Among the many versions of Windows 8 PCs pushing back against the traditional clamshell laptop is the detachable-screen hybrid. Examples include the HP Envy X2 and the Lenovo ThinkPad Helix, but the first version of this style we got our hands on was the Acer Iconia W510.
Acer Iconia W510
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
The version of this 10-inch hybrid we looked at during the Windows 8 launch was a nonfinal preproduction unit, but now that the final hardware is available, we've been able to benchmark the W510 for an official review. In truth, our experience with the early hardware and this final version differs little, and those initial impressions mostly stand.
While Acer's other Windows 8 systems, such as the Aspire S7 and W700, have impressed, the W510 is held back by a couple of factors. First, it's powered by a direct descendant of the Atom processors behind the Netbook, a nearly extinct laptop subcompact category that was hugely popular for a year or so before low-cost ultraportables and the iPad overshadowed it. The new Atoms are faster than their predecessors, while maintaining long battery life and power efficiency, but that may not be enough to satisfy laptop shoppers used to finding Intel Core i3, i5, and even i7 chips in the thinnest of ultrabooks.
The other psychological hurdle here is price. Atom-powered laptops from a few years ago cost $299 or so. The Iconia W510 is $749 (or $599 for the tablet/screen only without the keyboard dock). There are a lot of impressive laptops you can buy for $750 that are more powerful, have better features, and are easier to use than this one. To be fair, there are many Atom-powered Windows 8 tablets and hybrids that cost around the same or more -- but they don't make the most compelling case, either.
The idea of a touch-screen slate running a full Windows operating system that can instantly transform into a working laptop is an appealing one. In practice, the slate part of the W510 is well-built and responsive, and the hinge that connects the two halves is easy to use and secure.
But, the keyboard half (which contains an additional battery) is too light, making the entire thing top-heavy and prone to tipping over. Adding to my usability concerns, $750 only gets you a 64GB SSD hard drive (with about half that space free after OS and software overhead), and the tablet half has connections -- Micro-HDMI, microSD, and Micro-USB -- that are only useful if you walk around with a pocketful of adapters.
Hybrids such as this need to be priced appropriately (especially ones with Atom processors), and offer great design and usability in order to be a compelling alternative to other computing products in the same price range. As much as the Acer Aspire S7 touch-screen ultrabook was an excellent advertisement for Windows 8, the Iconia W510 feels like an advertisement for the iPad, or any of the $700 to $800 ultrabooks that offer slim, portable computing at a reasonable price.