With brands like Lenovo and LG announcing new products in the dozens at CES 2020, Acer appears to be equally thrilled to show off its new tech for the year. The Taiwanese electronics manufacturer has so far announced a number of new gaming monitors, a portable LED projector, and fresh laptops. This includes the ConceptD 7 Ezel convertible laptop that's aimed at professional designers. Let's take a closer look at Acer's new hardware:
Let's start with the most eye-catching devices of them all. Launched last year, the ConceptD sub-brand represents Acer's offerings that are specifically aimed at professional designers and creators. Extending that aim this year are the ConceptD 7 Ezel Series Convertible and the ConceptD 700 Workstation. The former is a convertible laptop series with Acer's proprietary ‘Ezel’ swivelling display hinge and the latter is a stylish desktop series with powerful internals.
The PANTONE-validated IPS display on the Ezel series can be configured with a maximum resolution of 4K. It has a maximum brightness of 400 nits and 100-per cent Adobe RGB colour coverage. What's more, it can be used with the bundled Wacom EMR stylus. Acer says the Ezel series incorporates a Micro-Arc Oxidation finish for strength and resistance to corrosion and oxidation. The Ezel series is powered by up to an Intel 10th Gen Core H-series CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics card, 32GB of RAM, and 2TB of solid-state storage. Also on offer is the Ezel Pro, which is powered by an Intel Xeon CPU and Nvidia Quadro RTX graphics.
The ConceptD 700 Workstation employs as many as three cooling fans inside its chassis to keep temperatures in check. The woodgrain-style top side of the chassis includes a wireless charger for smartphones. There's even a pop-out headphone cradle and easy cable management. The ConceptD 700 Workstation is powered by an Intel Xeon E CPU, Nvidia Quadro RTX 4000 graphics, and up to 64GB of RAM. The ConceptD 7 Ezel Series Convertible will soon go on sale for a starting price of EUR 2,499 (Rs 1,94,100 approx). The ConceptD 700 Workstation will go on sale in March in the EMEA for a starting price of EUR 1,699 (Rs 1,36,250 approx).
Acer's long-standing thin and light laptop line-up, the Swift 3, sees the addition of two new models, namely the SF313-52/G and SF314-42. Co-developed with Intel as part of its Project Athena innovation for better speeds and battery life, the former features up to an Intel 10th Gen Core i7 CPU. The latter sports up to an AMD Ryzen 7 4700U processor. Acer says the new Swift 3 is as light as 1.19 kilogrammes and 18 per cent taller, making its aspect ratio 3:2. The new Swift 3 features, in addition, Thunderbolt 3 and optional GeForce graphics. Both Swift 3 models will go on sale later this year for a starting price of EUR 599 (Rs 48,000 approx).
Acer's Spin 5 and Spin 3 convertible laptop series are now updated with a slimmer design and new features. The new Spin 5 (SP513-54N) features a 13.5-inch 2K touchscreen panel with narrow bezels, a magnesium aluminium chassis that weighs 1.2 kilogrammes, and an inbuilt fingerprint reader. The laptop now sports a 3:2 aspect ratio. The more affordable Spin 3 (SP314-54N), on the other hand, retains its 16:9 aspect ratio but comes with a 14-inch Full HD touchscreen panel on an equally stylish aluminium chassis that weighs 1.5 kilogrammes. Both models come with a bundled Acer Active Stylus that uses Wacom AES technology. Both are powered by up to an Intel 10th Gen Core i7 CPU with Intel Iris Plus integrated graphics with up to 16GB of RAM. The new Spin 5 and Spin 3 will go on sale later this year for a starting price of EUR 649 (Rs 52,000 approx) and EUR 999 (Rs 80,000), respectively.
Serving as Acer's line of business laptops since the late 1990s, the TravelMate sub-brand gets two new models, namely the TravelMate P6 and TravelMate P2. Both models are powered by up to an Intel 10th Gen Core i7 CPU. They're both MIL-STD-810G-certified for durability and strength but only the TravelMate P6 has been co-developed with Intel as part of the Project Athena initiative for better speeds and battery life. The TravelMate P6's magnesium-aluminium body weighs 1.1 kilogrammes while the battery on board is claimed to deliver up to 23 hours of battery life on a single charge. The TravelMate P2, on the other hand, claims to offer 13 hours of battery life on a single charge. It packs optional 4G LTE connectivity and Nvidia GeForce MX series graphics. The TravelMate P6 and TravelMate P2 will go on sale later this year for a starting price of EUR 1,099 (Rs 88,000 approx) and EUR 599(Rs 48,000), respectively.
Acer has launched along with its new laptops three new gaming monitors, namely the 32-inch Predator X32, the 37.5-inch Predator X38, and the much larger 55-inch Predator CG552K. The Predator X32 features Nvidia's G-SYNC ULTIMATE technology, 1,152 LED dimming zones on the IPS panel, UHD resolution, a maximum brightness of 1,440 nits, 99 per cent Adobe RGB colours, inbuilt 4W speakers, and a 144Hz refresh rate. The Predator X38 features an Nvidia G-SYNC processor, 98 per cent DCI-P3 colours, an overclockable refresh rate up to 175Hz, 1ms response time, and dual 7W speakers. The Predator CG552K features a 4K OLED panel with up to 400 nits brightness, 98.5 per cent DCI-P3 colours, G-SYNC compatibility, a refresh rate of 120Hz, 0.5ms response time, two 10W inbuilt speakers, and a light sensor. All three monitors will go on sale later this year. The Predator X32 will start at EUR 3,299 (Rs 2,63,900 approx), the Predator X38, at EUR 2,199 (Rs 1,75,900 approx), and the Predator CG552K, at EUR 2,699 (Rs 2,15,865 approx).
Acer also announced the B250i Portable LED Projector, which features Full HD projection, auto-focus, and Waves Maxx Audio. The LED module is expected to have a lifespan of about 30,000 hours. Weighing in at 1,450g, the portable projector features Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and USB-C connectivity in addition to USB-A and HDMI. The Acer B250i Portable LED Projector is expected to go on sale later in the year for a starting price of EUR 699 (Rs 55,900 approx).