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On a post back in March, I had praised the budget Acer ES1-132s hardware components, which included a comfortable keyboard and an Ethernet port. Unfortunately, after a short 6 months, the first top row of keys started to have issues, particularly, keys 5, 8, and 9. A close inspection after removing the key cap didnt reveal any physical damage, nor were they worn out from use. 

Its particularly disappointing for me since I had used a 14" Acer Aspire 5500Z for close to 8 years back during the days of the Pentium M processor. That laptop had underwent a lengthy period of office use with Windows and went through repeated installations with various Linux distributions afterwards (with openSUSE being the best suited for the 5500Zs picky Wi-Fi card). The Acer ES1-132, on the other hand, not only has glaring UEFI problems with Linux, but has now revealed a faulty keyboard. 

I used the entry-level ES1-132 regularly when it was running Fedora 25 and more recently Windows 10, especially in locations where bringing a Macbook Air or Surface Pro 4 was risky. Although the Acer was probably subjected to some degree of bouncing and jostling in my overly large backpack, usage and exposure wasnt enough to ruin specific keyboard keys. Moreover, if the faulty keys were caused by some impact, functionality for more than 2-3 keys would be affected.

The Acer ES1-132 is currently connected to an HDMI display and using a Logitech wireless mouse and keyboard at home as a backup to my Fedora 26 Zotac ZBOX mini-PC. It was after connecting the Ethernet port and HDMI cable that I suddenly realized the advantage of the 2-in-1 form factor. If the keyboard fails on a 2-in-1, you can switch positions to make it more usable as a desktop mini-PC. Sadly, the Acer ES1-132 is nothing more than a crash system for Windows applications and tasks until I get around to having that keyboard checked (which in some countries is almost as pricey as a new budget laptop). 

The only "consolation" I get from having my ES1-132 rendered unusable without an external keyboard, is that Im now putting an extremely durable ASUS Chromebook C202SA through its paces.