Acer Aspire Switch 10 review

A budget laptop-tablet hybrid

Acer Aspire Switch 10 review
Acer Aspire Switch 10 review

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

We liked

The Aspire Switch 10 is a true hybrid device, as it works just like a netbook when the dock is attached. It's perfectly suited to being carried around in tablet form as a portable media player, and used as a laptop for document writing and editing.

Since it's an affordable tablet, performance is restricted to the lower end of computing devices, but it's not the worst performing tablet I've used. In Windows and Modern UI it runs well, and as long as you don't try to run particularly demanding software on it, you won't have any complaints.

The screen is definitely a plus point too. Colours look good, the Modern UI interface is vibrant and it's fairly bright.

It's also nice to have a full-sized USB port on the dock, which makes up for the extra weight and size it adds to the tablet when the two are connected.

We disliked

This is a budget tablet, and unfortunately it feels like one, with a cheap overall build quality, and a chassis and dock that bend very easily with just a small amount of pressure. The trackpad is also a clunky effort, and this hybrid's keys are a bit on the small side too.

The Switch 10 is not particularly svelte or light, and annoyingly it comes with the usual Acer bloatware crammed on board.

Benchmarks were generally unimpressive, particularly gaming ones, and the flash storage isn't an impressive performer either, especially when it comes to write speeds.

Final verdict

The Acer Aspire Switch 10 is a reasonable tablet for the money, but the overall experience isn't anywhere near as good as the top tablets from the likes of Apple, Samsung or Sony. It doesn't feel as good to hold, and can be quite slow when running full x86 software.

But the main selling point is that it even runs x86 software at all, coupled with its value for money. Undoubtedly, the top pick of x86 tablets is Microsoft's Surface Pro 3, with far better performance, but the Switch 10 is less than half the price. It's priced to compete with Chromebooks and measures up fairly well in that respect.

TOPICS
Latest in Pro
An image of network security icons for a network encircling a digital blue earth.
Why multi-CDNs are going to shake up 2025
URL phishing
HaveIBeenPwned owner suffers phishing attack that stole his Mailchimp mailing list
Ransomware
Cl0p resurgence drives ransomware attacks to new highs in 2025
Millwall FC The Den
The UK's first football club mobile network is here - but you probably won't guess which team has launched it
A person using a smartphone with a cybersecurity lock symbol appearing over it.
The growing threat of device code phishing and how to defend against It
Cybersecurity
Why OT security needs exposure management to break the cycle of endless patching
Latest in Reviews
The RIG M2 Streamstar.
I wanted to love the new RIG M2 Streamstar, but this pricey gaming microphone fails to deliver
Bambu Lab H2D Vs X1C
I've been reviewing the hotly anticipated Bambu Lab H2D for a month, and it's the most versatile machine I've ever used
Full view of the Cherry KW 7100 Mini BT
I tested the Cherry KW 7100 Mini BT - see what I thought of this travel keyboard
Logitech Rally Bar Huddle main image
I tested the Logitech Rally Bar Huddle - see what I thought of this smart all-in-one conferencing solution
A screenshot from The First Berserker: Khazan
I got absolutely destroyed by The First Berserker: Khazan’s bosses for hours on end and loved every second of it
The player holding a Shard Card in Fragpunk.
Competitive shooter Fragpunk wowed me with its game-changing Shard Cards, but I can't stand the aggressive monetization