Acer Aspire Z3 review – Hands on with new AIO PC
Acer's all-in-one PC has it all
The traditional desktop PC may be declining in popularity, but many people still want a decent-sized display and good application performance, which an all-in-one (AIO) PC can provide in a fair neater package. Acer’s latest model is the Aspire Z3 and although largely a typical example there are a few nice tweaks here and there.
The Z3 is based around a Full HD 23in display, it’s an IPS panel with the usual great viewing angles, plenty of detail and vibrant colours. It’s really glossy, which can look good, but have to be a little careful about how you position it with regards to the lights and windows in your room. The display integrates 10-point touch control, but given the traditional angle the screen sits at, this will be for occasional use only – as your arm will tire rather quickly.
The Z3 includes an HDMI input, so you can hook up a games console or other AV device. At the front below the screen are easy to access ports, with USB3, headphone jack, and an SD card reader. Plus a button for switching between PC and the HDMI input.
Above the screen is a HD webcam for video chat and the like. Cleverly, Acer has built a switch into the rear of the case that angles this up or down by 20 degrees. This means that you can always get yourself squarely in the middle of the shot, without having to adjust your position or the angle of the screen.
The speakers are Harmon Kardon branded, and are backed up by Dolby Home Theater v4 technology. This means Dolby has worked on the device specifically, created a profile for it so you can drive the speakers hard without distortion and will let you set a volume level that will maintain consistency across all sources. We couldn’t get an idea of the speaker quality, however, on the show floor.
Round the back is the HDMI input we mentioned, plus a second USB3 port and two normal USB ports. As for the specification inside, that’s yet to be decided for each region. It’s an Intel-based device though.
We rather like the design, it’s simple without being dull. Acer claim a June release date, so we should have full specs and hopefully a review unit in the near future.
