Acer just launched a bunch of new Windows 10 machines in Malaysia, and among them is the Acer TravelMate X3310 laptop. The TravelMate series is Acer’s range of business-centric laptops, and the X3310 is the latest one in the lineup.
I spent some time with the TravelMate X3310 at Acer’s launch event earlier today, and while it doesn’t offer the best value for money, the laptop definitely has its appeals – especially for those who want practicality above all else.
Powering the TravelMate X3310 is an Intel Core i5-8250U processor paired with 8GB of RAM, and it also has a 256GB M.2 SATA SSD; standard affair for a productivity-focused laptop. There’s no dedicated graphics card here, so the X3310 relies solely on Intel’s integrated UHD Graphics 620 GPU.
Business laptops don’t usually come with amazing graphics capability, so Acer’s choice of going with an integrated GPU is just fine.
Thanks to the fast i5-8250U processor and SSD storage, the TravelMate X3310 should be fast enough for the average business user. In my brief time with the laptop, it certainly feels fast and zippy. It’s a given: the quad-core i5-8250U is a capable processor.
How about the TravelMate X3310’s display? It’s pretty good. Sporting a 13.3-inch 1920 x 1080 IPS display, it’s just bright enough for comfortable use outdoor. On top of that, you don’t have to worry too much about reflection either – the screen has a matte finish.
Speaking of display, I’m not a fan of the TravelMate X3310’s large bezels. Not only does it make the 13.3-inch laptop much bigger than it should be, it lends to a dated-looking design too. If there’s any consolation to this, the whole bezel is actually rubberised, which feels nice to the touch. This is much, much better than the use of plastic.
Design-wise, the TravelMate X3310 is supposedly a very durable laptop. According to Acer, this laptop can survive a drop from up to 122cm; pretty impressive. The Taiwanese company also elaborated that the X3310 is MIL-STD certified, so it can definitely take a beating or two.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the TravelMate X3310 is its wide selection of ports, which is in line with its appeal as a business laptop. It comes with a USB Type-C connection, three USB 3.0 ports, an SD card reader, one HDMI port, an RJ45 connection, and even a VGA output.
In a laptop market where the selection of ports are getting increasingly little, the X3310’s generous port offering is a rare – and very welcomed – sight.
Now let’s get to the good stuff: the TravelMate X3310’s input devices. Personally, I consider the keyboard one of the most important hardware on a laptop, and the X3310 has a…decent one. While the keyboard doesn’t have much travel, the tactility of the keys make for a pleasant typing experience. I can type on this laptop almost as fast as I can on a full-size mechanical keyboard.
As for the trackpad, it’s quite good too. The trackpad’s smooth surface is nice to the touch, it can track my fingers accurately, and trackpad gestures work as intended. Basically, it’s a functional trackpad.
The Acer TravelMate X3310 is a good business-centric laptop, but it also carries a rather steep price tag. For the Malaysian market, the X3310 retails at RM4,099, and that’s for the 256GB model with 8GB of RAM. Evidently, value for money is not this laptop’s main appeal. You can easily get a different laptop with a similar configuration at a lower price point.
But those laptops may not have the TravelMate X3310’s winning qualities, including its large selection of ports, durable design, and long battery life. Acer claims that the X3310 can last up to 15 hours on a single charge, and if it can really achieve this figure, not many laptops can match it.
If you’re keen to check out the TravelMate X3310, it is now available for purchase in Malaysia. It comes with three years of on-site warranty, along with one year of Acer’s International Travelers Warranty.