The Predator 17 X The Predator 17 X
It takes a certain chutzpah to hold a global product launch on the 57th floor of a New York skyscraper with jaw-dropping views of the Manhattan skyline, Hudson Bay and Statue of Liberty.
With competition like that, your new gadgets better be pretty impressive.
Taiwan-based Acer clearly thought so and I’m happy to report that its confidence in the 2016/2017 product line was well placed. The tech journalists the company had assembled soon had eyes for little else but Acer’s newest wonders.
Sadly, most of these aren’t destined for South Africa. But, adopting an optimistic approach, here’s my pick of Acer’s goodies that are Mzansi-bound.
Aspire S 13
I’m a sucker for thin, powerful notebook PCs, and they don’t come much slimmer and smarter than Acer’s new Aspire S 13.
Aimed squarely at the MacBook Air, the S 13 is cheaper, lighter, thinner and more powerful than the equivalent 13-inch Apple.
Prices start at R14 000 for the entry-level model with an Intel Core i3U processor – compared with the MacBook’s R18 000 – but be prepared to cough up significantly more for extras like a touch-enabled screen, beefier i3 or i7 processor and more storage.
The HD display was impressively bright, even with the Manhattan spring sunshine streaming into the room, and the Dolby Audio surprisingly clear and crisp given the S 13’s svelte dimensions.
Battery life looks to be another winner, with Acer claiming 13 hours between charges for the touch version and 11 hours for the non-touch model.
It looks stunning too, particularly the pearl white version, although obsidian black is probably more practical. If you’ve ever bought a pristine white gadget only to watch it turn a grubby ivory over time, you’ll know what I’m talking about.
While I love the diamond chamfered edge and polished aluminium hinge, the Aspire S 13 does feel a little flimsier and ever so slightly less premium than the MacBook. The fact that the lid is made of plastic, however attractively textured, subtracts somewhat from what would otherwise be a top-drawer package.
Still, the savings have to come from somewhere and it’s a compromise I’d be happy to live with if the performance lives up to Acer’s claims.
Switch Alpha 12
Tablet-laptop hybrids are one of the few PC categories still enjoying growth. The Switch Alpha 12 signals Acer’s intentions to take on Apple’s iPod Pro and Microsoft’s Surface Pro at the lucrative premium end of this segment.
While other manufacturers use cheaper, less powerful processors to undercut the the top dogs on price, Acer brings the latest Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 CPUs to the fight.
And the Switch Alpha 12 goes one better, incorporating Acer’s Liquid Loop cooling tech that allows it to use the aforementioned processors without the need for fans.
The cherry on top is that Acer has bundled a keyboard with the device, unlike Apple and Microsoft who make you pay extra for their input accessories.
The Switch Alpha 12 will start at R15 000 when it lands in South Africa later this year, but be prepared to cough up plenty more for the i5 or i7 versions. This compares to a whopping R21 500 for the equivalent sized iPad Pro.
Microsoft doesn’t officially offer its Surface line in South Africa, but the Orange online store is selling the Surface Pro 4 for R16 150.
Predator 17 X and G1
Acer’s Predator line of gaming laptops and desktop PCs has an enviable reputation for cramming impressive processing power into almost impossibly small packages. Acer’s exceeded itself with this year’s line-up.
Looking at the spec sheet of the Predator 17 X, it defies belief that Acer’s squeezed all of it into a 4.5kg notebook: i7 processor; overclocking; Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 GPU; three cooling fans; 17.3-inch display (in either HD or 4K) and up to 64GB of RAM.
This makes the 17 X one of the few laptops you’ll be able to use with high-end VR systems like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
As you’d expect none of this comes cheap, but you may still want to be sitting down for the price – it starts at R46 000.
If your budget doesn’t stretch that far, the Predator G1 packs all the 17 X’s prowess – and more – into a bulkier, but still surprisingly compact, form.
It’s the smallest full-spec desktop gaming PC I’ve encountered. It was wheeled on to the stage in a small suitcase, but it’ll make a big impact at your next LAN party, thanks to its striking styling and intimidating “growl lights”.
At a starting price of R19 000 it’s not cheap, but pretty reasonable for a VR-ready PC.
Follow Alan Cooper on Twitter @alanqcooper
