Acer adds two netbooks, a business laptop, and a 4K display to its Windows 10 PC portfolio
As we approach the summer, back to school shopping becomes a focus for many parents and students. True, there is plenty of time to buy a laptop for the next school session, but it is never too early to begin your research. Now is the time when manufacturers begin unveiling their upcoming machines.
Today, Acer announces three new laptops, with two of them being detachable variants. Quite frankly, those two are probably better categorized as netbooks. In addition, the company announces a beautiful new 4K display, perfect for both computing and media consumption. This 32-inch monitor could be a wise choice for dorm rooms.
The two aforementioned detachable laptops both have 10.1-inch screens, making them a bit small to use as full-time computers. Not to mention, they both are powered by Atom processors. These are rather anemic chips, and Intel recently announced the cancellation of their development.
The saving grace for these glorified netbooks is the low cost. The Switch V 10, which comes with premium features like USB Type-C and a fingerprint reader, starts at $249. The Switch One 10 starts at $199, making it a great target for those on very tight budgets. While the lower-cost machine only comes in black, the V 10 is available in Pearl White, Shale Black, Coral Red, Peacock Blue and Navy Blue.
For those wanting a more traditional laptop with a bigger display, Acer has you covered there too. The business-focused TravelMate P2 Series is a bit boring in its design, but offers respectable specifications. It should be a fine choice for non-business use too. Mollie Ruiz-Hopper, Editor-in-Chief, Windows Blog, says the following.
The new TravelMate P2 series powered by Windows 10 and the latest Intel 6th gen Core CPU, NVIDIA GeForce 940M graphics is available as a 14-inch and 15.6-inch laptop. These PCs were designed to meet daily business needs by offering a combination of functions, performance and price with a unique twist of design for a fresh workday look. They also feature an optional built-in fingerprint reader that allows you to login instantly and securely with Windows Hello. Both devices, the TravelMate P249 and TravelMate P259, come with a stylish textile pattern cover that’s non-slippery and scratch-resistant for easy portability.
Starting at $599, you are actually getting a lot of bang for your buck. The 1080p resolution should look fine on these screen sizes, and the backlit keyboard should come in handy. Of course, it comes with the latest DDR4 RAM. Nice!
Security-minded folks should note that the fingerprint reader does not come by default, and adding it will increase the overall cost. Bitlocker fans will appreciate the TPM 2.0 chip for strong disk encryption.
If you like working on an even bigger screen, Acer also unveils the 32-inch BM320 Monitor. With a 4K resolution, this could easily double as a makeshift television -- or game console display -- in a cramped dorm. Of course, it will work with non-Acer computers, and operating systems other than Windows 10.
With a beautiful design, extremely thin bezels, and 10-bit color, the UHD BM320 Monitor should deliver not only beautiful on-screen images, but contribute to a room's aesthetics too. Sadly, pricing is not yet known.
Unfortunately, all of this new Acer hardware is not available today, but instead, "later this year". They should all be available before the start of the next school session, making them something to keep an eye on when you actually do start your back-to-school shopping.
Which of these newly announced computers -- and monitor -- will you buy? Tell me in the comments.