Ultrabooks are the new norm for consumers looking for powerful yet sleek laptops and Acer just upped the game.

Acer unveiled the world’s thinnest Ultrabook at CES with the Aspire S5. The device measures only 15 mm at its largest point. It weighs less than 3 lbs. and has a 13.3-inch LCD.

The computer features “Acer Green Instant On” for fast boot up times. The service provides instant-resume functionality which essentially means that the Aspire S5 will go from sleep mode to awake in 1.5 seconds. It will also ensure that the battery life will last several weeks which is a life-saver for any laptop user who has found their battery dead after only a few days in sleep mode.

It also features “Acer Always Connect” which is part of Acer’s new AcerCloud service. This allows users to connect their Ultrabook to any smart device for easy retrieval of all documents and media stored on the Aspire S5. The other advantage of the service keeps users constantly connected with their favorite social services by keeping Facebook, Twitter and Outlook email services open during sleep mode. This allows the user to see all updates instantly upon resuming their work.

The Aspire S5 keeps up the slim form factor of Ultrabooks with a black chassis that is built to look good while being sturdy enough to protect the computer.

The S5 is Acer’s first ultrabook to feature what they dub the MagicFlip I/O port panel which is located just beneath the hinge. It allows access to a variety of I/O ports including HDMI, USB 3.0 and 20 Gbps Thunderbolt.

The innards of the Aspire S5 are nothing to scoff at with an Intel Core processor, SSD storage, Dolby-home theater v4 and a battery life that lasts 3 times longer than traditional batteries.

The Acer Aspire S5 will start shipping in Q2 2012.

Acer is looking to compete more aggressively with Apple’s popular Macbook Air line, so it will be interesting to see how Apple reacts to this. 2012 is looking to be the year of the Ultrabook so expect to see more announcements during CES.