Acer Aspire Timeline 5810T review

Acer’s Aspire Timeline series has impressed us in the past, but where the 13.3in 3810T and 14in 4810T sit firmly in the ultraportable category, the 5810T is a bit harder to pin down. Its slimline body weighs a reasonably light 2.37kg, yet it manages to conceal a sizeable 15.6in display and a full-sized keyboard with numeric keypad.

The slick, unassuming design goes hand in hand with fine build quality and, despite measuring just 31mm at its thickest point, the Acer’s chassis is sturdy, with little flex.

Ergonomics are on song, too, with the Scrabble-tile keys arranged sensibly and with a reassuringly positive action. Our only minor moan is that the glossy finish occasionally makes them a tad slippery.

As with many of its competitors, the 5810T fails to capitalise on its 15.6in display. But while the native resolution of 1,366 x 768 doesn’t make for the most spacious of desktops, the ample brightness does at least keep text legible. Image quality is disappointing, though, with washed-out colours leaving skintones looking pallid.

Modern gaming is out of the question due to the Intel graphics, but stick to less entertaining pastimes and you won’t be disappointed. Its screen and keyboard are perfect for more business-like pursuits, and battery life is superb thanks to the low-voltage processor. It lasted 7hrs 24mins in our light-use tests. The dual-core 1.4GHz processor scored just 0.77 in our benchmarks, but will be fine for all but the most demanding of tasks.

The Timeline 5810T’s biggest problem, though, is the competition. It may have good battery life, ergonomics and surprising portability for such a large-screened laptop, but others are capable of putting in a more intensive shift. Add in the fact that Acer has stuck with Windows Vista – you’ll need to shell out £11 exc VAT for a Windows 7 upgrade disc – and we can’t wholeheartedly recommend the 5810T.