Acer Aspire Switch Alpha 12 Launch For $599 To $999

Two weeks after Tabletmonkeys leaked the Aspire Switch Alpha 12, Acer took to unveil the 2-in-1 tablet today at a press event in New York.

(UPDATED: There is now a US release date of July 9 for Acer Aspire Switch Alpha 12)

Acer Aspire Switch Alpha 12 (SA5-271) is a 12-inch Windows 10 2-in-1 tablet with choice of 6th gen. Intel Core i5 and i7 processors (and Intel Core i3 too in some markets), and the tablet will launch in May, starting in Europe and China, before it is released in USA in June. With the price ranging from $699 to $999 with Intel Core i5 or i7, and $599 if the Intel Core i3 model is brought to the US.

The 12-inch tablet has a built-in kickstand, and the display has a resolution of 2160 x 1440 with support for Acer’s digitizer. Acer Aspire Switch Alpha 12 only has (64-bit) Windows 10 Home, so you’ll have to buy Windows 10 Pro for yourself if you need to upgrade to that, or you’ll have to order a commercial version that also comes with integrated Trusted Platform Modules (TPM) says Acer.

Acer Aspire Switch Alpha 12
Acer Aspire Switch Alpha 12

Most of the specs are the same on all of the Acer Aspire Switch Alpha 12 models, but there are some variations according to price, though both the Intel Core i5 (6200U) and i7 (6500U) models have Intel HD Graphics 520 GPU, and DDR3 RAM, with 4GB for the Intel Core i3 model, and 8GB of LPDDR3 SDRAM for all the other models says Acer at the moment.

Acer Aspire Switch Alpha 12
Intel Core i5 Intel Core i5 Intel Core i7 Intel Core i7
128GB 256GB 256GB 512GB
$699 $749 $899 $999

Though the digitizer pen Acer Active Pen is optional, the Acer Aspire Switch Alpha 12 comes with the keyboard included, with a total weight os 1250 grams / 2.76 lbs, but 900 grams for the tablet. The tablet is 9.5 mm thick.

Acer says the Alpha 12 battery life is 8 hours, even if it has a 4870 mAh battery capacity and high resolution display, but at the same time Acer was very proud today to talk about its fanless LiquidLoop colling system for the tablet that uses the energy of the heat to power the cooling system. And with no fans cooling the processor inside, it doesn’t have the same ventilation openings of some other tablets in this segment.

Other relevant main specs includes a 2MP front camera, a 5MP rear camera, front speakers, complete 2×2 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, a USB 3.1 Type-C port and a USB 3.0 port, but if you want more ports you must buy the optional Acer ProDock Wireless which via the USB Type-C port adds DisplayPort, HDMI port, VGA, and 2x USB 3.0 ports.

Acer says that the Aspire Switch Alpha 12 doesn’t have a built-in microphone, but there is a 3.5 mm audio combo jack there at least.

In the 12-inch Windows 10 tablet category the Intel Atom powered Toshiba Dynapad N72 costs $569 without a keyboard, but with digitizer included, and Acer Aspire Switch Alpha 12’s identical looking twin HP Elite x2 costs way more, and that’s with Intel Core m processor choices.

The most popular 12-inch Windows 10 2-in-1 tablets at the moment are the brand new Samsung Galaxy TabPro S, and of course the Surface Pro 4.

The tablet most similar to the Acer Aspire Switch Alpha 12 in terms of price and specs, is the $599 Lenovo Miix 700 with Intel Core m processor, a 12-inch screen with 2160 x 1440 resolution, included keyboard, and stylus support.


Acer Aspire Switch Alpha 12 Intel Core i3
Acer Aspire Switch Alpha 12 Intel Core i7
Acer Aspire Switch Alpha 12 Intel Core i5
– Tom Bowen