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Acer recently announced a joint project with Porsche Design. The result of this collaboration is the premium ultrabook Porsche Design Acer Book RS. It is time to find out what is remarkable about a device with such a big name in this review.
What does Porsche have to do with it?
Most people associate the Porsche name with the motor industry. But there is also Porsche Design, which makes a wide range of accessories, from apparel and sports equipment to souvenirs. These are luxury items for owners and fans of famous brand cars. It is not surprising that there was a place among Porsche designs for gadgets made in conjunction with well-known brands. In such cases, the Austrian studio handles the device design, and the technical part falls on the partners’ shoulders.
Uniqueness
It is enough to look at the package contents to understand that this is not just a thin laptop in a metal case. Usually, apart from the laptop, you can find only one charging adapter in the box. Against this backdrop, the Porsche Design Acer Book RS accessory set is truly impressive.
There are s two power supplies here at once – one with a universal USB Type-C, and the other with a proprietary connector. Also, the Porsche Design Acer Travelpack RS has been developed for this laptop, which includes a mouse pad, case, and carry bag.
The latter is made of ECCO PALERMO XA leather. Magnetic fasteners allow you to attach it to a case made of 1680D water-repellent fabric. The removable cover of the case also serves as a mouse pad. We did not forget about the manipulator itself – the set is complemented by the wireless Bluetooth-model Porsche Design Acer Mouse RS.
Not just design
In a device with a thin metal body and a 14-inch display, engineers have placed a very solid filler. The assembly base is a refreshed Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor. It is interesting with the new Willow Cove architecture, with improved 10nm superfine process technology. The CPU is equipped with four processing cores with support for hyperthreading technology – it allows you to stream 8 data simultaneously. The processor has a base frequency of 2.8 GHz, but it can accelerate to 4.7 GHz with a single-threaded load and up to 4.1 all cores are busy.
An integrated video core based on the Xe architecture has become a step forward relative to previous generations of mobile processors. However, you should not rely entirely on the performance of the integrated graphics – for complex tasks, the laptop is powered by NVIDIA GeForce MX350 with 2 GB GDDR5 memory. With a 16 GB RAM combination, this translates the laptop from just an office laptop’s image category to a serious work equipment category. Complementing the picture is a 1 TB solid-state drive.
The dimensions of the laptop conform to the standards of modern compact models with a uniform screen diagonal. It allows you to easily operate your laptop or take it on trips.
Design by masters
The Porsche Design Acer Book RS is not surprisingly sophisticated. On the contrary, in full agreement with Atelier’s reputation, his style is strict. The most visible element that makes a laptop akin to the world of supercars is the cover made of carbon fabric, also known as carbon fiber. In addition to the combination of lightweight and strength, for which it is valued in the automotive industry, the material has a pleasant texture and almost does not collect fingerprints or scars – a valuable advantage for this technique. The rest of the body elements are made of metal.
As expected, there are no flaws in the design. The model feels reliable in its exterior form. Interesting features include a one-piece hinge and cover design. When the laptop is opened, the base rises slightly above the surface. It allows better air access to the vents at the bottom. The opening angle does not reach 180 degrees, but it is large enough to work comfortably with the laptop on your lap.
Another practical addition is the fingerprint scanner which is built into the touchpad. It works accurately and quickly – response speed is comparable to that of modern smartphones, rarely found among laptops.
Connectivity
You can’t fit all the ports on a compact case, but the Porsche Design Acer Book RS has a set. The user gets a pair of USBs, one USB Type-C, full-size HDMI, and a 3.5mm combo audio jack. An important point – USB Type-C supports the Thunderbolt 4 protocol, which provides data transfer at speeds up to 40 GB/s, connecting two 4K monitors or an external video accelerator at once, as well as other scenarios.
Display
Unexpected for the model of the high price range was the rejection of the ultra-sharp panel. Instead, the Acer Book RS received a Full HD panel based on IPS technology. However, looking at the 14-inch diagonal, it can hardly be called a drawback – it is more than a rational approach. Even with this ratio of parameters, the image is clear, without graininess or other imperfections distinguishable from a normal working distance.
But in other cases, performance meets expectations. In particular, 100% coverage of the sRGB color space is declared – the new product is not only designed to please the eye, but also to be a full-fledged working tool. The maximum brightness level is 340 nits. When used indoors, it is sufficient for any situation, even if you sit by the window during the day. There were no complaints about touch – touch response is accurate and correct, and Gorilla Glass is used to protect the display from damage.
Audio
The built-in speakers are of high quality. Of course, the limitations of the form factor make themselves felt – in a large room this will not work. But for a standard room, the volume margin is sufficient. The sound can be described as neutral, without any striking features, but also without noticeable dips.
Keyboard and touchpad
In addition to the standard layout of Ultrabooks without Numpad, the area of some buttons has been reduced. This does not interfere with the normal use of the keyboard, but some of the solutions in practice turned out to be not very successful. In particular, due to the close-knit arrows and Page Up / Page Down combined with the reduced width, they are difficult to hit blindly for the first time.
The rest is a classic island-style solution with low-profile keys. Key travel is short and clear, clicks are processed without errors. These qualities make the Acer Book RS an enjoyable tool for typing spontaneously. There is an LED backlight for two modes – you can turn it on or off, but you cannot change the intensity.
The touchpad did not receive the large area, but in practice, it showed itself from the best side. It handles touch correctly and allows you to do without the mouse in most situations. Only one criticism has been due to being slightly behind the surface – it did not affect us in any way, but it was an unexpected discovery, given the condition and cost of the laptop.
Performance
Everything is predictable here: Intel’s new mobile chips have already proven themselves from the best side – both concerning their predecessors and in comparison with competitors. This is especially true for single-threaded performance, where the benefits of the new 11th Gen Intel Core architecture are most apparent. Don’t forget about the discrete video card, which adds confidence not only in work but also in games as well.
The games were tested in full HD – which is the original resolution of the laptop. Since we have a producer, but not a gaming machine, the test was performed on a medium graphics preset.
Cooling efficiency is on par with most compact laptops. Under an intensive load, the temperature of the processor can reach 100 ℃, and at average values, it remains in the range of 93–97 degrees. The video chip is traditionally less hot, not exceeding 65–70 degrees.
Battery life
A 56 Wh battery is responsible for the juice of the new product. The manufacturer claims an impressive runtime of up to 17 hours. In practice, when using browsers, office applications, and viewing video on streaming services, the laptop lasts one working day and even stocks for the next. And in a continuous full HD video playback test, the battery was discharged from 100 to 2% in 21 hours 48 minutes.
It is worth noting that during the tests, the network interface was disabled, the screen brightness was set to 50%, and the battery worked in priority mode. Nevertheless, the result is outstanding.
Final line
Where others try to flaunt their striking appearance and unusual solutions, the Porsche Design Acer Book RS demonstrates the classic rigor of series and exclusive materials. Interior materials won’t disappoint owners either – modern components, combined with high-quality performance and excellent battery life, can cope with any task. Rich bundle status would be a nice bonus for laptops.
Priced starting at $1,399.99 on Amazon.com, the Porsche Design Acer Book RS is an ultraportable that’s well worth considering and is an interesting showcase of Porsche’s vision for the design. We’ll no doubt see more competitors in this space such as Asus ZenBook Duo 14 UX482 (REVIEW), which is also around the same price. If you’re looking to buy a new premium design thin-and-light laptop this year, things just got a lot more interesting.
