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The Acer Aspire S3 is a mostly pleasant laptop with a light focus on gaming that may appeal to those looking for a work computer that can double up for some downtime fun. There are some minor quirks to the keyboard and trackpad, but the one thing that really holds it back is battery life. It's just not remotely close to the best out there, and stamina really matters in a portable laptop like this.
We liked
Adding dedicated graphics hasn't taken too much away from the slim and light body, which is good to see, and the 1080p IPS screen is just what we're after in a laptop like this, even if it has been superseded resolution-wise.
Performance is sound thanks to an Intel Core i5 processor and 16GB SSD cache.
We disliked
Battery life is not great for an Ultrabook, missing out on all-day use away from the power plug. And while the GeForce 735M is a welcome addition, it's simply not very powerful.
There are also some questionable elements to the keyboard/trackpad design.
Final verdict
The Acer Aspire S3 isn't a top performer in any category, but it's an interesting splicing of an Ultrabook and a less portable laptop with its hybrid hard drive and dedicated GPU. It's a combo that works too, but the disappointing battery life will certainly put off a few potential buyers.
