Acer Boosts Ultraportable And Hybrid Line, Demonstrating The PC Market Is Not Dead Yet

NEW YORK: Acer also revealed new all-in-one desktops and a refreshed Aspire range

Aspire U27 

Acer Aspire U27For times when a laptop won’t suffice, all-in-one desktop PCs offer a decnt blend of power and design. Acer showcased the Aspire U27 as a realisation of this, but also saw it as an opportunity to bring in LiquidLoop to the desktop world. 

Using the cooling technology to get rid of fan noise, the Aspire U27 offers a 27inch full HD display with wide-angle viewing fitted into a unibody chassis that offers stero speakers sand a subwoofer. 

Below the chassis sits a liquid cooled Core i7 or i5 processor with Intel’s 620 intergrated graphics, backed up by up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM; support for Intel’s Optane memory technology was alos touted, but will presuamably be offered once Intel starts pushing out the tech. Storage offers up to 2TB of hard disk drive space and up to 512GB of solid state storage. 

Acer also has a smaller version in the form of the Aspire Z24, which sports a 23.8in Full HD display, the option of a Core i3 processor and  dedicated Nvidia Geforce 940MX graphics card. Storage is slightly less than its bigger sibling, with the SSD capacity topping out at 256GB. 

However, the Aspire Z24 dose not have the LiquidLoop tech as it is a little thicker than its larger sibling to incorporate the graphics card and therefore has more traditional fan cooling. 

Acer Aspire Z24The Aspire U27 will be released in May for 1,299 Euros (£1,095), while the Aspire Z24 will make its debut in June for 749 Euros (£631), and both will clearly be gunning for all-in-one devices created by the likes of HP and Apple. 

Finally, Acer also refreshed its entire Aspire laptop lineup. While little has significantly changed with this range of workhorse laptops, they now benefit from the latest Intel Kaby Lake processors and Nvidia’s punchy yet power-efficient Geforce 1060 graphics card. 

Time will tell if Acer’s expanded PC and laptop range can find success in a competitive and squeezed market, that has already seen Samsung off-load its PC division. But with a boosted rage, Acer appears ready for any challenged ahead. 

Clued up on Windows 10? Try our quiz!