Acer prepared several new computers for CES 2017, and it’s a killer
lineup from the looks of it. A whole line of devices for multiple different
markets.
These devices are all quite unique and fit in
different segments of the market quite well. Between the budget models, to the
top-end gaming laptops, what does Acer have in store?
The main stars of the show, the V Nitro laptops are
notable for multiple reasons, but one in particular sticks out from the rest.
It’s the first laptop to bring together Tobii’s eye tracking technology and
Microsoft’s Precision Touchpad (PTP) platform. This will make navigating the OS
much more intuitive, as well as provide certain extras in some games.
Both V Nitros can be configured with a Nvidia’s GTX
1060, 7th generation Intel Core i7 H-series processors and up to 16GB of DDR4
RAM. Display specs go all the way up to 4K displays, which is helped by Acer’s
Color Intelligence system. This system changes the gamma and saturation of the
display in real time.
None of this comes for cheap, and the
Nitro series of laptops start at US$ 1,199, which is on the pricey side for most
consumers. And that’s just for the lowest configuration. If you’re interested,
it goes on sale later in February.
On the much tamer side of things, we have Acer’s
latest Chromebook the 11 N7. In typical Chromebook fashion, the device is a simple
looking device. This is all on purpose, of course, as the unlike the previous
device the Chromebook 11 N7 is built to last.
The 11.6-inch Chromebook itself can take up to 132
pounds of downward force on the top cover. N7 can survive drops up to 48 inches
thanks in part to its corner-shield structure and rubber bumper keyboard. It
also has a reinforced case and hinges, which can only serve to make the device
more durable.
On top of all that, the N7 also features an
anti-slip pattern on the rear to keep it from slipping. Finally, it has a new
spill-resistant keyboard that can drain up to 11 ounces of liquid. Useful in
case you spill something like water or coffee on your Chromebook.
Specs-wise however, it’s simply nothing special.
There’s Intel Celeron dual core processor N3060 with a clock speed of 1.60GHz,
4GB of RAM and the choice of either 16GB or 32GB of storage. On the bright
side, the device’s battery is claimed to be able to last for 15 hours. Pricing
is rather steep at US$ 229 for the specs, but it’s not bad if you need something
durable.
Design-wise, we return to the gamer look of
the V Nitro laptops, and for good reason. The Acer Aspire GX is clearly a
gaming desktop from all perspectives.
The Acer Aspire is no compact gaming
solution like Asus’s VivoPC X. It’s a towering behemoth of power, and its specs
and features reflect exactly that. It even has an
integrated wireless charging deck built into the top of the case.
Taking a look at the specs, it appears the Acer
Aspire GX is configurable. Inside the machine, you can have up to the GTX 1070
GPU, 64GB of RAM, 256GB of SSD storage and 3TB of HDD storage. Some pretty
monstrous numbers here, though keep in mind that’s the maximum. The price will
reflect the changes made.
Speaking of pricing, the Acer Aspire GX will go on
sale in China and Europe first. It’ll set you back at € 799 in Europe and ¥ 5,999
in China, which roughly translates to US$ 840. We imagine it’ll come to other
markets like the US pretty soon.
Well, here’s brand new device we’ve never heard or
seen before. It also seems to fall into the gaming category with its specs and
flashy red chassis. The VX 15 uses a seventh-generation Intel Core i7-7700HQ,
paired with a GTX 1050 GPU with 4GB of GDDR5 VRAM. Up to 16GB of DDR4 RAM is
available from the start, though the laptop supports up to 32GB of RAM. On top
of that, Storage options include up to a 512GB SATA 6 SSD paired with a 1TB
5400RPM HDD.
Dual fans keep the chassis cool, and the VX 15 also
includes Acer’s TrueHarmony sound technology with Dolby Audio Premium and Skype
for Business certification. Input is provided by Acer’s FineTip backlit
keyboard and the touchpad is another PTP touchpad. I/O connectivity includes
one USB Type-C 3.1 Gen 1 port , two USB 3.0 ports and USB 2.0 port. There’s
also an HDMI port, though there’s no DisplayPort. An SD card slot enables
external storage expansion up to 128GB, which is welcome.
Unlike Acer’s brickish Predator line of laptops, the
VX 15 seems to be a much sleeker gaming laptop. with its angular, slender body
and fairly powerful components, we imagine it could carve a niche for itself.
It’ll start at US$ 799 in North America it’ll go on sale in February, like the
rest of the launched laptops.
The insanity is Acer’s brand new Predator 21
X, a gaming laptop meant to end other gaming laptops. The thing features dual
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 graphic cards in SLI and an overclockable 7th- generation
Intel Core i7-7820HK processor.
On top of that you’ve got 64GB of DDR4-2400 memory,
up to four total 512GB solid state drives in RAID 0 configuration (including
two, faster NVMe PCIe SSDs) and a 7200 RPM hard drive with up to a solid 2TB
capacity.
It’s also got a complete smorgasbord of I/O, with
USB 3.1 Type-C with Thunderbolt 3 support, USB 3.0 with always-on charging, and
three more USB 3.0 ports. An HDMI 2.0 port is available for UHD output, along
with two DisplayPorts which support G-SYNC output. Oh, there’s also an SD card
reader, which is always a nice thing to see.
The cooling system of
the Predator 21 X features five fans, with three of them being “AeroBlade”
metal fans, and nine heat pipes. To keep it clean, it features Acer’s
DustDefender, which (shockingly) helps remove dust. Acer also allows the fans
to be controlled with their CoolBoost app for those intense gaming sessions.
And now let’s move on to the audio section, shall
we? Acer has a three-way speaker set, with a tweeter, midrange, and woofer, and
there are a total of six speakers in the laptop. There are two tweeters, two
midrange, and two woofers. Yes, you heard that right. Acer boasts that it’ll
produce a ‘whole spectrum of sound’ and we’re inclined to believe them,
whatever that is.
And to top it off, we’ve got the keyboard, number
pad and trackpad. The keyboard uses Cherry MX brown switches that include
individually lit LED lights, programmable to 16.7 million colors. Regarding the
numpad, it can be flipped over and turned into a Precision Touchpad. And on top
of all that, we also get the same Tobii eye tracking technology from the V
Nitros.
Just in case you thought they might have missed a
feature, Acer is also including a Windows Hello IR camera for facial
recognition login, and they include Xsplit Gamecaster software as well. Looks
like they thought of everything.
The whole thing is, predictably, very heavy at just
about 9 KGs. This is much higher than the average person is willing to carry. So, how much would this monstrous
behemoth of a device cost you? Well, for the low price of US$ 8999, you can take
it back home today! Well, it’s going on sale in February.
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