Acer Switch Alpha 12 or Switch 5 ?

[ac4]

Hi

Acer Aspire Alpha 12 ( i5 6200u / 8GB / 256 GB SSD) https/www.cnet.com/products/acer-switch-alpha-12/specs/

Acer Switch 5 ( i5 7200u / 8GB / 256GB SSD)
https/www.cnet.com/products/acer-switch-5/specs/

I can't decide between these products. The Switch Alpha 12 is 1.5 years older than switch 5 and it is around 300 $ cheaper. It seems that there is no significant performance difference.

I will use it for university purposes (eventually writing something on the tablet, running some engineering softwares, daily usage etc.) not as an artist.
What do you guys think should I go with switch alpha 12 can I use it for 4 - 5 years without problem ?

Or maybe could you recommend me a better hybird laptop with similar price ( budget ~ 750 $)
I don't need a high performance but also don't want it to be weak.

 

[jaguarskx]

The performance difference between the i5-6200u and i5-7200u is fairly small. Based on Amazon prices the difference between the Switch Alpha 12 and Switch 5 with a Core i5 CPU is $200. There is an Alpha 12 priced in the the mid $400 range, but that has a less powerful Pentium N4200 CPU.

There are only two other hybrid laptops within your budget, but there are drawbacks. The Surface Go sells for around $500 but it uses on of the Core M CPUs which means it is less powerful than a Core i3 CPU. There is also the Surface 4 Pro at about $700, but you will only get a 128GB SSD, it only has 4GB of RAM and it does not come with a keyboard or pen. There is one that is bundle with the pen and keyboard, but it raises the price to $800.

So it is back to the Alpha 12 and Switch 5. Best thing to do is to read professionally written reviews to find the pros and cons of each. Hopefully reviews of the Switch 5 will also comments on improvements (or downgrades) compared to the Alpha 12. But from a strict performance and value point of view a $200 difference is a large savings for a relatively small decrease in performance. Basically ~7% lower performance results in ~24% savings.