Acer Switch Alpha 12 2-in-1 Convertible Calls Out Competitors With LiquidLoop Cooling

However, Acer has an answer for the heat production in the form of its LiquidLoop cooling system. Ultrabooks and tablets running Core M/m processors have traditionally been able to do so while remaining fanless. The Switch Alpha 12, with its more potent processors, is also running fanless thanks to a phase change heat pipe cooling setup. This allows the machine to not only be thin and light, but also silent like its “weaker” competition. In fact, Acer says that this is the world’s first 2-in-1 notebook that has Skylake Core power and a fanless design.

We already know that the Switch Alpha 12 can accommodate up to a Core i7 processor, but what else does it have to offer? For starters, its 12-inch IPS touch screen display has a resolution of 2160x1440 and is fueled by an Intel Graphics 520 GPU. The 2-in-1 is also available with SSDs ranging in size from 128GB to 512GB and can be had with either 4GB or 8GB of LPDDR4 memory.

When it comes to external connections, you’ll find three USB 3.0 ports, two USB 3.1 Type-C ports, DisplayPort, and HDMI. In other words, unlike the 12-inch Apple MacBook, you won’t ever feel like you’re getting the short end of the stick when it comes to attaching peripherals. Wireless connectivity is handled by Bluetooth 4.0 and 2x2 MU-MIMO 802.11ac Wi-Fi.

The tablet portion of the Switch Alpha 12 weighs 1.98 pounds by itself, but that figure balloons to 2.76 pounds when the keyboard is attached, so that’s something to think of when you compare the 2-in-1 to its competition, which will likely be the Surface Pro 4, HP Spectre X2, Samsung TabPro S, and Dell XPS 12.

As for availability and pricing, expect to the see the Acer Switch Alpha 12 in stores this June with a starting price of $599.