Acer TravelMate P6 review: a suitable business partner

Any business laptop coming these days is entering a difficult area filled with very established players. The world is already full of thinkpads and latitudes, with a strong following, a price range across the board, and workers in need of it.

So my question with less-known business laptops is usually: where does it fit? Is there a client that can be lined by a ThinkPad?

With its TravelMate line (specifically TravelMate P6), Acer is heading for two possible openings. The first is TravelMate as the name, intended specifically for frequent business travelers. It is lightweight, portable and sturdy at the expense of some other features. And the second is its price. Starting at $ 1,199.99, the TravelMate line is targeting a more price-conscious demographic than many business laptops that would be considered “premium”. I think TravelMate is particularly successful in filling these two marks. But it has some other drawbacks that make it difficult to recommend to general audiences.

The aspect of TravelMate that should be a big help for mobile business users is port selection. Despite being quite slim, the laptop is capable of fitting one USB Type-C (supports USB 3.1 Gen 2, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 3 and USB charging), two USB 3.1 Type-A Gen 1 (Power-off USB) With charging), an HDMI 2.0, a microSD reader, a combination audio jack, an Ethernet port (with a mesh-door hinge), a DC-in jack for the Acer adapter, a lock slot, and an optional smartcard. Reader. The less dongle and dock you have to travel, the better.

Portability is another priority here and is one of the highlight features of Travelmate. At just 2.57 pounds and 0.65 inches thick, the TravelMate should be a breeze to carry in a backpack or briefcase. Acer says it can put the product through durability tests for weight and pressure, drops, shocks, vibrations, and other hiccups that you may encounter during the day.

Another area that is important for some mobile professionals is videoconferencing capability. I found that there must be a mixed bag here. Travelmate’s four-microphone array had no problem catching my voice in both voice recognition and zoom meetings. Acer says they can make sounds from 6.5 feet away. The webcam also produces a nice picture (although this unit does not support Windows Hello for easy login) and has a physical privacy shutter. The speakers are not great, though – the music was tinny with thin percussion and none.

TravelMate also includes some business-specific features, including the TPM 2.0 chip and Acer’s ProShield Security software.

In other, less business-y areas, however, TravelMate has some shortcomings. Shoppers looking for more than portability outside the chassis may be disappointed. While most TravelMate is made of magnesium-aluminum alloy, it has a slightly plastic feel to it – and when the keyboard is strong, the screen flexes considerably. And then there’s the beauty: The P6 is by far the prettiest computer you can buy for $ 1,199.99. It is almost completely black, with very few accents (and those that have a grayish gray color). And the bezels around the 16: 9 screen are quite chunky by modern standards. Also, the 16: 9 aspect ratio is going out of fashion for one reason – it’s tight for multitasking, especially on 13- or 14-inch screens – and the panel maxed out at 274 nits in my testing, Which is also a bit dim for outdoor use.

TravelMate looks and feels like it was built slightly better than budget fare. But it looks closer to an Aspire 5 and seems to be compared to a top ThinkPad. For reference, you can get Aspire 5 with the same specs as this TravelMate model Over $ 700

. Another comparison: The Swift 5, a beautiful consumer laptop that is lighter than a travelmate, can be purchased with comparable specs for only $ 999.99. All of this to emphasize that you are sacrificing a bit of the build quality (plus some extra money) for TravelMate’s weight and business-specific offerings.

The touchpad is also not my favorite. For one, I had some hand-rejection issues. Those people didn’t interrupt my work, but even when I was typing, it was useless to see my cursor jump across the screen. Also, the touchpad on my unit was given a little before the activation point, meaning that one click required me to create (and listen) like two clicks. And its off-center placement meant that I was constantly right-clicking when I meant to left-click, and I had to deliberately reach left to click with my right hand. In the end, the click itself is shallow and the most comfortable.

I also did not like the power button. It has a fingerprint sensor, which has worked quite well. But the button itself is rigid and very shallow. I know it sounds like a small nitpick, but it was actually very strange and changed the travelmate in the morning more than a hassle.

The TravelMate model that I received for review has sold out everywhere, which I have seen as of this writing. Its closest model is listed at $ 1,199.99 (although it’s cheaper through some retailers) and comes with a Core i5-10310U, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of SSD storage. My unit is similar, but has a core i5-10210U. Those processors There is no significant performance difference, So my test here should give you a good idea of ​​what to expect from that model. You can also buy a model with a Core i7-10610U, 16GB memory and 512GB SSD for $ 1,9999.99. Both configurations run Windows 10 Pro and include a 1920 x 1080 non-touch display.

For my office assignment of emails, spreadsheets, zoom calls, etc., TravelMate fixed that. I have occasionally heard fans when my load was not super heavy, but noise was not enough to be a problem. Note that this processor has Intel’s UHD graphics instead of its upgraded Iris X graphics, meaning the system will not be a good choice for gaming, video software, or other graphics work.

But there is one area where TravelMate is really affected, and it is one that is quite useful for travelers: battery life. Running through my daily workload at 200 nits of brightness, my system used nine hours and 15 minutes of continuous use. This is almost double what the budget Aspire 5 got with the same workload as mine. It also beats the Swift 5 and the pricier ThinkPad X1 Nano. If your workload is similar to mine (or lighter), you should be able to bring this equipment around the airport or convention for a full working day without attaching it to a wall.

One performance complaint, though: This thing comes with bloatware. My unit was pre-installed with all kinds of junk, including games (pinned to the Amazon taskbar) and other software such as Dropbox. Most angrily, it came with Norton, which emboldened me with annoying pop-ups all the time and seemed to affect battery life as well: TravelMate ran continuously for an hour when I uninstalled the program. It doesn’t take very long to uninstall everything, but I still ethically think of loading such cheap crapware on a laptop that costs more than $ 1,000. And it is particularly annoying to see on a business laptop, as it can expose users to cyber security risks.

The TravelMate line is filling a very specific niche, and it fills it just fine. If you’re a frequent business traveler who needs a lightweight device with plentiful ports and all-day battery life, then you’re shopping in the $ 1,199 price range, and you’re looking for a mediocre touchpad, With a dim 16: 9 display, ready to see and other hiccups, the P6 will be a better option for you than a pricier and heavier Dell Latitude or less-alive and port-stacked ThinkPad X1 Nano.

That said, the P6 has substantial drawbacks that I think will bulk up better served by other laptops from customers. Those who prefer the Acer brand may prefer some of Acer’s other offerings – particularly those that do not require business-specific security features. The Swift 5 is lighter, nicer looking and more affordable than a travelmate with a better touchpad, screen, and processor. And budget shoppers can find out more about what Travelmate offers in any cheap laptop. The Aspire 5 and Swift 3 do not have a TravelMate battery or port selection, but they do improve its touchpad, audio (in the case of Aspire), and looks (in the case of the Swift). And, of course, there are litany of other laptops in this price range – from HP’s Specter x360 to Dell’s XPS 13 – which are excellent in almost every way and also offer 3: 2 screens.

Ultimately, TravelMate is not a bad laptop – but if it is the best laptop for you, then you probably know who you are.