Acer @ CES 2016 — 2 new laptops, 2 new monitors

Acer unveils four new products at the annual CES event at Las Vegas. These include the top-of-the-line “Black Edition” Aspire V Nitro notebooks, the new Acer TravelMate P648 commercial notebook as well as the game-changing R1 and H7 monitors.

The Aspire V Nitro is not actually a new product, and has been on the market for quite some time, and is even featured in our laptop recommendation guide for 2016. The latest upgrade brings Intel RealSense camera technology, which allows for gesture tracking, control and object recognition. This camera also supports Windows Hello, Microsoft’s nifty facial recognition technology for logging into Windows 10. The Aspire V Nitro Series come with 6th Gen Intel Skylake processors paired with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M graphics and also supports the fastest NVMe PCIe SSD standard. They will be available with 4K 100% Adobe RGB display options.

The other laptop unveiled at Las Vegas is a commercial notebook. The TravelMate P648 is designed to be reliable in the harsh environments in the bags of business travelers and other professionals who need their computers on the go. It is the industry’s first to feature Qualcomm Atheros 802.11ad multi band wireless connectivity which offers faster speeds than 802.11ac. Connectivity options on the P648 is rich with Thunderbolt 3 (USB 3.1 Type-C) port, three 3.0 ports. If those aren’t enough for you, an optional Acer ProDock is also available to add two USB 3.0, DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI, VGA and Gigabit Ethernet connectivity.

Security is important for commercial notebooks and Acer has fitted the P648 with a biometric fingerprint reader paired with a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2 reader to protect the system from unauthroized access. Acer ProShield Manager helps enhance security all the way from the BIOS to the application level.

Performance wise, the P648 is equipped with the latest generation Intel Skylake processors mated with up to 20GB of DDR4 RAM. RAID 0 configurations are supported for faster speeds and larger capacity. It can be configured with up a NVIDIA GeForce 840M. Battery life is rated at up to 8 hours, long enough for you to work in a transcontinental flight.

The P648 is portable, weighing in at only 1.7kg and measuring just 2.12 cm thin. Don’t let the thinness fool you, as it is truly built tough. The lid is made of high strength carbon and glass fiber material, while the palm rest and bottom covers are made of magnesium-aluminium alloy.

Acer R1 and H7 monitors both tout world-firsts in their list of specifications. Both are IPS displays for wide viewing angles and outstanding color performance and EyeProtect technology to reduce eye strain.

The R1 series monitors sport the world’s thinnest ultra-thin monitor enclosures under 7 mm and ZeroFrame design to offer a seamless multi-monitor experience. They come with Acer Flicker-less and Blue Light Filter technologies with 5 to 15 degrees adjustable tilt for a comfortable viewing experience. They boast Full HD (1080p) resolutions and will be available in 21.5-, 23-, 23.8-, 25- and 27-inch screen sizes.

The H7 series monitors are the world’s first to support USB Type-C, allowing users to transfer data, display content and charge their devices all with just one cable.The ZeroFrame design along with a diamond-cut and brushed metal stand boosts the aesthetic appeal. Superior audio is courtesy of Acer TrueHarmony and DTS Sound. The H7 series support 100% of the sRGB color gamut, WQHD (1440p) resolutions and will be available with a choice of 25-inch and 27-inch options.

Prices are still yet unknown.

Pokdepinion: I really like the design and features of the Acer V Nitro gaming laptop, and now they made it even better by adding a Intel RealSense camera. I have tried Intel RealSense technology to play a game at a roadshow once. Not a AAA title by far but it shows the potential of the technology. The P648 business laptop is not suitable for me but I am sure that some people will definitely find it useful, especially with the solid build and advanced security features. The monitors will also look right at home on a designer’s desk, or even a gamers, as long as they are willing to forgo features like NVIDIA GSync or FreeSync.