Gateway and Acer Netbooks: Wonder Twin Powers, Activate!

Acer 532h and Gateway LT2120u

After Acer acquired Gateway in 2007, they started releasing their products in sets of two, with a Gateway version of the most popular Acer models. The mainstream Aspire line became the Gateway NV, the thin and light Timelines became the EC series, and the Aspire One netbooks became the LT series. Today we have the newest model in the Aspire One family, the 532h, and its Gateway counterpart, the LT2120u.

The 532h is a complete redesign of the Aspire One platform, not sharing much with the preceding D150 beyond the screen and general dimensions/capabilities. Acer redesigned the chassis, giving it higher quality materials along with a vastly improved keyboard and touchpad. Combine this with the bump to Pineview, and we have a far more compelling netbook package than before, especially at similar price points to the D150.

The LT2120u is identical to the 532h under the skin, with the same specs, same features, and (roughly) same price. Given the identical port locations, it likely has the same motherboard as well. Why Acer sees fit to release two identical systems under different names is somewhat questionable; perhaps they are trying to cash in on Gateway's brand value (if such a thing exists in this day and age), but even ASUS puts a bit of differentiation between their numerous Eee PC models. It would have made more sense to make the Gateway a lower-end SKU and leave the Acer as a higher-end model instead of having two different SKUs for both models, but that's Acer's problem. For the moment, we have both the 532h and the LT2120u in for review, and it will be interesting to see how the designs differ and which is better.

Speaking of "differentiation", there are technically three variants of the Gateway LT21, each available in three colors (red, black, or white), making for nine different models. The $300 MSRP models come with a 160GB HDD and a 4400mAh battery; $330 models bump the HDD up to 250GB but keep the 4400mAh battery, while the model we have for review is the $350 MSRP unit with a 5600mAh battery (in soothing "glacier white" trim).

Acer has a whopping 22 different variants of the 532h. There are four potential differences: silver, red, and blue chassis; 4400mAh or 5600mAh batteries; and 160GB or 250GB HDDs. That's the same as the Gateway LT21, but added to mix are some models with Windows XP Home versus Windows 7 Starter, Bluetooth is available on some units, and some models come with a 2-year Acer warranty. (Note that not every combination is available, which would make for 96 variants.) Our test unit is the AO532h-2406 in eye-catching garnet red trim.

As mentioned, both the Acer and the Gateway share identical specs, so here's the rundown (it'll be familiar to anyone that's looked for a new netbook): Atom N450/GMA 3150, 1GB DDR2-667 memory, 250GB 5400RPM hard drive, 10.1" LED-backlit WSVGA screen, 5600mAh 6-cell battery, and Windows 7 Starter. The Acer is more readily available so it has a slightly lower price of $335, while the Gateway unit is only available from a few retailers and goes for $340. (Or there's the $299 version of the 532h that drops the HDD size down to 160GB and comes with a 4400mAh battery.) The $5 extra gets you a textured matte interior, though, which we actually prefer. In short, the two netbooks are pretty much identical to the Eee 1001P and every other Pine Trail netbook in the market.

Speaking of our current netbook favorite, the ASUS 1001p, the Acer and Gateway are priced similarly. With an MSRP of $349, it's the same as the Acer and Gateway MSRP, but we've found prices on the street falling to $300, which is excellent for an upper-level netbook class system. Most other places list the 1001p at $330, which is more in line with what we're used to seeing.