Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3 Full Review: A True 15-inch Ultrabook

One simple problem has been troubling us since the arrival of the ultrabook category of thin, Intel-based premium laptops last year: Ultrabooks don't really deliver premium performance. Acer hopes to change that with the new Aspire Timeline Ultra M3; the first 15-inch ultrabook with high-performance NVIDIA GeForce 640M graphics inside. Can a thin-and-light ultrabook really give you "ultra" performance?
Build & DesignAt first glance the Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3 looks like a basic widescreen laptop with a thin profile, but take a closer look and you'll see the all-metal exterior conceals a very well-equipped ultrabook with many ports and a nice keyboard. While the 15-inch footprint and 20mm thickness of the chassis makes this the largest "ultrabook" we've reviewed to date, that size provides just enough room for a tray-loading optical drive and some powerful internal components. It's fair to point out that the original concept for "ultrabooks" was premium thin laptops based on the 11-inch and 13-inch Apple MacBook Air, but it's also fair to point out that many people like larger screens and full-sized keyboards ... and 15-inch laptops remain the most popular notebook size in terms of sales here in the United States.
The magnesium alloy lid and chassis give the Ultra M3 the convenience of light weight and the durability of metal construction. The matte-black finish looks clean and professional while the chiclet-style keyboard and giant touchpad give this ultrabook more consumer appeal. Unlike some thin and light laptops with metal lids, the screen lid on the Ultra M3 is surprisingly strong and should provide ample protection for the screen when you're traveling. As for the chassis itself, Acer packed as many components inside as possible so the M3 feels solid when you pick it up; there are no weak spots or hollow sounds when you tap your fingers on the notebook.
A serious, rather tragic flaw in the design of the Ultra M3 is the location of the power button. For some reason that escapes me, someone at Acer decided to place the power button on the front edge of the laptop. Not only that, but the front edge is angled down slightly and the power button is a sensitive pressure-activated switch ... meaning that if you use the M3 as a "laptop" you can unintentionally press the power button with your lap just by pressing down firmly on the palmrest.
I hope someone at Acer is reading this. Whoever is responsible for the placement of this power button needs to be transferred to a different department at Acer. Anyone who thinks it is a good idea to put a pressure-activated power button on the front edge of a laptop should not be designing laptops.
On a happier note, the Ultra M3 is surprisingly easy to upgrade compared to other ultrabooks. Most current ultrabooks have sealed chassis designs that prevent you from upgrading parts like RAM or the hard drive. The M3 features a convenient access panel on the bottom where you can swap out important parts like the RAM, Wi-Fi card, hard drive or the optional mSATA SSD. This gives the M3 a distinct advantage over the competition since it means you can upgrade components over time.
Ports and Features
As mentioned previously, the Ultra M3 has a good selection of ports for a thin and light laptop. You get two USB 2.0 ports and one USB 3.0 port as well as a standard HDMI, Ethernet and a headphone jack. You also get the previously mentioned optical drive and a card reader. Unfortunately, all of the USB ports and the headphone jack are located on the back of the M3. This makes it hard to swap out a USB flash drive but it helps hide cords if you're using the M3 as a desktop replacement with external USB peripherals or external speakers. All descriptions shown below are listed from left to right.

Front: Power button, power indicator, battery indicator	Back: Fan exhaust, headphone jack, two USB 2.0 ports, one USB 3.0 port, HDMI port, Ethernet RJ-45 port, DC-in jack
Left: Optical drive and 2-in-1 card reader	Right: Kensington Lock slot

Screen and Speakers
The 15.6-inch glossy display is one Acer's "CineCrystal" screens with LED backlighting. There is just one screen resolution at the time of this writing; a rather unimpressive 1366x768. However, the glossy surface on this screen isn't as reflective as some of the glossy screens we've seen on other ultrabooks ... meaning you won't have to struggle with harsh glare and reflections as much. Still, a matte screen option would have been a welcomed feature to help with visibility outdoors under direct sunlight. The colors don't appear overly saturated at default settings and contrast is pretty average.


As with all TN panels, the viewing angles on the M3's screen are pretty average: The screen looks great when viewed from straight on or from a modest horizontal angle, but the colors appear washed out when viewed from above and colors look inverted when viewed from below. We would love it if every ultrabook featured an IPS display with near perfect colors at all viewing angles, but the higher cost probably isn't something the average consumer wants to pay. As long as you tilt the screen so your eyes are parallel to the screen you'll probably think the screen looks great.

When it comes to audio, The Ultra M3 features stereo speakers with Dolby Home Theater branding located on the bottom front edge of the chassis. The speakers are large enough to produce high volume with good clarity but the location means you can muffle the sound if you use the M3 on your lap and you're wearing thick clothing. On the other hand, the metal chassis is so thin that sound passes up through the palmrests even if you block the speakers on the bottom.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The full-size chiclet-style keyboard is a simple layout with a dedicated number pad and no LED backlighting. The individual keys are matte black with silver trim around the keyboard tray. The matte black keys are surrounded by the aluminum frame of the notebook. There are also dedicated home, page up, page down and end keys located above the number pad. The keyboard tray is quite firm with more than adequate support structure. There is no flex or keyboard bounce when typing with firm pressure. The individual keys have a short throw (the distance between pressed and unpressed) and the key action itself is very quiet; you won't disturb others while typing in a quiet office or classroom.
The ELAN touchpad is actually a massive "clickpad" (a touchpad surface which lets you press down anywhere to produce a click). There are no dedicated left and right mouse buttons but the clickpad has shallow feedback when pressed. The only complaint we have about this touchpad is that it sometimes has trouble understanding the difference between a left click and a right click unless you press down on the extreme left or extreme right bottom corner of the clickpad.