Laptops

Acer upgrades Swift, Spin, and Aspire series to 11th Gen Intel processors

There’s something for everyone

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Taiwanese laptop maker Acer announced that a suite of notebooks under its Swift, Spin, and Aspire lineup have been upgraded to 11th Gen Intel processors. The laptops are designed to offer more portability while retaining an affordable price tag. The new processor also comes along with Intel Iris X graphics.

Starting with the Acer Swift 3X, it’s designed for creative professionals who’re looking for a machine that can finish work as well as game. Thanks to a range of powerful CPUs, the company is pitching the product to be perfect for photographers as well as video editors.

Weighing just 1.37kg, it can offer up to 17.5 hours of battery life on a single charge according to Acer. On the front is a 14-inch Full HD display with an 84 percent screen-to-body ratio. Lastly, it doesn’t skip out on necessary ports like USB-C, USB 3.0, and Thunderbolt 4.

The Acer Spin 5 is built for portability and features an ultra-thin design. The convertible touchscreen notebook has a 360 degree hinge design and features a 3:2 ratio display. It has a antimicrobial Corning Gorilla Glass along with another layer of coating on the keyboard and surrounding areas.

The laptop is also integrated with Acer Active Stylus that leverages Wacom AES technology. Acer claims the laptop can run up to 15 hours on a single charge.

On the other hand, the Acer Spin 3 is a younger sibling that sports a 13.3-inch display with touch support and 360 convertible hinge. Keeping the price in mind, the laptop is designed for students and has slightly toned down specifications. However it doesn’t miss out on key features like Acer’s stylus and multiple ports.

Lastly, the Acer Aspire 5 is a more powerful machine that comes with the 11th Gen Intel processor and NVIDIA GeForce MX450 GPU. It has a touchscreen display and can be equipped with up to 24GB DDR4 RAM and 1TB SSD.

Price and Availability

The Acer Spin 5 (SP513-55N) will be available in North America in February 2021 starting at US$ 999.99; in EMEA in December 2020 starting at 1,099 EUR; and in China in November 2020, starting at CNY 6,999.

The Acer Spin 3 (SP313-51N) laptop will be available in North America in March 2021 starting at US$ 849.99; and in EMEA in December 2020 starting at EUR 899

Acer Swift 3X (SF314-510G) will be available in North America in December starting at US$ 899.99; in EMEA in November starting at 849 EUR; and in China in October, starting at CNY4,999.

Acer Aspire (A514-54 14″) laptop will be available in North America in December starting at US$ 499.99; in EMEA in November starting at 599 EUR; and in China in September, starting at CNY 4,499.

Acer Aspire (A515-56 15.6″) laptop will be available in North America in December starting at US$ 499.99; in EMEA in November at 599 EUR; and in China in September, starting at CNY 4,499.

Acer Aspire (A517-52 17.3″) laptop will be available in North America in February 2021 starting at US$ 549.99; and in EMEA in November 2020 starting at 599 EUR.

Laptops

Alienware celebrates 30th anniversary with new Area-51 laptops

The series features Alienware 30, an all-new design language.

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Despite the rise of more gaming brands, Alienware is still one of the most recognizable names for gamers who want dedicated hardware. This year, the brand is celebrating its 30th anniversary. To commemorate the milestone, Alienware has launched the new Area-51 and Aurora notebooks.

Alienware Area-51

Alienware’s Area-51 lineup is the brand’s flagship line of notebooks, packing in the best of the best from the industry. This time is no different.

First of all, the new series will rock Alienware 30, a new design philosophy made especially for the 30th anniversary. On the outside, the laptops have fluid contours, emphasizing curves opposed to the industry’s more angular contemporaries. It also has a Zero Hinge, which hides the laptop’s hinge from view. Finally, it has pillowed palm rests to make usage easy for long gaming sessions.

The 16-inch model can rock up to a WQXGA Anti-Glare OLED screen, featuring 240Hz refresh rate and 620 peak HDR nits. It will also have an LCD option. Alternatively, the 18-inch model has a WQXGA screen, featuring 300Hz refresh rate and 500 nits of brightness.

Inside, the Alienware Area-51 boasts up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX processor and up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 24GB GPU. For memory, gamers can enjoy up to 64GB Dual-Channel DDR5. Finally, for storage, the series can rock up to 2TB SSD natively but can support up to 3 slots, allowing for up to 12TB of internal storage.

The series will have a sizable 96Whr battery. This is complemented by a 280W adapter and the brand’s largest fans by volume to keep things cool.

Alienware 16X Aurora

For those who portability over raw power, the new Alienware 16X Aurora fits inside any day-to-day kit. For example, it ditches the thermal shelf typical of most gaming notebooks today to increase portability. It has rounded edges to make it easier to grasp and to create a slightly pillowed palm rest, similar to its flagship counterpart.

The 16-inch WQXGA OLED panel touts 240Hz refresh rate, 0.2ms response time, and 620 nits HDR peak brightness.

Inside, the notebook has up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor and up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU. These specs are paired with up to 64GB Dual-Channel DDR5 memory and up to 2TB SSD.

Finally, the Alienware 16X Aurora will have a 90Whr battery. This is supported by up to a 280W charger (for the RTX 5070 variant).

Price, availability

Both series are available starting today, March 17.

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Laptops

Apple MacBook Neo Review

The Mac You’ve Been Waiting For!

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Apple disrupts the industry with their latest MacBook — an affordable to say the very least.

If you’re a student, a first-time Mac owner, someone who’s been priced out of this ecosystem their whole life, someone who just needs a laptop for basic tasks but one that looks great, without slowing them down, this is it!

Or maybe you’re torn choosing between the MacBook Neo and the more powerful M5 MacBook Air?

Well, that’s what we’re here for. Here’s our review with the all-new MacBook Neo.

Get the MacBook Neo here!

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Laptops

Hands-on: NEW iPhone 17e, iPad Air, MacBooks, Studio Displays

What Apple has announced other than the MacBook Neo

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The MacBook Neo was the star of yesterday’s Apple event, and it has every right to be but it’s been a big week for Apple.

So as promised, we also went hands-on with every other device announced this week: iPhone 17e, M4 iPad Air, M5 MacBook Air, MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, and the new Studio Displays.

 

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