Acer was out in force in NYC, celebrating the company’s 40th year on the 54th floor of the World Trade Center in New York City and announcing a plethora of new products including a range of new and updated notebook PCs, a liquid-cooled 2-in-1 laptop, and new offerings in the Predator gaming lineup.
New Chromebook For Work
Among the new notebook offerings Acer revealed was the Chromebook 14 for Work, Acer’s first Chromebook compliant with the Chrome for Work initiative. The company claimed that this is the first notebook available on the market that features Vibrant Corning Gorilla Glass. The Acer Chromebook 14 for Work also features an Intel Core i-Series processor, giving it a CPU horsepower advantage over other Chromebooks sporting Atom or Celeron processors.
A Liquid-Cooled 2-In-1 Notebook
The Switch Alpha 12 is a thin 2-in-1 notebook that features a 2160 x 1440 touchscreen display, and Acer claimed this is the first fanless 2-in-1 laptop to use a 6th generation (Skylake) Core i-series processor. This is made possible by the Switch Alpha’s liquid cooler, the details of which are here.
New Predator Gaming Devices
Acer’s Predator gaming lineup gained a few new additions, including the small and portable Predator G1 gaming desktop PC, which features the latest Intel Core processors, up to 64 GB of RAM, and up to an Nvidia GeForce GTX Titan X in a tiny chassis, which is ideal as a LAN party rig.
If you need to take a screen with you to the next LAN event, Acer’s Predator gaming laptop just got bigger and stronger with the debut of the Predator 17X, a 17-inch gaming notebook featuring desktop-grade components and performance.
Acer also revealed its first curved 27-inch gaming monitor in the form of the Predator Z1, which features Nvidia G-Sync technology for a smooth gaming experience.
Ultra-Thin Is In
Acer revealed two new ultra-thin devices: the S 13 notebook and the R 15 convertible laptop. The S 13 has an entry-level price of $699 and features 6th generation Intel Core-series processors, FHD IPS displays with an optional touchscreen, and it offers up to a 13-hour battery life.
The R 15 is a brand new convertible with a 15.6-inch FHD IPS display that can feature Intel Core processors (Skylake), up to 12 GB DDR4 memory, and up to an Nvidia GeForce 940MX graphics module, offering an impressive combination of a thin design, functionality and performance. We rounded up the consumer laptops here.
Consumer And Commercial Notebook Updates
Acer also updated its consumer laptops, giving the F15, E14, E15, E17 and ES15 Intel Skylake processor options, up to an Nvidia GeForce GTX 950M, and DDR4 memory. The E-series was also refreshed with seven color options, whereas the F15 has five choices. The ES15 comes in three different colors.
The TravelMate P658 notebook was also updated with the latest Intel processors, DDR4 memory, and a better graphics subsystem. Several new peripherals round out the TravelMate product lineup, including the ProDock Wireless, ProDock3 and a USB Type-C docking station.
More To Come
We’ll take a closer look at some of the more interesting product announcements (like this one about the Primo smartphone taking over laptops), but Acer certainly showed us what’s next for its PC market offerings with a little something for everyone.
Derek Forrest is an Associate Contributing Writer for Tom’s Hardware and Tom’s IT Pro. Follow Derek Forrest on Twitter. Follow us on Facebook, Google+, RSS, Twitter and YouTube.
