When Apple launched the Macbook, it immediately set tongues wagging with its super-slim chassis. Since then, the race to get thinner and lighter has really hotted up. The 10.4 mm (0.41 in) HP Spectre was labelled the world's slimmest laptop earlier this year, but Acer has used IFA 2016 to steal that crown with the 9.98 mm (0.39 in) Swift 7.
Despite being less than 1 cm thick, the Swift 7 still looks solid on spec sheet. Power comes from a 7th Generation Intel i5 processor, coupled with up to 8 GB of RAM, and storage is handled by a 256 GB SSD. You can expect around 9 hours from the battery. Although you can buy an HP Spectre with an i5 processor and 256 GB of storage, it's also available with an Intel i7 processor and 512 GB of SSD storage if you're willing to pay.
The Swift 7's 1.1 kg (2.48 lb) black-and-gold aluminum body sports a 13.3-inch screen Gorilla Glass screen, providing an extra degree of scratch and shatter resistance.
Being slim and light does bring a few compromises, though, with ports usually being the first casualties. In this case, there are two USB-C ports – that's twice as many ports as you'll find on a Macbook, but it's still one less than you'd find on the HP Spectre. There's also no mention of a bundled USB-C hub like the one Zenbook 3 buyers get with their computer.
Also packed into the body is a fingerprint scanner and a backlit keyboard is optional, while wireless connectivity is handled by twin 802.11 ac MU-MIMO Wi-Fi receivers.
Pricing for the Swift 7 kicks off at US$999, and American buyers will be able to get their hands on one in October. It will be sold alongside the less expensive, less powerful, thicker Swift 5, Swift 3 and Swift 1.
Check out Acer's launch video for the Swift 7 below.
Source: Acer
