HoTWiReZ's DoMaiN

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<p align="center"></p><p><p>
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: transparent;">Acer sent along word today that their S7 Ultrabook, now updated with Haswell internals, is available for order. At present, Acer lists two different models; as usual, the less expensive model includes a Core i5 processor and a 128GB SSD, and the high-end model upgrades the CPU to a Core i7 processor and includes a 256GB SSD. Thankfully, both come with 8GB memory and a 1920x1080 IPS touchscreen display. Anand </span><a href="http://www.anandtech.com/show/7047/the-haswell-ultrabook-review-core-i74500u-tested" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: transparent;">previewed performance of the Acer S7<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: transparent;"> around the time of the Haswell launch, but it was prerelease hardware. We don&rsquo;t expect performance to have changed much, but battery life should be better judging by what we&rsquo;ve seen of other Haswell offerings. Here&rsquo;s the full rundown of the specifications for the two models.</span></p>
<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td align="center" class="contentwhite" colspan="3">
<strong>Acer S7 Haswell Ultrabook Specifications</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Model</strong></td>
<td>
S7-392-6832 (NX.MBKAA.008)</td>
<td>
S7-392-9890 (NX.MBKAA.009)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Processor</strong></td>
<td>
Intel Core i5-4200U

(Dual-core 1.6-2.6GHz, 3MB L3, 22nm, 15W)</td>
<td>
Intel Core i7-4500U

(Dual-core 1.8-3.0GHz, 4MB L3, 22nm, 15W)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Chipset</strong></td>
<td colspan="2">
H87 (?)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Memory</strong></td>
<td colspan="2">
8GB (2x4GB onboard)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Graphics</strong></td>
<td>
Intel HD Graphics 4400

(20 EUs at 200-1000MHz)</td>
<td>
Intel HD Graphics 4400

(20 EUs at 200-1100MHz)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Display</strong></td>
<td colspan="2">
13.3" Glossy IPS 1080p (1920x1080)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Storage</strong></td>
<td>
128GB (2x64GB RAID 0) SSD</td>
<td>
256GB (2x128GB RAID 0) SSD</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Optical Drive</strong></td>
<td colspan="2">
N/A</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Networking</strong></td>
<td colspan="2">
802.11n WiFi (Intel Advanced-N 7260)

<em>(Dual-band 2x2:2 300Mbps capable)</em>

Bluetooth 4.0 + HS (Intel)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Audio</strong></td>
<td colspan="2">
Realtek HD

Stereo Speakers

Headset combo jack</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Battery/Power</strong></td>
<td colspan="2">
4-cell, ~7.32V, 6280mAh, 46Wh

65W Max AC Adapter</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Front Side</strong></td>
<td colspan="2">
N/A</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Left Side</strong></td>
<td colspan="2">
Power Button

Headphone/Microphone jack

Mini-HDMI

AC Power Connection</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Right Side</strong></td>
<td colspan="2">
Memory Card Reader

1 x USB 3.0

1 x USB 3.0 (Powered when sleeping)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Back Side</strong></td>
<td colspan="2">
N/A <em>(Exhaust vent located on bottom)</em></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Operating System</strong></td>
<td colspan="2">
Windows 8 64-bit</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Dimensions</strong></td>
<td colspan="2">
12.7" x 8.8" x 0.5" (WxDxH)

(323mm x 224mm x 12.7mm)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Weight</strong></td>
<td colspan="2">
2.87 lbs (1.3kg)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Extras</strong></td>
<td colspan="2">
HD Webcam

67-Key Backlit Keyboard

Flash reader (MMC /SD)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Pricing</strong></td>
<td>
MSRP: $1450

Online: $1450</td>
<td>
MSRP: $1700

Online: $1650</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>
In terms of the exterior design, as far as I can tell nothing has changed &ndash; for better or for worse &ndash; so most of what we said in our earlier Ivy Bridge S7 review still applies. That means you still get a funky keyboard that&rsquo;s missing the top row of function keys, and there&rsquo;s not a whole lot of key travel either. Still, it&rsquo;s an extremely thin and attractive design overall, and just because the exterior didn&rsquo;t change doesn&rsquo;t mean that nothing else has improved.</p>
<p>
Besides the new Haswell processors, the new S7-392 series Ultrabooks come with 8GB of memory now, shoring up one of the weak spots. The wireless solution has also been updated to Intel&rsquo;s Advanced-N 7260; it would have been great to get 802.11ac, so really the change from a Qualcomm/Atheros 2x2:2 dual-band solution to the new Intel equivalent isn&rsquo;t likely to radically alter WiFi performance. Finally, the battery received an upgrade capacity as well, making the new S7 even more portable than before. In Anand&rsquo;s testing, the new S7 delivered just over seven hours of useful battery life (compared to only four hours on the earlier model).</p>
<p>
Pricing remains roughly the same as before, unfortunately, so even though the new model is definitely better than previous model, we&rsquo;re not sure how many people are willing to fork over $1400-$1700 for a new Ultrabook. If you count yourself among those who are interested in such a laptop, the new S7-392 models are available starting today at a variety of online vendors. We were able to find at least a couple places that are selling the upgraded model for less than the MSRP, and we think the added SSD capacity and performance is probably worth the extra $200. Get that price closer to $1500 and I&rsquo;m sure more people would be willing to take a bite.</p>
</p>

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Source: AnandTech
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