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Both Apple and Acer were busy these days. Apple launched its latest iMac on Tuesday. Acer announced the Aspire Z3- 700 all- in- one on Monday. So, we got two brand new all- in- one devices to analyze. One of them has a 21.5- inch, the other one a 17.3- inch display. Both the iMac and the Aspire Z3- 700 have incredible spec sheets and offer customers a great user experience. Both devices have something unique. But which one is better fitted for you? In order to decide which one to choose we are going to briefly present them.
Apple iMac (21.5- inch)
Although the new iMac is available in three main versions, the 21.5- inch FHD display, the 21.5- inch with Retina 4K display and the 27- inch with Retina 5K display, we are going to present the full HD version of the 21.5- inch iMac. This is more similar to the Acer Aspire Z3- 700 so it makes more sense to compare the two of them instead of the higher- end Retina display devices and the Acer all- in- one. The iMac is considered to be the go- to all- in- one device of all times. It has a simple and elegant design, which is characteristic for Apple devices. The design of the iMac itself didn’t change a bit with this new version. It still has the aluminium unibody, the metal stand with a pass-through for the power cable. and still ahs the same dimensions. Even the width of the bezels remained the same. Design- wise the only changes can be noticed in the keyboard and the mouse, not on the device itself. The new iMac now comes with an improved keyboard, Magic Mouse 2 and Magic Trackpad 2.
The display of the iMac is a 21.5- inch one, with 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution, sRGB display. Although it is not as crisp and clear as its Retina 4K sibling, the 1080p display is still bright and colorful enough for normal use. One good thing about the full HD version of the iMac is that this display is not a glossy one, so for some users it will be more pleasant to use. For those who use their iMac for visual editing it is recommended to opt for the Retina 4K display which offers great quality images. For the rest of us, who don’t work necessarily with image editing the FHD display will probably do the trick. The iSight camera is discreetly hidden at the top of the monitor.
The new 21.5- inch FHD iMac comes in two versions. The more modest one is powered by a 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor that can be overclocked to 2.7GHz. It includes 8 GB of onboard memory which is configurable to 16 GB. Storage can be configured up to 1TB. This base version comes with Intel HD Graphics 6000. The other 21.5- inch Full HD version is a slightly more powerful one. It is powered by a 2.8GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz. This is combined with a Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200 graphics card and 8 GB of RAM. The memory is configurable up to 16 GB. The internal storage of this version can also be configured up to 1TGB, so there is no storage problem with the iMac. 
While the more modest version of the iMac starts at $1,099.00, the next smallest version goes up to $1,299.00. The 21- inch Retina 4K display version can be purchased for $1,499.00, while the 27- inch Retina 5K version is available starting $1,799.00 and going up to $2,299.00. These are not at all small prices, but those who need the features the iMac has to offer might consider that it is worth every cent.
- CPU: 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, Turbo Boost up to 2.7GHz
- Memory: 8GB of onboard memory, configurable up to 16GB
- Storage: 1TB hard drive
- GPU: Intel HD Graphics 6000
- Display: 1920-by-1080 sRGB display.
Acer Aspire Z3- 700
The Acer Aspire Z3-700 has a quite difficult mission: to overcome the iMac which is considered to be the best all- in- one on the market. Now, with the Retina 4K and Retina 5 K displays it will be really tough to take its place on the podium. But then again, the Aspire Z3- 700 has something that the globally respected iMac doesn’t. That is portability. Yes, the new Acer all- in- one is portable. It has a battery which can ensure up to five hours battery life. Although all- in- ones were not meant to be carried around, this might just become the new trend on this market also. This is why the Aspire Z3- 700 could have an advantage over the new iMac. The Aspire Z3-700 is quite thin and it looks more like a tablet on two kickstands than an all- in- one. 
The display of the Aspire Z3-700 is smaller than the iMac’s 21.5- inch display and certainly a lot smaller than the 27- inch version. It only has a 17.3- inch diagonal. Just like the non- Retina version the iMac, the Aspire Z3-700 comes with 1920 x 1080 full HD resolution display. The image is bright and the colors are vibrant, so the Z3-700 users won’t really have to complain about low- quality images. Of course, it won’t be as clear as the Retina 4K display of the iMac, but it is the same as the full HD version of the iMac. On the other hand, the display of the Acer Aspire Z3-700 is a multi touchscreen. For touchscreen fans this will surely be an advantage of the Acer device over the iMac which doesn’t have a touchscreen display.
Customers can choose the processor their Aspire Z3-700 will be equipped with. They can choose between a Intel Celeron N3150 , Intel Celeron 3050 or a Intel Pentium N3700 running at 1.6GHz. It includes up to 8 GB of RAM and can come either with SSD storage or with HDD one. Customers can choose between up to 256GB SSD storage or up to 500 GB HDD one.
What really differentiates the Acer Aspire Z3-700 from the iMac and other all- in- one devices is its battery. It is not a huge one, but it is enough to ensure about five hours of battery life according to Acer. This makes the Aspire Z3-700 to be more like a laptop than a all- in- one PC. Since it runs on Windows 10 it has a lot of great features that users can now enjoy even when they’re on the move. Of course, the 17.3- inch display of the Aspire Z3-700 doesn’t really make it easy to carry around, neither does its approximately 2 KG weight. But if users choose to do the heavy lifting, there will be no charger or plug to stop them.
The Acer Aspire Z3-700 is going to be available in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa before the end of the year for €599 (or about $680), so it is a lot more affordable than the new iMac’s more modest versions.
- CPU: 1.6GHz Intel Intel Celeron N3150 , Intel Celeron 3050, Intel Pentium N3700
- Memory: up to 8GB of onboard memory
- Storage: up to 256GB SSD storage or up to 500 GB HDD
- Display: 1920-by-1080 IPS display.
The ultimate All- in-One
If we compare the Full HD, 21.5- inch iMac with the portable Aspire Z3-700 we incline to think that the Acer device could be more appealing. It is a Windows 10 device after all, and it is a portable all- in- one which makes it unique. On the other hand, there is the iMac which can be configured in endless combinations. If we consider the Retina display, either the 21.5- inch Retina 4K or the 27- inch Retina 5K we have to admit that there are no better displays for all- in – one device on the market at this moment. If you work with image editing or creation this is definitely the best device for you. That is, if you can afford to pay a small fortune for it.
If we strictly compare the Full HD 21.5- inch iMac with the Acer Aspire Z3-700 we would choose the Acer for its portability. In all other cases, the iMac will surely win the race for the ultimate all- in- one device. At least for now.
