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Acer Switch 5 and Switch 3 2-in-1s don't need fans to stay cool

The Windows 10 tablet PCs do just enough to stand out from the crowd of Surface clones coming this year.

Joshua Goldman Managing Editor / Advice
Managing Editor Josh Goldman is a laptop expert and has been writing about and reviewing them since built-in Wi-Fi was an optional feature. He also covers almost anything connected to a PC, including keyboards, mice, USB-C docks and PC gaming accessories. In addition, he writes about cameras, including action cams and drones. And while he doesn't consider himself a gamer, he spends entirely too much time playing them.
Expertise Laptops, desktops and computer and PC gaming accessories including keyboards, mice and controllers, cameras, action cameras and drones Credentials
  • More than two decades experience writing about PCs and accessories, and 15 years writing about cameras of all kinds.
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Joshua Goldman
2 min read

And the cavalcade of Microsoft Surface clones continues.

Not that cloning is always a bad thing, especially when a manufacturer can bring something new to the design like Acer's new Switch 3 and Switch 5 two-in-ones. The Windows 10 tablet PCs , which arrive in June, join the company's Switch Alpha 12 and while they resemble Microsoft's star tablet, they aren't quite the same.

For starters, Acer uses a U-shaped kickstand that has a enough stiffness and range to hold it at a variety of angles up to 165 degrees. The Switch 5 goes a step further with a design that lets you adjust that angle with a single finger, so it's more like a traditional clamshell. The same model gets a power button that also works as a fingerprint reader for logging in with Windows Hello.

All the new laptops, tablets, VR headsets and more from Acer's global press conference

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The 12-inch Switch 5 starts at $800 (roughly £620 and AU$1,070) and has a 2,160x1,440-pixel resolution IPS touchscreen and is available with seventh-gen Intel Core i5 or i7 processors , 8GB of memory, Intel HD graphics and up to 512GB of storage.

The lower end 12.2-inch Switch 3 comes in at $400, which converts to about £310 and AU$535, and has a 1,920x1,200-pixel resolution IPS touchscreen and is available with Intel Pentium or Celeron processors, 4GB of memory, Intel HD graphics and up to 128GB of storage.

Acer claims a battery life up to 10.5 hours for the 5 and 8 hours for the 3. Though the Switch 3 is definitely lower end, both include a nice keyboard cover and work with Acer's optional Active Pen. Plus, regardless of what's inside or what you're doing with them, they run silent, thanks to a fanless design courtesy of Acer's proprietary liquid cooling system.

Look for the Acer Switch 3 and 5 in June.