Acer Switch 5 is a mid-range product.

The i5 configuration with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD with keyboard and stylus included.

Switch 5, the tablet itself weighs about 1.28 kg, its outer casing is completely made of metal. It doesn't bend or creak when in use, and it's quite comfortable to hold, thanks to the blunt edges and rounded corners.

Taking a quick look around this Switch, you'll notice that the back is very simple and only houses the camera, while the front is almost entirely covered in glass and has two narrow speaker grilles at the top.

All other buttons and ports are located around the edges. There's a volume rocker and a power button (with an integrated fingerprint reader) on the right, there's a full-size USB A, USB-C (gen 1, no Thunderbolt 3) and a headphone jack on the right, next to the PSU, while Acer has placed a microSD card reader on the top edge surrounded by two microphone pins. There are of course no intake or exhaust grilles on the sides, as this device is passively cooled.

The lack of Thunderbolt 3 might put some of you off, but the Switch 5 can still connect to a 4K 60 Hz display via the USB-C port.

Let's talk about the stand and its unusual mechanism, different from what other OEMs put on their similar computers.

The kickstand is built into the back and sticks out a bit, which basically means the tablet won't rest completely on the metal back when it's laid down, which should keep it from getting scratched to some extent. However, the stand is a little stiff and not so easy to open, since there are no creases for fingers to catch, so fingertips and nails could suffer. However, these are not its main characteristics.

This stand opens to a fixed position that holds the screen at a 110-120 degree angle. From here, you just need to press the screen and the stand will smoothly open to the desired position, but if you lift the device, it will immediately return to its aforementioned fixed position. With this approach, I can live on a desk, while watching a movie or imitating a laptop, where the device is placed on a fixed surface and I don't have to move it. Those rubber feet on the stand and the actual plate also help with the overall stability on the desk, even if they aren't as grippy.

Specifications