Acer Next May 2021: Predator Gaming Laptops And Everything Announced

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Acer Next May 2021: Predator gaming laptops and everything announced

Acer Next May 2021: Predator gaming laptops and everything announced

Every spring, around the same time as Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, Acer holds its Next@Acer global press conference where it unveils its latest products for PC gaming and content creation, as well as stuff for everyone else who uses a computer. This year's livestream took place Thursday, and the company served up the usual mix of a few notable products sprinkled among a sea of rote upgrades. In this case, that means buffing up laptops and desktops for 2021 with the latest 11th-gen CPUs from Intel or AMD, the latest Nvidia GeForce and A series (the line formerly known as Quadro) GPUs and the newest screens.

If you missed it, don't despair -- you can always watch the replay on YouTube or Acer's event site. But we're here to hit the highlights for you.

Gaming

The two new Predator laptops -- the Triton 500 SE and Helios 500 -- are most notable for their pumped-up screens. The 16-inch Triton 500 SE looks like the smaller Triton 300 SE, which earned the title "Special Edition" from its incorporation of a rather ho-hum Intel Core i7-11375H low-power processor.

But in this case the specialness seems to be thanks to two of its screen choices, a 165Hz, 2,560x1,600 (16:10 aspect ratio) mini-LED backlit screen. It's capable of 1,152-zone local dimming and 1,250 nits peak brightness, sadly with only a 100% sRGB color gamut, which makes it only partly HDR. Or you can opt for a 240Hz screen of the same resolution but 100% P3 gamut coverage and InnoLux's PolarBlack technology for deeper blacks than you typically get from IPS. It also takes advantage of Nvidia's Advanced Optimus for better power management, and can come equipped with the 35-watt Core i7 or i9 11th-gen processors announced this month and up to a GeForce RTX 3080. It's shipping now starting at $1,750.

For fans of the bigger gaming laptops, the 17-inch Helios 500 breaks out an optional 120Hz 4K display with 512-zone mini-LED backlighting that peaks at 1,000 nits brightness, a 1080p, 60fps webcam and a 5G connectivity option, which is really an external dongle. It's slated to ship in August starting at $2,500.

The aforementioned Predator Connect D5 G5 Dongle is one of two gaming-targeted 5G devices Acer announced; the other is the Predator Connect X5 5G CPE, a tower combo 5G and Wi-Fi hotspot. Their special gaming sauce is Killer prioritization technologies for improving the latency of connections.

New monitors round out the most interesting of the gaming announcements. The 43-inch Predator CG437K S joins Asus' ROG Strix XG438Q and Gigabyte Aorus FV43U in the queue to connect to your Xbox Series X or PS5 thanks to their still novel HDMI 2.1 connectors and support for variable refresh rate. Other specs for the VA panel include 144Hz refresh, 1,000-nit HDR brightness (though only 90% P3 color gamut) and 10-watt stereo speakers. You won't see Acer's new Predator monitor until November and it will cost $1,800.

There's also a Predator X38 S, 38 inches of 144Hz, curved 2,840x1,600-pixel goodness with a 98% P3 gamut, 600-nit HDR brightness and stereo 7-watt speakers -- it's shipping in September for $2,000 -- and the Predator x28, a 165Hz (overclocked) HDR 400 G-Sync esports monitor, which Acer plans to charge $1,300 for when it ships in August. Yes, it features Acer's LightSense, ColorSense and ProxiSense VisionCare 3.0 technologies and accurate color (for an unidentified color space), but still -- a $1,300 1080p monitor.

Two low-end gaming desktops, the Predator Orion 3000 and the Nitro 50 get a gentle bump to 11th-gen Core i5 and i7 CPUs; the Nitro also has a Ryzen option.

Laptops and Chromebooks

A few of Acer's new general-use laptops and Chromebooks stand out from the pack. The company celebrates its joining the RE100 renewable-energy initiative and its own new "Earthion" platform for managing sustainability through the supply chain by launching the sustainably sourced Aspire Vero laptop. It's a 15-inch model made from postconsumer recycled plastic, predominantly recycled paper packaging, printing with soy ink and so on.

Also of note is the new Chromebook 317, which Acer claims is the first 17-inch Chromebook -- just beating the rumored Asus model to the starting line. Aside from its bigness, it's a pretty standard Chromebook based on Pentium and Celeron CPUs, and weighing in at a somewhat hefty 5.2 pounds. It ships in June starting at $380.

Then there's the Chromebook Spin 713 with its Chrome OS for Enterprise twin, the first Chromebook to ship meeting Intel's Evo certification. That means thin, light, battery-optimized and responsive, although at 3 pounds for a 13-incher that seems on the heavy side. It's available now starting at $700.

Read more: Acer Chromebook Spin 713 review: Next step in the evolution of Chromebooks

A new 14-inch thin-and-light Swift X Windows laptop joins Acer's parade of similarly sized models, incorporating the latest AMD Ryzen CPUs and the recently launched GeForce RTX 3050 Ti. Once again, 3 pounds for a 14-inch model doesn't strike me as a huge weight loss, but with a starting price of $900 and a claimed 17-hour battery life, it certainly sounds attractive on those counts.

5G hotspots aren't just for Acer's gamers, either. Its new Connect M5 5G Mobile Wi-Fi supports 5G NR and LTE and can host up to 32 devices.

The Chromebook line, Spin 5, Aspire 7 and TravelMate Spin P6 all get performance upgrades as well.

On the creative front, Acer boosts its Concept D laptops with 11th-gen Intel CPU and, the latest Nvidia GPUs, including the pro Nvidia A5000 and A3000 and Intel Xeon W-11955M, and refreshed designs based on the gaming laptops they spin off from. Plus, they follow the trend of bumping from 15-inch displays to 16 inches, some with 16:10 aspect ratios. The Concept D3 models won't ship until December and start at $1,600, the Concept D5 line will be available in August starting at $2,000, and the Concept D7 models will start at $2,500 whenever they ship.

Along with the Concept D updates, the company also rolled out a SpatialLabs Developer Program for Unreal Engine developers interested in working on projects with Acer's new SpatialLabs' glasses-free stereoscopic 3D technology for live interaction. Program participants will receive a Concept D SpatialLabs prototype notebook. W00t!

Chromebooks turned 10 years old this year and Acer has made them from the start. In fact, if you want to see just how far Chromebooks have come, take a look at our 2012 review of the Acer Chromebook C7 and compare it to the new Chromebook Spin 713. Chrome OS is no longer just a browser, and the Spin 713 is much more than a netbook. It's one of the best in the category and an excellent laptop in general.

Although the new Chromebook Spin 713 looks almost exactly like its predecessor, Intel worked with Acer to make it the first Chromebook verified for Intel's Evo platform. What does that mean? An Evo-verified laptop must meet certain standards for performance, battery life, responsiveness, and wireless and wired connections, among other things. In other words, it's sort of a guarantee that your laptop will give you the best mobile experience, and now that experience is available on a Chromebook.

Like

Great performance, battery life
3:2 display
Thunderbolt 4

Don't Like

Ordinary looks and a bit heavy for a Chromebook
Fingerprint reader not available on all models

Just like the best Windows and MacOS laptops, the best Chromebooks have better components and better components cost more money. The $699 Chromebook Spin 713 I tested will cause sticker shock for those used to cheaper Chromebooks that'll handle much of what you can do with Chrome. But this is a premium Chromebook that delivers a great user experience and is worth the extra money for its performance and durability. Pricing for the UK and Australia wasn't immediately available, but the US price converts to roughly £495 or AU$900.

Acer Chromebook Spin 713

Price as reviewed	$699
Display size/resolution	13.5-inch 2,256x1,504-pixel touchscreen
CPU	2.4GHz Intel Core i5-1135G7
Memory	8GB 4267MHz LPDDR4X (onboard)
Graphics	Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Storage	256GB PCIe NVMe SSD
Networking	802.11ax wireless, Bluetooth 5.0
Connections	Thunderbolt 4 USB-C (x2), USB-A (3.2 Gen 1), HDMI, 3.5mm audio jack, microSD card slot
Operating system	Chrome OS/Android 9

A tall display and connections for more

The Acer Chromebook Spin 713 uses one of Acer's bright VertiView displays, a 13.5-inch, 2,256x1,504-pixel touchscreen with a 3:2 aspect ratio. As the name implies, it gives you more vertical room to work, but it still has the width of a typical 13.3-inch laptop with a 16:9 ratio. If you don't like scrolling up and down all the time, this is perfect.

But if you want to attach a monitor or two, the Spin 713 is the first Chromebook with Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports -- it's now a requirement for Intel Evo Chromebook verification. The ports can be used for display output, fast data transfers, high-speed networking, rapid charging and docking stations. There's also an HDMI output on the Spin 713, so you can connect a display without any adapters or docks if necessary.

A safe design in more ways than one

Maybe it's because Samsung's Galaxy Chromebook 2 is still fresh in my mind, but the overall look of the Spin 713 doesn't stand out compared to the rest of the package. It's fine-looking and certainly a safe choice for school and work, but if you're looking for some personality, this falls short.

On the other hand, one thing this Chromebook can handle is a short fall. Along with Corning Gorilla Glass on the touchscreen (and the smooth touchpad, too), the Spin 713 has a reinforced aluminum body with Mil-Spec certification (MIL-STD-810H) for protection from minor drops, vibration, rain, dust, high and low temperatures and humidity. It's a welcomed extra for a Chromebook that's likely to get knocked around. However, at 3 pounds (1.4 kilograms) is slightly heavy for a premium Chromebook and it is somewhat thick, too, especially when folded over into a tablet.

Simply snappy

Intel says Evo-verified laptops are engineered to help remove lag, distractions and dependency on battery chargers. There is certainly nothing laggy about this Chromebook. Lift the lid and the display instantly comes to life, the Wi-Fi connects and it's ready to go in seconds -- a lot like your phone when you wake it up. An Android phone can be paired with Chrome to unlock it and Chrome now allows you to add a PIN for faster access. Some models also feature a built-in fingerprint reader, and it was included on the model I tested. However, the final version being sold at Best Buy does not include the reader, which is disappointing, because it worked well.

The 11th-gen Intel Core i5 processor handily outperformed last year's version of this Chromebook with the comparable 10th-gen chip on our benchmarks. It outlasted its predecessor's battery by 31 minutes, too, running for 12 hours, 42 minutes on our streaming video test. Plus, it charges fast.

Basically, the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 lives up to Intel's Evo verification. It wakes instantly, it's just as responsive on battery power as it is plugged in, has a long battery life, charges quickly and, with Thunderbolt 4 and Wi-Fi 6, it has fast wired and wireless connections.

The two-in-one design is useful to have, especially when using Android apps. It's a bit thick in tablet mode, but overall I find Chrome more enjoyable with a touchscreen. Even if you only plan to use it as a laptop, I'd still recommend it. The Spin 713 feels like the first glimpse of the next 10 years for Chromebooks.

Editor's note, June 14: The Acer Chromebook Spin 713 configuration tested for this review included a fingerprint reader. That feature is available as an option for the Spin 713, but is no longer available on the configuration reviewed here. This review has been updated accordingly. Also, the final version of the Spin 713 does support USI pens. An earlier version of this review stated that it did not.

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