Best Acer laptops to buy in 2019 – consumer, business, Chromebooks, gaming, and more
If you’re wanting to buy a new laptop, Acer has quite a few. Enough so that you may end up confused as to which model is best for you. Just on the consumer side alone, there are 26 different Acer laptops not counting Chromebooks and gaming products. Even more, each of these 26 products may have up to nine different configurations. That’s a lot to unpack!
To ease your shopping experience, we’re breaking all these Acer laptops down into separate groups based on form factor to pick the best product in each.
Several of these Acer laptops are due for a hardware update in 2019, so you might even find some steep discounts on stock Acer laptops that need to vacate shelves for the newer, refreshed models.
Best Acer laptops for personal use
Ultra-thin: Swift 7
We fell in love with this laptop during our hands-on session at CES 2019 in January. Acer dubs the Swift 7 as the thinnest laptop on the market measuring 0.4-inch thin and weighing a mere 2.65 pounds. The latest version doesn’t arrive until May, but if you’re eager to get your hands on one now, Acer provides two models with a starting price of $1,599.
The current Swift 7 features a 14-inch IPS screen with a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution. It’s powered by Intel’s seventh-generation Core i7-7Y75 dual-core processor, integrated graphics, 8GB of system memory, and a set 256GB of storage. Rounding out the package are two USB-C ports at 5Gbps, one 3.5mm audio combo jack, Wireless AC connectivity, and a built-in fingerprint reader. Unfortunately, without the lack of a proper USB-A port, you’ll need a USB-C adapter to support a standard mouse and other external devices.
Finally, powering this thin and light notebook is a 4,580mAh battery promising ten hours on a single charge. The $1,699 model includes 4G LTE connectivity and a touch-capable screen while the $1,599 version does not.
Other models listed in this ultra-thin laptop family include the Swift 5, Swift 3, and Swift 1.
2-in-1: Spin 7
Acer refreshed its entire Spin-branded 2-in-1 family in late 2018. You’ll find two updated Spin 7 models starting at $699 packing a 14-inch IPS screen with a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution and multi-touch support. Both include a 360-degree hinge enabling laptop, tent, stand, and tablet modes. Powering the 2-in-1s is a 2,770mAh battery promising up to 10 hours.
Under the hood, the Spin 7 relies on a seventh-generation Intel Core i7-7Y75 dual-core processor, integrated graphics, 8GB of system memory, and 256GB of storage. Other ingredients include two USB-C ports at 5Gbps, one 3.5mm audio combo jack, and Wireless AC connectivity. The Spin 7 measures 0.43 inches thick and weighs 2.65 pounds.
Based on the specifications, the $999 model provides a faster SSD and a fingerprint reader but lacks the SD card reader installed in the $699 model.
Other models sold under the Spin 2-in-1 brand include the Spin 5, Spin 3, and Spin 1.
Detachable: Switch 7 Black Edition
With the detachable Switch 7 Black Edition, Acer uses its “liquid loop” cooling system to pull heat away from the eighth-generation Intel Core i7-8550U four-core processor and discrete GeForce MX 150 graphics. This latter chip is essentially a mobile version of Nvidia’s GT 1030 add-in card for desktop gaming, which is good for squeezing out high frame-rates in online games like Rocket League at Full HD.
These chips power a 13.5-inch IPS multi-touch screen with a 2,256 x 1,504 resolution. You’ll also find 16GB of system memory, 512GB of storage, Wireless AC and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, two USB-C ports at 5Gbps, a microSD card slot, a fingerprint reader, and an included stylus. Unlike other detachables on the market, the keyboard dock ships with the base “tablet” unit.
Finally, the Switch 7 relies on a 4,870mAh battery promising up to 10 hours. It measures 0.60 inches thick with the keyboard attached and weighs 3.53 pounds.
Other units sold under the Switch brand include the Switch 5, Switch 3, Switch Alpha 12, Switch V 10, Switch 10 E, and Acer One 10.
Traditional: Aspire 7
Designed with content creators and gamers in mind, the numbered Aspire models are your traditional mainstream clamshell Acer laptops and they provide the most bang for your buck. The Aspire 7 packs the biggest punch in the family, though it doesn’t have the thin bezels seen with the Aspire 5. Currently Acer sells nine Aspire 7 configurations ranging between $899 and $1,299.
Sold in 15.6- and 17.3-inch flavors, the Aspire 7 series features IPS screens with a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution across the board. You’ll find models with Intel’s older seventh-generation Core i7-7700HQ four-core chip along with its newer Core i5-8300H and Core i7-8750H CPUs. Complementing these processors are discrete GeForce GTX 1050, GTX 1050 Ti, and GTX 1060 GPUs, depending on the model.
Set configurations include 8GB or 16GB of system memory along with single and dual-storage setups consisting of two SSDs (128GB or 256GB) and a 1TB hard drive. You’ll also typically find a fingerprint reader, HDMI output, one USB-A port at 5Gbps, one USB-C port at 5Gbps, two older USB-A ports at 480Mbps, a gigabit Ethernet port, and on some models an SD card reader.
Acer's Aspire laptops provide the most bang for your buck.
Powering the Aspire 7 is a 3,320mAh battery promising up to seven hours. It measures up to 1.1 inches thick and weighs up to 6.61 pounds.
Other units in the numbered Aspire family include the Aspire 5 with GeForce MX graphics, the Aspire 3 with AMD APUs on select models, and the Aspire 1 (Pentium and Celeron).
You’ll also find four lettered Aspire-branded Acer laptops ranging from the Aspire E to the Aspire S. Acer has confirmed these notebooks have reached or will reach their end of life and will be discontinued in the near future.
Chrome OS: Chromebook 15 Spin CP315
The best non-enterprise Chromebook model in Acer’s product range is the Chromebook 15 Spin CP315 featuring a 360-degree hinge enabling laptop, tent, stand, and tablet modes. It’s based on a 15.6-inch IPS screen with a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution and multi-touch support.
You’ll see two price points with this Chromebook. One model with 32GB of storage for $399 and one with 64GB of storage for $449. Otherwise, the hardware list remains the same: Intel’s Pentium N4200 four-core processor, integrated graphics, 4GB of system memory, Wireless AC and Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity. You’ll also see a microSD card slot, two USB-A ports at 5Gbps, two USB-C ports at 5Gbps, and one 3.5mm audio combo jack.
Related: Acer Chromebook Spin 13 review: The best Chromebook, but at what cost?
Powering Acer’s Chromebook is a 4670mAh battery promising up to 13 hours. It measures 0.8 inches thick and weighs 4.85 pounds.
Additional Chromebooks sold by Acer for the mainstream market include the Chromebook Spin 11 CP311, Chromebook 15, and eight others.
Best Acer laptops for gaming
Premium gaming: Predator 17 X
Acer is getting ready to release the Predator Triton 900 next month, but the Predator 17 X is Acer’s premium gaming laptop if you’re willing to pay an equally premium price. It sports a 17.3-inch IPS screen with G-Sync and a 3,840 x 2,160 resolution backed by a seventh-generation Core i7-7820HK four-core processor and Nvidia’s stand-alone GeForce GTX 1080 graphics chip. Note this isn’t the Max-Q variant used in Acer’s Predator Triton 700.
The Predator 17 X features 32GB of system memory (4x 8GB), one 512GB SSD and a 1TB hard drive for storage, and Wireless AC connectivity. The port complement includes a gigabit Ethernet connection, HDMI output, DisplayPort output, four USB-A ports at 5Gbps, one USB-C port at 5Gbps, and an SD card reader.
Powering this premium gaming laptop is a 6,000mAh battery and an external 330-watt power supply. It measures a meaty 1.8 inches thick and weighs 10,03 pounds.
Other premium gaming laptops sold by Acer include the Predator Triton 700, Predator Helios 500, Predator Helios 300, Predator 21 X, Predator 17, and Predator 15.
Budget gaming: Nitro 5
Acer targets the casual gamer with its Nitro 5 laptop. Currently you’ll find seven models starting at $669, two of which are certified “Oculus Ready” for virtual reality experiences. You’ll see four processors across all seven configurations: Intel’s Core i5-7300HQ, Core i5-8300H, and Core i7-8750H along with AMD’s Ryzen 5 2500U all-in-one chip (APU).
AMD’s APU includes integrated Radeon RX 560X graphics based on its older Polaris design. Meanwhile, the Intel-based models rely on Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1050 or GTX 1050 Ti discrete graphics, depending on the configuration. All units have a 15.6-inch IPS screen with a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution and the same connectivity arsenal: One SD card reader, one Ethernet port, one HDMI port, two older USB-A ports at 480Mbps, one USB-A port at 5Gbps, and one USB-C port at 5Gbps.
For memory, you’ll see either 8GB or 12GB. On the storage front, Acer provides a single 256GB SSD, a single 1TB hard drive, a 128GB SSD paired with a 1TB hard drive, and a 1TB hard drive paired with 16GB of Intel Optane memory. Powering all this hardware is a 3,320mAh battery promising up to 5.5 hours. The Nitro 5 measures 1.1 inches thick and weighs 5.95 pounds.
Other budget gaming laptops sold by Acer include the Nitro 5 Spin, Aspire VX, and Aspire V Nitro.
Best Acer laptops for business
Ultra-thin: Swift 5 Pro
Acer promotes the Swift 5 Pro as the “new featherweight champion” based on its size, shape, and overall style. It features a 14-inch IPS screen with a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution powered by one of two eighth-generation Intel processors: The Core i5-8250U and the Core i7-8550U. The selling point is its overall form factor measuring 0.60-inches thick and weighing 2.13 pounds.
Under the hood, this ultra-thin laptop includes 8GB or 16GB of system memory and 256GB or 512GB of storage, depending on the configuration. Other ingredients include Wireless AC and Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity, one HDMI output, one USB-C port at 5Gbps, two USB-A ports at 5Gbps, and a fingerprint scanner. Backing both units is a 36WHr battery promising up to eight hours.
Acer also sells eight Swift 1 models with Celeron and Pentium processors starting at $329.
Detachable: Switch Alpha 12
The only “professional” detachable Acer currently manufactures is the Switch Alpha 12. The current model features a 12-inch IPS screen with a 2,160 x 1,440 resolution backed by sixth-generation Core i5-6200U and Core i7-6500U processors with integrated graphics.
The cheapest model at $618 includes the Core i5 processor, 8GB of system memory, and a 256GB SSD. The next step up swaps out the Core i5 chip for the Core i7 for a discounted $749 (originally $949) while the $998 configuration keeps the Core i7 chip but swaps out the 256GB SSD for a 512GB model.
Across all three listings you’ll see Wireless AC and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, a 2MP camera on the front and a 5MP camera on the back. Ports consist of one microSD card slot, one USB-C port at 5Gbps, one USB-A port at 5Gbps, and a 3.5mm audio jack. Powering the tablet portion is a 4,870mAh battery promising up to eight hours.
With the keyboard dock attached, the Switch Alpha 12 measures 0.62 inches thick and weighs 2.76 pounds. All three include the dock while the $998 Core i7 configuration does not include the Acer Active Pen.
Chrome OS: Chromebook 13 CB713
This Chromebook is excellent for professionals in two ways. The screen’s 3:2 aspect ratio provides more vertical viewing space to better handle documents and websites. It’s also compact, making it easy to port from meeting to meeting without the bulkiness of a 15- or 17-inch laptop. That portability stems from a 13.5-inch IPS display with a 2,256 x 1,504 resolution and an overall form factor weighing 3.09 pounds and measuring 0.70 inches thick.
Acer sells two versions of this Chromebook: One with the Core i3-8130U processor and 32GB of storage for $699, and one with the Core i5-8250U chip packing 64GB of storage for $799. Both include 8GB of system memory, Wireless AC and Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity, one microSD card slot, one USB-A port at 5Gbps, two USB-C ports at 5Gbps, and a 3.5mm audio jack.
This Chromebook is excellent for professionals
Powering this Chromebook is a 4,670mAh battery promising up to 10 hours on a single charge. Both ship with a beautiful space gray all-aluminum exterior.
You can read our full Acer Chromebook 13 CB713 review here.
Other business-oriented Chromebooks sold by Acer span nine different models including the Chromebook Spin 13 and the Chromebook 14 for Work.
Durability and performance – TravelMate X3410
Our last Acer laptop on the list stems from its TravelMate X family. Refreshed in January, this laptop for business arrives in three flavors: The Core i3-8130U configuration for $899, the Core i5-8250U version for $999, and the Core i7-8550U model for $1,299. They’re mostly the same across the board save for memory and storage capacities tied to each processor.
For starters, this TravelMate laptop relies on a 14-inch IPS screen with a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution. The Core i3 and Core i5 models include 8GB of system memory while the Core i7 model increases that capacity to 16GB. For storage, the Core i3 model provides 128GB followed by the Core i5 with 256GB and the Core i7 with 512GB.
As for all the other ingredients, this TravelMate includes an SD card reader, an Ethernet port, HDMI output, three USB-A ports at 5Gbps, one USB-C port at 5Gbps, one old-school VGA port, a fingerprint reader, and Wireless AC connectivity.
Rounding out this business package is a 5,170mAh battery promising up to 15 hours.
The TravelMate X3410 measures 0.8 inches thick and weighs 3.53 pounds.
As for Acer’s other TravelMate laptops, they’re broken down into two groups: The TravelMate B series targeting education and the TravelMate P series built for government use. That latter family comprises of P6 models with sixth- and seventh-generation Intel CPUs from $999 to $1,599, and P2 models with current eighth-generation chips ranging from $699 to $1,099. Acer doesn’t list specific P4 models.
There you have it — these are the best Acer laptops you can get your hands on in our opinion, although there are plenty of other great ones to choose from as well. Which ones would you add to the list? Let us know in the comments!
from Android Authority http://bit.ly/2WZHN8w
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