Aiming to please both education users and gamers, Acer on Wednesday unveiled a slew of new gaming laptops and Chromebooks, adding eighth-generation Intel Core processors, Qi wireless charging pads, and several other cutting-edge features.
The new Chromebook Tab 10 is designed to supplement the Chromebooks already present in many classrooms. It's got a built-in stylus that uses Wacom technology, making it a clear competitor to the new Apple iPad, which comes with pen support. Acer envisions that most teachers will use the Tab 10 for Google Expeditions activities such as virtual walking or museum tours.
Acer's other new Chrome OS model is the Chromebook Spin 13, which the company is billing as the world's most powerful Chromebook. That's a bold claim, but it's backed up by an eighth-generation Intel Core processor, which is an improvement over the Celerons and Pentiums usually powering Chromebooks.
The Spin 13's chassis is made entirely of metal, and it includes a touchpad made out of Corning Gorilla Glass. Glass touchpads are rare on Windows machines, let alone Chromebooks, so students who use the Spin 13 will likely have a silky smooth tapping and dragging experience.
In addition to the new Chrome OS-powered models, Acer unveiled a revamped Acer Swift 5, a conventional laptop with a thin bezel that weighs a bit more than 2 pounds.
Intel Core i7+ and Xeon Are Ready to Play
The highlight of Acer's gaming lineup isn't ready yet. The company teased the new Predator X desktop, which has dual Intel Xeon processors more commonly found in business-focused workstations. That sounds like overkill for a gaming desktop, but it could interest gamers who also use their PCs for processor-intensive video editing or CAD drawing.
Acer also announced several new gaming machines that will be available soon, many of which have Intel's new Core+ CPUs, which come with Intel Optane memory built in.
First, there's an arrestingly white and gold Predator Helios 300 Special Edition, with a Core i7+, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050, and a 144Hz refresh rate for the display. Nearly all gaming laptops come exclusively in black, so a white-and-gold machine is sure to stand out at your next esports competition or LAN party.
Acer promised that the special edition will be "budget-friendly," but exact pricing wasn't available.
There's also a Predator Helios 500, with an overclockable Intel Core i9+, a 144Hz display, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070. It will be available in July starting at $1,999.
For those who game at home, Acer announced new Predator Orion 5000 and 3000 models, complete with an EMI-compliant chassis that essentially creates a Faraday cage to prevent wireless interference from penetrating the components. The Orion 5000 also has dual GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GPUs in an SLI arrangement, as well as an overclockable Core i7+. It will be available in July starting at $1,499.
For desktop gamers who don't require quite as much power as the two GTX 1080 Tis can provide, Acer rounded up its newly expanded lineup with the Nitro 50 desktop, which includes a GTX 1050 and a built-in Qi wireless charging pad. It will be available starting in July from $799.