Acer Swift 7: Thin is in

Laptop manufacturers have been embroiled in an arms race to see who can produce the thinnest products.

For now, the throne belongs to Acer for its Swift 7 laptop, the first to go below the magic 1cm mark and is said to be the world's slimmest.

The New Paper puts it to the test.

DESIGN

The Swift 7's biggest selling point is that it is just 9.98mm thick.

This means it is thinner than its closest rival - the HP Spectre, which measures 10.4mm.

The laptop weighs just 1.12kg - making it ultra portable as it barely takes up any space or causes any strain while I was carrying it in my backpack.

The Swift 7 is made with an aluminium chassis, which is black on the outside and gold inside.

Acer's quest to minimise the Swift 7's size means that it has only two USB-C ports - one of which you can use to charge the laptop - and a headphone jack.

But fret not, for Acer includes two dongles with the laptop: One to connect the Swift to a display via HDMI, and the other to USB-A.

The trackpad is also wider than usual, although I did not find much value-add from it.

DISPLAY

The 13.3-inch screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5, which Acer claims to be highly resistant to scratches.

The display runs on 1,920 x 1,080 pixels resolution, and I found the images sharp and the colours vivid, even when viewing the screen at an angle.

The Swift 7 also comes with a high-definition webcam with high dynamic range imaging support that provides clear, bright and detailed images.

This is great for those who intend to use it for video conferences.

PERFORMANCE

The laptop runs on Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB RAM and Intel HD 615 graphics card.

It is more than enough for basic office work but will struggle to handle intensive design or video editing software, or heavy gaming.

Those who enjoy typing on soft, spongy keys will love the Swift 7's keyboard.

I would have preferred the keys to be slightly more crisp and with a backlight to work in the dark.

BATTERY

Its battery registered about 6hr and 40min on a video-loop test (full brightness and volume, with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled), which is more than the six-hour average battery lifespan of laptops in the market.

OVERALL

I thoroughly enjoyed using the Swift 7 and could not wrap my head around just how thin it is.

Overall, the notebook is sleek, slim and ultra portable, and its ergonomic design makes up for the fact that it may not be as powerful as some of its thicker rivals.

It is a solid choice for working professionals who are always on the go.

PRICE

$1,998