Acer 1825PT – video review and some photos

Hey guys, I’ve had a new toy to play with these days, an 11.6 inch Acer 1825PT. I’ve been eager to get one of these ever since I’ve first seen them a couple of months ago and when they became available in my country, i finally did. Of course, i went for the best equipped version, with SU7300 dual core processor, 4 GB of memory, 320 GB hard-drive, 6 Cell battery and Windows 7 Home Premium.

And although I was reluctant to buy an Acer device , the idea of having an 11.6 incher with a capacitive convertible display for a decent price was stronger. In these rows below you’re going to see a couple of pictures of the device (I have the black version, but it’s also available in red), but first take a look at the video mini-review I’ve shot earlier today.

As you’ve seen in the clip, the device is pretty much great for the money, however in terms of aesthetics, finishing and attention to those tiny details that matter so much… well, it remains an Acer. But, although my first impression when i got it out of the box was: “Crap, i can’t believe I’ve bought this”, a couple of hours later I was convinced I made a good choice. And I still am.

I’ve decided not to post a more thorough review as this product is only available in Europe and might not interest the majority of you guys. However, I will post the Pros and Cons below.

Pros:

  • powerful enough for what i need: dual-core SU7300 processor, 4 GB of memory, Intel 4500HD graphics
  • display is very good: multitouch capacitive 11.6 inch display, 1366 x 768 px resolution
  • connectivity is good: Wi-Fi N and Bluetooth 2.0
  • 320 GB hard-drive
  • 6 cell battery capable of around 4-6 hours of life during everyday use, based on what you do with it
  • Windows 7 Home Premium OS by default
  • doesn’t get too warm or noisy even if used for hours

Cons:

  • keybord is good but there’s just too little space between the keys; trackpad is very cramped but you won’t use it too much anyway
  • display’s hinge doesn’t look that solid
  • it’s an Acer, so attention to details is so so. Biggest issue is that when in tablet mode, the screen does not stay firmly in place and kind of wobbles
  • device is glossy so the exterior is already scratched, plus it catches fingerprints like crazy
  • speakers are on the bottom of the device and pointing downwards. Plus, volume is pretty low so if you plan to use them in more noisy environments, you won’t be satisfied at all with them.

All in all, after having this machine for around 6 months now, i can say I’m satisfied with it. It is powerful enough for my everyday tasks and decently built. Now, the touchscreen is for sure its biggest asset and it works very nice. I’m also satisfied with how reliable the device is, although the hinge that holds the screen in place did become more loose than it was in the beginning.

However, I’m sure that for its money, this is the best tablet netbook you could get: portable, powerful and with a touch display. Oh and since I have it, I’ve managed to discover the value of having a touch display on one of these mini laptops. And I can say I wouldn’t buy one without this feature anymore.

Also check the pictures below.

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Last updated: January 7, 2011 | Published: May 30th, 2010 | See the comments or add yours!

Author: Mike - wrote 636 posts - see all posts by

Andrei Girbea, aka "Mike", is the Owner and Editor in Chief at netbooklive.com . He's been dealing with gadgets and writing about them for years and now focuses more on portable computers, like netbooks, mini laptops and touchscreen tablets. You can follow him on Twitter.

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  • http://www.netbooklive.com Mike

    Thanks JLLL, your feedback will for sure help others looking to buy such a device in the future.

    I personally haven’t spot that problem with headphones, but I agree with all the other things you said. Overall, the 1925PT is a good bundle for the money and has been the best tablet pc you can get in this class for a while. But has its flaws of course.

  • Zsolt

    I just upgraded 8gig + 256 SSD (ssd needs an intel RST upgrade)
    Woooow, now this is my dream machine :-)
    Oh plus an anti glare,anti fingerprint screenprotector.
    All together 900GBP, if you want buy similar machine cost ~1500.
    Plus my PTZ has got an U7300proc not a 4100.

  • http://www.netbooklive.com Mike

    Mine has a SU7300 as well. Here the PTZ goes with Su4100 and the PT with Su7300, but I guess that depends from country to country.

    Anyway, that 256 GB SSD sounds really nice (and expensive) . Like I said, I planned on upgrading myself but didn’t quite found the time for it (or the budget). As for memory, never really felt I needed more than 4 Gigs. What apps do you run so you need those 8 GBs?

  • JLLL

    wow.. SSD… that’ll be for later ^^ I got 8gig upgrade from work, it was a good deal that’s why I went for it, though I agree 4gig’s probably enough.
    Zsolt, where did you get your screen protector?

  • Zsolt

    There is no spec apps(live movie maker maybe more smooth). I just had a budget for 13incs Macbook air, but I just can give my money for it :-) and 4gig cost 30 bugs so bigger is better :-) the ssd upgrade takes half hour with Acronis clone soft(hardware work included). 256 Gb ssd 350GBP from ebuyer and makes huge diference. After two days usage you will feel computers with hdd is mediocre. I have put ssd in my desktop too, when I try to reach hdds and have to wait for spinning up i go and make a tea :-)

  • Zsolt

    Mine is from ebay, for 6GBP but I cant find now same brand.

  • Ken

    This is has to be one of the most informarive sites about the 1825.
    Thanks!

    Have been thinking of buying one for months….

    Have you managed to run any decent games on it?
    I know it’s not a gaming laptop and only has an intel GPU, but was hoping to run some older games ( e.g. Half Life 2)

  • http://www.netbooklive.com Mike

    haven’t tried any games at all on it Ken but overall the laptop is solid, i’ve been using it daily for the last 11 months and it hasn’t failed me. Not sure if it would be a good buy right now though, there’s probably a version with Sandy Bridge ulv hardware on its way in the next months

  • http://www.quartzimodo.com Stratman

    Hi Mike,

    Love your excellent review of the Acer Aspire 1825PT. I’m from Malaysia btw.

    I bought one on June 2010 as I wanted a smaller sub-notebook and to replace my aging 14″ Asus A8He (Pentium Dual Core T2130) and wanted to move up to Win 7 64-bit (the Intel T2130 processor isn’t 64-bit capable). I didn’t like netbooks because they’re vastly underpowered for tasks like photo processing.

    Originally I was eyeing the Asus 13″ UL30VT but the salesman convinced me to choose between the Acer Ferrari One and the Aspire 1825PTZ (the PT version is not available in my country). The 1825PTZ comes with an Intel SU4100 ULV processor, 2GB of DDR3 RAM and 320GB Seagate 5,400rpm HDD. This contrasts with the 1825PT for the European market, which sported the Intel SU7300 (with a 3GB L2 cache vs 2GB) , 3GB RAM and 250GB HDD installed. Both processors run at 1.3GHz, btw.

    I added an extra 2GB RAM, making the total memory to 4GB with 2x 2GB memory chips. I paid the equivalent of USD800 for the Acer 1825PTZ, which is considered pricey for a sub-notebook. The vendor installed an A-Data 2GB RAM chip, which caused BSODs on the second day of using it. I took it back to the seller and he replaced the incompatible (or perhaps defective) DDR3 SO-DIMM with another brand. My 1825PTZ worked fine after that.

    A month later I found that the 11.6″ screen was too small for serious use, so I bought a 14″ Asus UL80Vt as my primary laptop. I decided to go for the UL80Vt instead of the smaller UL30Vt, which lacked an optical drive (it can come in handy when the need arises). But that’s a different story, so I won’t go there.

    In practice, I rarely use the 1825PTZ in the tablet configuration as I type more than I browse. It’s still a boon for reading and casual browsing, btw. I found out that with a Sensonic notebook stand I could fold the Acer to its tablet mode and plug an external Sensonic USB keyboard for typing, but later found out that it was just impractical and made my backpack heavier still.

    I spend a lot of time at my regular Starbucks outlet and to this day I have never seen anyone with an Aspire 1825PTZ. The notebook drew plenty of curious stares from people around me.

    After almost a year of ownership, I’d like to share my thoughts on this nifty model. It seems that the 1825PTZ is rare as hen’s teeth in Malaysia and I’ve read about people desperately seeking one. As of 2011, this model has been discontinued by Acer Malaysia. It seems that the 1825PTZ wasn’t selling that well (probably due to to its high price/performance ratio), therefore Acer Malaysia dropped it from its lineup. Today, it’s either their Atom-based notebook or the Aspire/Timeline X/TravelMate models.

    Understandably, Acer has decided to drop the convertible sub-notebook concept for its newest Iconia line, which is more of a tablet concept (a’la iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab) than a convertible sub-notebook. That said, even the 13.3″ Timeline X models have been dropped from the market as well. Therefore Acer’s smallest non-netbook screen size is now 14″.

    You are right in saying that the glossy cover is a scratch magnet, but I’ve taken measures to protect its surface with a clear LCD cover protector and store it in a notebook sleeve. So far I’ve had no hitches with the 1825PTZ until recently when I updated a series of Windows updates, which resulted in the notebook unable to boot. I thought it was hardware related but it turned out that the updates somehow corrupted the boot process. Win 7′s memory checker utility showed no problems with the RAM.

    Went home and Googled on how to remedy the problem. Fortunately I found out that the Acer’s recovery partition worked by pressing Alt-F10 keys repeatedly upon the boot-up sequence. It took over two hours to restore Windows 7 back to its working state (plus Win 7 updates to SP1). My data and personalization settings were restored although I had to reinstall apps all over again.

    For a small form factor notebook with an consumer ultra-low voltage CPU, the Aspire 1825PTZ can run a bit hot. I believe it has more to do with the case design, which isn’t that efficient in dissipating heat.

    If there’s one gripe I have with my 1825PTZ, it’s the 6-cell battery’s high wear rate. It was only months later of ownership I discovered a nifty utility called Battery Bar Pro and the software indicated an 11% wear rate (it’s now at 24.5% ) and the max battery life @ 100% charge has dropped to slightly below 5 hours. Acer claims an 8-hour standby for this model but I think the battery pack was either aged at the time I purchased it or the notebook’s heat is rapidly killing the Sanyo-made cells. My Asus UL80Vt by comparison, is now at a very reasonable 3.2% battery wear level.

    As I still have two months to go before its warranty expires, I’m going to complain to Acer about the ridiculous battery wear rate and hopefully get a replacement. I can live with the full-sized (albeit cramped) Acer Fine Tip keyboard although I found out that I make typos more frequently than the well-spaced keyboard of my Asus UL80Vt.

    Acer’s support site doesn’t seem to update the 1825PTZ’s drivers and I have to download the various hardware drivers manually from the respective vendors’ sites. The Acer Update utility is a joke – although Intel has updated its Wireless LAN 1000 and Mobile Express 4 chipset drivers a few times, Acer doesn’t bother to announce the drivers through its support site. Ditto for the Realtek audio and Synaptics touch pad drivers.

    Overall, I’m quite happy with the 1825PTZ other than its ridiculous battery wear rate. I only wish Acer will continue to make 11.6″ sub-notebooks in the future, but I guess they’re not interested in doing so.

    Great site and review, btw!

    cheers,
    Stratman.

  • http://www.netbooklive.com Mike

    Hmm, i shall try that utility on my Acer as well. I haven’t noticed any battery wear off on mine but i haven’t actually recorded expected battery life lately. Still, my deice only came with 12 months warranty for the computer and 6 months for the battery… so that’s probably Acer’s way of saying their batteries are crap :P

    To be fair, i was not expecting to like the 1825PT that much when i bought it but now, nearly 1 year later, i still have it and use it daily. So i’m confident i made a smart decision buying one back then.

    And thank you for the thorough comment, much appreciated.

  • Djhon2

    nice review ty

  • Waqas

    goodah, thanks

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