Acer has taken the opportunity at CES this year to release a swathe of new gadgets, including the world’s largest ChromeOS PC — integrated into a 24-inch monitor — and a Windows phone that you could conceivably use as your one and only computing device.
The Acer Aspire Switch 12S is a 2-in-1 convertible, with a 4K or 1080p 12.5-inch screen and a 7.85mm-thick chassis for the tablet portion; that slim body hides a Core M processor from Intel, with Thunderbolt 3 connectivity via USB Type-C and fast 2×2 MU-MIMO 802.11ac Wi-Fi from a new antenna design directly embedded in the laptop’s metal shell. It’ll start at around US$999 in February, although Australian release is still to be confirmed.
Acer’s Liquid Jade Primo is one of the first non-Microsoft Windows 10 Mobile devices we’ve seen, and that means like other new Windows Mobile devices it’s able to connect to a mobile docking station and function as a faux-desktop PC, complete with keyboard and mouse, through Microsoft’s Continuum software. A 5.5-inch Full HD AMOLED display, Qualcomm’s tried and tested Snapdragon 808 processor with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, and a 21-megapixel rear camera make up the Primo’s vital specs.
The Acer Chromebase 24 is a 24-inch all-in-one desktop, the first to use Intel’s Core M processor family rather than a lower-powered Qualcomm mobile chip; that’ll help, because it’s the largest Chrome device on the market. A new Chromebook 11 promises 10 hours of battery life. Despite being an entry-level model like (almost) all other Chromebooks, Acer has reinforced its Chromebook’s lid to handle a full 60kg of downward force, as well as 60cm drops directly onto the corners.
New LCD monitors are also being released by Acer, including a new 34-inch, 21:9 ratio XR342CK with a ultra-wide 3440x1440pixel resolution and support for AMD’s Freesync variable refresh rate mode. The new Acer R1 is the world’s thinnest monitor at under 7mm thick across its entire chassis, and the Acer R7 is the world’s first with USB Type-C; 100 per cent sRGB gamut support for both the 25- and 27-inch screen sizes, both of which are 1440p. All those should be heading to Australia, too, although there’s obviously no release date just yet.
We’ll have pricing as soon as it’s available, so stay tuned.