybrids, not just those made by Acer, companies are still very much testing the waters. Their designs are still very much in, dare I say it, a prototype / experimentation stage, where nobody has really sussed out the best and most practical design but they get them to an acceptable enough standard bring them to market. And then you have other issues like profit margins and compatible hardware and software.

A quick example of profit margin would be - using cheaper components that don't last very long, such as poor quality batteries and chargers to increase how much they make on each device. An example for hardware / software would be how many brands / manufacturers put a 64bit Processor into a machine and then use a 32bit operating system. I think you get the idea.

When it comes to tablet / laptop hybrids I think the safer option is to buy a cheaper model so that you're not too much out of pocket if it decides to develop some annoying faults down the line. Of course a long warranty or paying extra for product cover is always wise too. Anyway, enough about everything other than the actual product itself. Let's get into some of the Acer (NT.LCDEK.002) Switch 12's features.

Acer Aspire Alpha Switch SA5-271 Quick Specification

Overall the specification of the Acer Aspire Alpha Switch SA5-271 (NT.LCDEK.002) 2-in-1 is impressive. Windows 10 Home Operating System (With Windows Ink), 12 Inch QHD (Quad High Definition) IPS (sharp and viewable from all angles) 2160 x 1440 display, Intel Core i3 6100 2.3 GHz Processor, 4GB RAM (DDR3), 128GB Internal storage, Dual cameras, two speakers, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, HDMI and magical USB 3.1 Port, headphone jack, good battery life and a great back stand.

This model also comes with a Stylus Pen (Acer Active Pen) and attachable / detachable keyboard which is back lit and connects to the device by magnetisation. It's also super quiet when running because it has no internal fans. Instead it uses pipe cooling technology.

If we compare the 12 Inch Alpha Switch to a cheaper alternative, the Linx 12V series, the reviews for Alpha do fare better. But considering how few reviews there are for the Switch 12 on Amazon, and seeing that it already has a few unhappy customers, is it really worth risking spending so much money when you could potentially be joining that list. But I suppose that's the risk with all electronics, not just hybrids. You pay your money you make your choice. If this model wasn't the price it is, it would be a fantastic choice. Find one being sold at a discount price and it would be well worth taking the chance on.

However, there are cheaper alternatives if you are able to sacrifice a few features and make do with an overall lower specification. If you're considering buying just because you want a nice device that you can use to perform general tasks like do some typing, check emails, browse the Internet, social media, Youtube etc, you can do all that and more while spend less than half the money of what the SA5-271 (NT.LCDEK.002) is to buy.

Of course, it depends what you want the device for. If you're into graphic design / drawing and need a device that you can not only use for daily tasks, but also to design / work on, the Acer Alpha Switch SA5-271 is able to handle that request to a fairly high degree. It comes with a Stylus Pen (Acer Active Pen) and the screen is pressure sensitive (like a Surface Pro) so it can be used with many of the popular software programs that people use for drawing / design.

But note, the level of pressure sensitivity won't be as high as the high-quality stand alone graphics tablets, like the Wacom Cintiq 13HD, but should be sufficient for the big majority of people to work with. Confused about graphics tablets? Do you even need that feature in a device. Know the difference between a slate style (no display) and one that has a screen you actually draw on. Read more about that here.

In this "review", or more of a talk about this model and the state of the hybrid scene, I have been comparing the Switch SA5-271 to much cheaper models, but the truth is, the SA5-271 is more like the Microsoft Surface Pro 4. Similar in price, very powerful, good build quality and with similar capabilities.

Many of the computer / tablet review websites rate the Alpha Switch SA5-271 highly. But I prefer to go on end user reviews where the people have actually paid for their device and are using it daily over a longer period of time. Rather than a person who has been given the product for free in exchange for a review. In many of these cases they have either owned the device for a few days to a week, or have just messed around with it here and there when they have the time in order to get a feel for the device so they can write the review. That kind of reminds me of Top Gear where they just drive the car for an hour and say its great, buy one.