Acer updates transforming Spin laptops with Intel 10th Gen chips.

Acer has updated its Spin lineup of laptops with two new models, the Spin 3 and Spin 5, powered by Intel’s Ice Lake 10th Gen CPUs. Both laptops feature the 360-degree hinge the range gets its name from, and they also come with styluses, allowing you to sketch or take notes on their touch displays. This Acer Active Stylus can be stored inside a charging slot in the laptops’ chassis.

The Spin 5 is the more expensive of the two laptops, thanks to its higher-resolution display and more powerful processor. The display is a 13.5-inch (2256 x 1504) IPS affair with an aspect ratio of 3:2. Internally, you get a choice of either an Intel Core i7 or Core i5 processor. The laptop comes with up to 16GB of RAM, 1TB of NVMe storage, and Acer says you should get up to 15 hours of charge from its 56Wh battery.

Connectivity is good, with two USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, an HDMI 2 port, and a microSD card reader. There are also two Thunderbolt 3 ports for all of your USB-C accessories.

Stepping down to the Spin 3 gets you a slightly bigger 14-inch display, but it’s a lower-resolution 1080p panel with an aspect ratio of 16:9. You’re also limited to Core i5 or i3 processors, with no option to step up to an i7, and the laptop comes with just a single Thunderbolt 3 port. However, in most other respects, the laptop’s specs are comparable. Battery life is slightly less at a maximum of 12 hours, but RAM and storage still top out at 16GB and 1TB, respectively.

The fact that the Spin 3 and Spin 5 lack dedicated GPUs in favor of relying on Intel’s integrated graphics means that neither laptop has any ambition of being a gaming machine, but their transforming screens and built-in styluses mean they both could work well for note-taking or casual sketching. The Acer Spin 5 will be available in North America in June starting at $899, while Spin 3 is coming in April with a starting price of $699.