New laptops which use Intel’s freshly unleashed 8th-generation processors (Kaby Lake Refresh) are starting to pop up, and Acer has an interesting offering which distinguishes itself because it’s a 2-in-1 gaming laptop.
It’s one of the first such efforts as far as we’re aware, mainly because it’s not easy to cram the power to drive games into a flexible hybrid which remains slim enough to be used as a tablet (when the keyboard is folded back against the display – this is a convertible, as opposed to a detachable).
The 2-in-1 runs with an Intel 8th-generation processor (up to a Core i7) backed by GeForce GTX 1050 graphics, and on the storage front you get a PCIe SSD of up to 512GB in size.
Note that there’s a caveat here, and unsurprisingly Acer states that the Nitro 5 Spin is aimed at ‘casual gaming’, although it can handle the likes of Dota 2, League of Legends or Overwatch, offering up to 10 hours of battery life while gaming on the go.
Clever colors
The laptop has an aluminum chassis and a 15.6-inch IPS display with a Full HD resolution which benefits from Acer’s Color Intelligence, technology that’s designed to intelligently adjust gamma and saturation settings for the best picture.
Along with vivid colors, gamers also get beefy sound courtesy of a pair of front-facing speakers which are complemented by a subwoofer, and a raft of audio technologies including an intelligent equalizer which adjusts itself to produce the best sound for whatever game you’re playing (or indeed movie you’re watching).
Other notable points include Acer’s use of a backlit keyboard, and an omni-directional ‘ExoAmp Antenna’ which supports MU-MIMO and is crafted to get the best out of your local Wi-Fi signal. You also get a fingerprint reader for secure logons.
The Acer Nitro 5 Spin is due to go on sale in October with a starting price of $999, or €1,199 over in Europe (that’s around £1,095, AU$1,780).
- Compare this to the best-in-class Dell XPS 13