Acer Timeline U M5-481TG 6814 review: Acer Timeline U M5-481TG 6814

Let's face it: unless you're out to find the most stylish laptop ever, most laptop shopping is about value for money. As back-to-school season enters its dog days, one clear-cut winner in that regard is the Acer Timeline U M5-481TG, an ultrabook with all the trimmings that costs as little as $779.

8.1

Acer Timeline U M5-481TG 6814

The Good

The slim <b>Acer Timeline U M5-481TG</b> ultrabook combines Nvidia graphics, an optical drive, and plenty of extra features, including a backlit keyboard, in a shockingly affordable package.

The Bad

A clean but generic design and its heavier weight make the U M5 feel less like an ultrabook and more like a regular mainstream laptop; the screen quality is mediocre, too.

The Bottom Line

Yes, it's heavier than the average ultrabook, but if you're looking for an excellent value in a full-featured thin laptop, the Acer Timeline U M5 is hard to beat.

And by all the trimmings, I mean all of them: the M5-481TG configuration I reviewed has Nvidia GeForce GT 640M LE graphics, a 500GB hard drive, 4GB of RAM, a backlit keyboard, and even a DVD drive, all crammed into a 14-inch laptop shell that feels no bigger really than the generic and more expensive Toshiba Satellite U845.

The Timeline U M5 is the U.S. version of a laptop I previewed a long time ago that never saw the light of day here, the Acer Aspire M3. The M5 has a smaller footprint and a newer Intel Core i5 processor.

Technically, the Timeline U M5-481TG is an ultrabook. You can throw that terminology out the window, though, because this Timeline is really just a very reasonably priced thin full-fledged laptop with nearly no compromises...assuming, of course, you're willing to forgive a somewhat forgettable design. At this price, you should.