Working on-the-go is pretty much the name of the game in the modern corporate world. Thanks to the advances in technology too, the concept of working from anywhere in the world is made a reality. With laptops that offers battery life beyond a full workday, you can technically open your laptop from anywhere and get work done at any time.
To be fair, battery technology has not progressed all that much. The Lithium battery that we are used to today has been the same battery technology that we have seen over the past 10 years. What has progressed though is our understanding of silicon technology and how to make transistors smaller, more powerful, and even more efficient. With Intel’s modern Core processors at least, it finally happened, we have laptops that can run on battery longer than 10 hours on a single charge.
That leads us to this Acer TravelMate P6 made for the corporate world. It is also made for corporate employees who travel. In that sense, it is made to last for an entire day on a single charge. It is meant to be whipped out and get you productive anytime, anywhere.
At MYR 6,680, it is not exactly the most affordable laptop for corporate use. In fact, there are many thin-and-light laptops that cost less. The Acer Swift 5 for example, offers the same Intel Core i7, more RAM at 16GB, and better touch screen display while costing about MYR 600 less.
So, what makes this TravelMate P614P special? Why does it cost more than the Acer Swift 5? Is it worth its asking price? Should you get it? We dive right in.
Design
It looks just like any other laptops out there. It is rather unassuming. There is not much in terms of angles and tapers. It is just a rectangular piece of kit that is made mostly out of aluminium. You also get an Acer logo on the top right corner behind the display.
Even the colour is rather plain in its Navy Blue guise. The only other colour you can find on the device is the chrome strips that are also the hinges that holds the bottom and top half of the laptop together.
Then you open it up and the simplistic approach continues with the aluminium bezels surrounding a 14-inch Full HD display. The keyboard and trackpad are pretty much standard designs with the power button integrated into the layout instead of it being a separate button placed elsewhere. That way, you save same spaces on top for a slightly roomier keyboard and larger trackpad.
Because most of the laptop is made from aluminium, it feels solid with minimal flex all around. There is a little bit of play in the aluminium bezels, though not at alarming levels. We suspect that it was because the bezel also houses the webcam.
Hardware
The Acer TravelMate P6 we have here is not an entry-level device. You get a powerful 11th generation Intel Core processor that powers Windows 11 Pro. There is no discrete GPU here though, just Intel’s Iris Xe graphics.
Specifications
| ACER TravelMate P614-52 | As tested |
| Processor (clock) | Intel® Core™ i7-1165G7 processor 2.80 GHz quad-core with Turbo Boost (up to 4.70GHz) and 12MB cache |
| GPU | Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics |
| Display | 14” IPS Full HD+ (1920 x 1200) 16:10 aspect ratio |
| Memory | 8GB LPDDR4X 1TB PCIe® NVMe™ 3.0 M.2 SSD |
| Networking and Connections | Intel WiFi 6 (802.11ax) Bluetooth 5.0 2x Thunderbolt™ 4 USB-C® 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 1x Type-A 1x HDMI 2.0 1x MicroSD card reader 1x 3.5mm AUX Jack |
| Battery | Lithium Ion battery with up to 20 hours of battery life (quoted) 65W Type-C power adapter |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Pro 64-bit |
| Miscellaneous | HD camera Backlit Keyboard Stereo Speakers Far Field Microphone DisplayPort over USB-C Thunderbolt 4 MIL-STD 810H Windows Hello with Facial Recognition |
Features
Of course, at over MYR 6,000 you need some selling points. This one is a business specific laptop, which also means security is everything. Leaks at your work is not an option.
Windows 11 Pro
The Pro variants of Windows has always been the just a little bit better than the Home variants. There is no difference in terms of the user interface. Everything should be familiar to a Windows 11 home user, or even Windows 10 users.
Windows 11 Pro is designed with security in mind. On the Pro edition, you can set passwords on your drives with BitLocker. BitLocker also allows you to lock your PC remotely until you can recover it or forever, jus to make sure that your data is safe even when your device is not.
Windows Hello Security
Yes, all Windows PC comes with Windows Hello function. But that does not mean that every PC does what the TravelMate P6 does with Windows Hello.
Most Windows PC must settle with Window Hello Pin. The TravelMate P6 boasts facial recognition with IR blaster that allows you to use it in lower light condition too. You can use the fingerprint sensor if you want to, or if you choose to cover you webcam with the physical webcam cover.
There is also an added advantage to having an IR blaster right next to your webcam. Your PC knows if you are in front of the laptop or not. That way, the PC locks the moment you move away from the laptop to keep prying eyes from all your important documents. Once you come back, the TravelMate P6 unlocks in no time and you are back at it.
Simple Keys
Backlit keyboard is sort of expected. While it is a normal thing for modern laptops, it is still something highly appreciated, especially indoors and in low-light conditions. On the Travelmate P6, the backlighting is a soft backlight glow that does not attack your eyes.
In certain situations, we find the keyboard backlighting dim. The good thing is that we would have to turn the display’s brightness down a notch to match the backlit keyboard. That way you strain your eyes less.
There is an issue though. You cannot adjust the brightness of your keyboard backlight; it is either on, or off. The backlight also turns off on its own after about 30 seconds. We would appreciate some adjustments on the backlighting.
Acer has been really stepping up in their keyboard game, especially ones on their productivity laptops. The chiclet style backlit keyboard should be quite a familiar one if you have worked with Acer laptops before. You get pretty much the same layout with the power button still integrated into the layout on the Function rows. The power button now doubles as the fingerprint sensor but is not backlit. You can hardly mistake its position though.
While we have been complaining about this sort of layout, Acer sort of solved it by offering a power button that feels completely different than other keys. To hit your power button and get your Travelmate P6 going, it must be a deliberate press. It also prevents accidental turn offs.
The keyboard itself feels good, despite its limited travel. The bottom out feels rather solid but not harsh. They are not mushy either, just the right amount of tactility, bounce, and feedback. You can type long emails without getting too fatigued. The size of the keyboard is quite perfect for various hand sizes to get comfortable with.
Full I/O Ports
The slim form factor means that the Travelmate P6 is lighter and more portable than regular laptops. Its 14-inch display is just the right size that it is easily pocket able while remaining productive use cases. Its thickness is also perfect to work with when it comes to a full-sized USB Type-A and HDMI port.
Of course, the Travelmate P6 comes with two USB Type-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 capabilities. That means you can connect with more than one monitor. This time, the Acer Travelmate P6 charges via either USB Type-C ports by default. There are no proprietary ports here, which also means that your bundled charger can also be used to charge all your USB Type-C devices.
On the other side is a MicroSD slot and a 3.5mm combo jack. While we appreciate a form of memory card reader, we think that a fully sized SD card slot would have been a better deal. Still, MicroSD cards are more accessible now, so it may not be such a bad thing.
WiFi 6 Connectivity
WiFi 6 is not technically an exclusive feature on the Acer TravelMate P6. It is technically a standard feature of all modern computing devices you see today. But it is worth talking about.
The current WiFi standard is still relevant. Many homes are still working with regular WiFi technology. Once you go on WiFi 6 though, you might not be able to downgrade.
We have a 500Mbps internet connection at home with our service provider’s default WiFi 6 router. In all our tests, we could constantly hit speeds well above 300Mbps. While the quality of the router does play a big role in the internet speed the signal can carry, the graph from Speedtest tells us that connection is rather stable, even at lower signal strengths, and that is important in work from home situations.
Performance – Intel’s 11th Generation Core + Iris Xe Power
No, it does not have Intel’s Arc GPU to work with. It has Intel Iris Xe, one of Intel’s newer GPU implementations for mobile computing. This came before Intel’s new Arc GPUs, and there are currently not Arc GPU for the mobile platform just yet, be patient.
Multitasking & Productivity
While the Iris Xe is an integrated GPU, it is a proven platform for most productivity situations. It is even capable of light video editing work. Intel quotes 4K video editing capabilities, it is possible, but you need some patience. You are better off rendering your videos with older gaming laptops once you are done with your edits on the TravelMate P6.
If you are not hard pressed on working with videos with the Travelmate P6, it works well. The one we have here is Intel’s 11th generation Core i7 processor. It is not the same one you will find in gaming or the latest laptops, but it is still potent. The only thing we think that might be holding back the Travelmate P6’s potential is its limited RAM at 8GB.
While 8GB of RAM is enough for Windows 11 Pro to work with, we think that it is at the edge of what is acceptable in terms of multitasking. The laptop does tend to struggle a little when we try to have too many tabs open at once on Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox. We think that at its selling price, the Acer Travelmate P6 deserves a larger RAM as well with the option to expand.
In that sense though, you should not be left wanting too much more from the laptop. The Travelmate P6 is made for mostly Word processing, PowerPoints, emails, and viewing Excel sheets. In those functions, the device will cope well with no struggles.
Entertainment
It does most of the entertainment stuff well enough too. The display only does 1080p Full HD. Netflix and Prime Video app should work smoothly and have no trouble making use of the full 1080p resolution of the display with the provided hardware. If you have a 4K display, you can easily take advantage of that via the USB Type-C or HDMI ports and Netflix and app projecting at 4K resolution.
Battery Life
One of the biggest plus points of this Acer Travelmate P6 is its long battery life. In our typical use, with about 10 tabs open across Microsoft Edge and Firefox, three Microsoft Word documents open, and music streaming, the Travelmate P6 manages more than 12 hours of combined continuous use without charging. We did not wait for the battery to completely drain, but if we leave the laptop charged throughout the evening, we did not have to be break out our charger the next day.
Display and Audio
Like we mentioned that you get a 14-inch Full HD display. It is a 16:10 aspect ratio display, which is an aspect ratio we can fully get on board with. The aspect ratio is also why you can get a 14-inch display in a body that is no larger than a traditional 13-inch laptop.
We think that Full HD is adequate on a 14-inch laptop made for work. Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel will not look any better on a higher resolution display. At the same time, a higher resolution display might mean that everything from your desktop icons to quick launch menu be even smaller than they are necessary, making navigation a pain.
For entertainment, the IPS display is not the most colour accurate display you can find on a laptop. It does not need to be though. Colours are vibrant enough for movies and videos to look good and immersive. You will not be wanting to do full colour grading work with the monitor, but at least you get a good and enjoyable colour range to entertain yourself with.
In terms of Audio, the Travelmate P6 comes packing DTS audio tuning. You still don’t want to expect big sounds from the tiny speakers from the laptop though. It is acceptable, the audio. The quality may not be the best. This laptop does not feature a subwoofer too, which means you get a rather tiny bass response from it.
For video calls, it works rather well. If you are not sitting in a crowded environment, the speakers are rather excellent. There are far-field mics as well on the laptop to ensure that it picks up your voice just as it sounds. While you are not getting the best video quality from the webcam, your audio, probably the most important thing in a video call, is clear.
The Acer Travelmate P6 – Not Perfect, But Quite Fitting
At MYR 6,680, the Acer Travelmate P6 is not what you would call budget friendly; it is an expensive laptop. For the same money, you can set yourself up with a mid-range gaming laptop. For less money, you can get yourself a high-end thin-and-light PC, albeit without Windows 11 Pro.
The extra money you pay to get this over other thin-and-light laptops buys you more security. It buys you a well thought fingerprint sensor and power button combo. It also buys you a webcam and IR blaster that does Windows Hello and cleverly locks your PC when you move away for a quick toilet break. You get convenience with a microSD slot, fully sized USB Type-A, and HDMI ports. That money also gets you a long-lasting battery life like no other. You can get to the office, work without charging your laptop, go home, and work some more before getting your charger out to ready the laptop for the next day.
You want to remember that this laptop is made to do work, to be worked on. It fulfils those duties reliably and more. In those regards, your MYR 6,680 is not necessarily spent on things you can measure. Your hard-earned money, or company’s money is spent on a reliable hardware that you can count on when it comes to getting your work done.
