You may need to rethink the way you view Acer’s Swift and Aspire laptops. Today, Acer announced updates to both lines that, believe it or not, include gaming-grade hardware.
In fact, Acer has announced a sweeping refresh to its entire laptop fleet, including the Swift 3 OLED, a new Aspire 5, and many new entries in Acer’s eco-friendly Vero lineup. The company made the announcements as part of its [email protected] event, which was held virtually.
Acer’s new Swift 3 OLED
Just two years ago we called Acer’s Swift 3 underpowered, with frankly disappointing performance. It’s hard to imagine that will be the case now that Acer has responded with the Swift 3 OLED, with four 12th Gen Core-H options, ranging from the Core i5-12450H to the Core i7-12700H. Intel launched the 12th Gen Core H processors earlier this year, touting them as the “best gaming rig in the world.”
Acer’s Swift 3 OLED (also known as SF314-71) will feature a 14-inch OLED display (2880×1800), 12th Gen Core H processors, up to 16GB LPDDR5 memory, integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics and up to one terabyte of Gen4 NVMe SSD storage.
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The Swift 3 is an Intel Evo laptop, which means it packs some specs: light weight (3.09 pounds), Intel’s Killer Wi-Fi 6E, and up to 10 hours of battery life. (A 30-minute quick charge will give four hours of battery life.) You’ll be able to pick up Acer’s Swift 3 OLED for just $899, starting in July.
New Aspire 5 adds RTX GPU option
Acer’s Aspire line consistently shows up among Amazon’s low-cost deals, perhaps giving the impression that these big-screen laptops are only for buyers on a budget. But we see a version that would seem to belie that: the Aspire 5 A514-55 and A514-55G, which come with a range of new 12th Gen Core “P” (performance) class chips from Intel, or U options, both ranging from Core i3 processors to a Core i7.
What’s new, however, are the GPU options: the choice between the familiar Iris Xe and Nvidia MX550 integrated GPUs, but also something new: a GeForce RTX 2050 option. Nvidia’s GeForce RTX GPUs provide ray tracing in real time, which adds more realistic reflections and lighting in 3D games. (Acer previously offered RTX graphics in the Acer Aspire 7, but not the Aspire 5.)
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Sure, the RTX 2050 won’t compare at all to the powerful RTX 3000-class hardware of true gaming laptops, but it’s still an interesting fit. The trade-off seems to be a smaller 14-inch 1080p display, as opposed to the new A517-53G, for example, which includes a 17.3-inch 1080p display. (There’s also a 1600×900 option, which should bring the price down even further.)
All but one of the new Aspire models will use Intel’s Core processors. The A515-47 will offer the choice of a Ryzen 3 5425U, a Ryzen 5 525U or a Ryzen 7 5825U and a Radeon graphics card. Unfortunately, Acer didn’t provide any pricing information for the new Aspires.
Acer’s Spin series upgrades to 12th Gen Core
Acer’s Spin 5 has traditionally offered some sort of middle ground. As the name suggests, Acer’s Spin series reflects the fact that they’re all 360-degree convertibles, which tend to offer a bit less performance than a traditional clamshell. Acer has announced a new Spin 3 (the SP314-55 / SP314-55N) and the Spin 5 (SP514-51N). They also offer a mix of 12th Gen Core chips, with up to 16GB of LPDDR5 memory and up to 1TB of PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSDs.
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The SP514-51N, however, adds a 14-inch 2560×1600 display, which is a step up from the 1080p displays offered on other Spin models. According to Acer, the Acer Spin 5 (SP514-51N) convertible laptop will be available in the US in July for $1,349.99+, and the Acer Spin 3 will launch in August for $849.99+ .
Acer launches Vero laptop, AIO and mouse/keyboard
Acer also offers an eco-friendly touch with the Aspire Vero, with a 14-inch (AV14-51) and a 15-inch (AV15-52) model. Both will be available in September with a starting price of $749.99.
Acer’s Vero range tries to reuse plastic and other industrial materials that would normally end up in a landfill. According to Acer, the Vero models use 30% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic inside the chassis, and PCR plastic is also found in the screen frame and keycaps. Vero laptops are also deliberately designed with screws in the bottom of the chassis to allow SSD and memory to be upgraded.
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The Aspire Vero includes processors up to a 12th Gen Core i7, and with the 15-inch AV15-52 model, Acer offers up to 24GB of LPDDR4 memory, more than the traditional 16GB. Only integrated Iris Xe GPUs will be offered, and up to 1TB PCIe SSD. With the move to a 12th Gen Core, the Vero line is also moving to Thunderbolt 4.
Acer also has a Vero Wireless Mouse and Keyboard, which will be available in November for $79.99, and the Veriton Vero All-in-One, a 24-inch standalone PC that Acer will sell for $799 and up at from October.
