Acer Rolls Into CES 2023 With An Arsenal Of Laptops, Desktops, And An Exercise Bike Desk

The past few years have been rough for everyone, but it's well past time to get back on the horse. That feeling seems to pervade CES 2023, and it may be why Acer is coming full force at the trade show this year. The Taiwanese company has a whole array of hardware both portable and in-place to show off, as well as a few interesting electronic curiosities like a smart speaker and an exercise bike that's also a desk.

Let's start off slow with the desktops, because there's a whole bunch of laptops to look at. As far as stationary computers go, Acer has the Aspire All-In-One systems and then the new Chromebox with its "Add-in-One." We'll also have a glance at the Predator gaming monitors before we move on to mobiles.


The Aspire S AIO PCs are exactly what you expect: 65-watt Intel 12th- or 13th-gen desktop CPUs, optionally mated to Arc Alchemist graphics cards, powering an integrated 27" or 32" display. Both monitors are QHD (1440p) resolution IPS LCDs, and there's not really much more to say about them than that. You get up to 32GB of DDR4 memory, a M.2 SSDs up to 1TB, and if you like, a 2TB 2.5" HDD. There's a connection up top for an optional magnetic webcam, which could make one of these the perfect tele-conferencing or remote work machine.

Meanwhile, the Acer Chromebox CXI5 is a micro-PC like many others, sporting 12th-gen Core "P" or "U" processors, up to 16GB of DDR4 memory, and anywhere from 32 to 256GB of solid-state storage. These are certainly more capable than classical thin clients, but they'd likely serve a similar purpose in your typical corporate infrastructure. As you could probably guess, they run ChromeOS, and can be upgraded to the Enterprise version of that operating system if you desire.

The most interesting part of the Chromebox is its "Add-In-One" dock. This is essentially an Acer MA240 24" IPS LCD monitor in 1920×1080 resolution with optional touch capability. It has an integrated dock on the back specifically built for the Chromebox hardware: just slap it into place to have what is functionally an AIO system, except that you can trivially replace the guts at any time. Naturally, there's a webcam, microphone, and speakers integrated into the display as well.

Acer's been selling some pretty extravagant gaming monitors for a while now, and the company clearly has no plans to stop here. It's debuting two monitors at the show. The first, seen above, is the Predator X45: a 45" WQHD (3440×1440) monitor with a very sharp 800R curvature. It uses an OLED panel, rather than an LCD, and that means it has rich blacks, instant response time, and can show 98.5% of the DCI-P3 colorspace. Acer says it has a peak brightness of 1000 cd/m² in HDR mode, and that it refreshes at a dizzying 240 Hz.

It may look less impressive than its much larger cousin at a glance, but don't discount the Predator X27U. This rather standard-looking flat gaming monitor also uses an OLED panel. That means the same rich color reproduction, the same peak brightness, and the same 1.5 million-to-1 static contrast ratio. Being that it's a 16:9 monitor, it's just QHD instead of WQHD, but it retains the 240-Hz refresh rate, too. If you love the Predator X45 but hate the curve, this one's for you.

And now for the last stationary Acer item we're pausing to ponder, the eKinekt Bike Desk. This curious contraption is an exercise bike that is also a generator...which can also serve as a desk. The idea is that you can raise or lower the desktop into "working" and "sports" modes so that you can focus on exercising or on getting work done. Either way, though, you can cycle—and doing so charges devices connected to the USB-A or USB-C ports up on the desk area. Acer says one hour of pedaling generates 75 watts of power.

Acer's Fleet Of Portable PCs; Laptops Galore At CES 2023

Acer's bringing laptops to CES under four separate nameplates: Swift, Aspire, Nitro, and Predator. The latter two are gaming-focused, with the younger Nitro branding being targeted at entry-level gamers, while Predator machines are for the cost-is-no-object hardcore crowd. Swift gets applied to ultra-portables and other thin & light machines, and then the venerable Aspire brand fills out the mainstream.

Simply put, the Swift family is Acer's answer to the MacBook. They're beautiful PCs, made from aerospace-grade aluminum in rich, tasteful colors, and sporting Gorilla Glass to protect their screens. All of the Swift machines get stamped with Intel's Evo platform seal of approval, which naturally means that they come with 13th-Gen Core CPUs from the i3, i5, and i7 families of "U" and "H" CPUs. Curiously, there's no option for a 28W "P" chip.

There are four models in the Swift lineup this year: the Swift 14", the Swift X 14", the Swift Go 14", and then a larger Swift Go 16". The standard Swift 14 can have up to 32GB of RAM, a 2TB PCIe SSD, and drives its IPS LCD (with 16:10 aspect ratio) using its Intel CPU's integrated Iris Xe graphics. The other Swift systems are limited to 16GB of RAM, but gain the option of a 2880×1800 or (on the Swift Go 16) 3200×2000 OLED display, and the Swift X can have a GeForce RTX 4050 if it suits your fancy.

Aspire is Acer's longest-running PC brand. As far as Aspire laptops come this go-round, you've got two different models, each available in three sizes. The Aspire 5 and Aspire 3 can both be had in 14", 15.6", or 17" form factors. Despite there being six separate models, they share quite a lot. All six come with FHD (1080p) LCDs in their respective sizes, FHD webcams with stereo microphones, and the option of NVMe SSDs up to 1TB in capacity.

That's about where the similarities end, though. The Aspire 5 models come with 13th-Gen Intel Core processors from the "U" family, and they support up to 32GB of LPDDR5 memory. You also have the option of getting an Ampere-based GeForce RTX 2050 GPU with 4GB of video RAM. (No, that's not a typo.) These models additionally have a Thunderbolt 4 port, something you won't find on the Aspire 3s.

As you'd expect from the name, the Aspire 3 models are more entry-level. They only have a single CPU option: the Core i3-N305, which is a processor with eight E-cores. You can get these systems with up to 16GB of single-channel LPDDR5, and there's no discrete graphics option, of course. However, Acer says that the Aspire 3 14" can run for 11 hours on a single charge, which isn't bad. The larger models have slightly less runtime due to their bigger screens.

Acer provides shockingly little specific information about its Nitro gaming laptops, but we know that the brand itself is intended to be a gaming option that's more accessible than the high-end Predator brand. There are two Nitro laptops: the Nitro 17 and Nitro 16. As with the other models, the numbers indicate the screen size. On the Nitro 17, you can get FHD IPS LCDs in 144-Hz or 165-Hz, or a QHD screen that refreshes at 165 Hz. It comes with 13th-gen Core processors from the HX family as well as unspecified GeForce cards from the RTX 40 series.


Meanwhile, the Nitro 16's 16:10 screen can be either 1920×1200 or 2560×1600. Acer was even more vague with the contents of this laptop: 13th-gen Core processors and RTX 40 GeForce cards of some variation. Both of the Nitro laptops can come equipped with 32GB of DDR5 memory as well as a pair of 2TB NVMe SSDs, and they also include NVIDIA Advanced Optimus, which means that they have a physical MUX switch between the CPU, GPU, and the display instead of losing performance by passing the dGPU's output through the iGPU.

Finally, the crown jewels in Acer's arsenal: the Predator Helios 16 and Predator Helios 18 (above). These are the top of the line as far as Acer's laptop offerings, and both offer top-shelf Intel HX CPUs paired with GPUs up to the mobile GeForce RTX 4080. Just like the Nitros above, you can slot a pair of 2TB M.2 SSDs, as well as 32GB of DDR5 memory, and they both also come with NVIDIA Advanced Optimus for the greatest gaming efficiency.

The two Predator models have a ton of display options. The 16" chassis can take a 165 Hz IPS LCD, a 240Hz IPS LCD with 100% DCI-P3 coverage, or a 250Hz 1000-nit Mini-LED display, all in 2560×1600 resolution. The larger 18" chassis can have a 165Hz 1920×1200 IPS LCD, a 165Hz 2560×1600 IPS panel with 100% coverage of DCI-P3, a 240Hz IPS LCD with the same color gamut, or a mini-LED display with the same specs as the 16" model above. You also get an RGB LED keyboard with per-key backlighting and a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports.

Lastly, Acer offers up its own smart speaker. Known as the Halo Swing, it has RGB LED lighting, a monochrome LED on the front, and support for Dolby DTS. It uses Google Assistant for its smart functions, and it includes a USB Type-C wireless charging dock along with a leather strap to make it extremely portable. It's also waterproof, in case you have rambunctious kids or pets.

Finally, we come to the part where we tell you the prices and availability for all of Acer's new gear. Instead of re-stating what Acer wrote, we'll just present it as a series of bullet points:

• The 27-inch Aspire S All-in-One will be available in North America in Q1, starting at USD 1,199.
• The 32-inch Aspire S All-in-One will be available in North America in Q1, starting at USD 1,699.
• The Acer Chromebox CXI5 will be available in North America in Q1 starting at USD 289.
• The Acer Add-In-One 24 will be available in North America in Q1 starting at USD 609.
• The Predator X45 will be available in North America in Q2, starting at USD 1,699.
• The Predator X27U will be available in North America in Q2, starting at USD 1,099.
• The eKinekt BD 3 will be available in North America in June, at USD 999.
• The Acer Swift Go 16 (SFG16-71) will be available in North America in June, starting at USD 799.
• The Acer Swift Go 14 (SFG14-71) will be available in North America in May, starting at USD 849.
• The Acer Swift X 14 (SFX14-71G) will be available in North America in April, starting at USD 1,099.
• The Acer Swift 14 (SF14-71T) will be available in North America in March, starting at USD 1,399.
• The 14-inch Aspire 3 (A314-23P) will be available in North America in March, starting at USD 499.
• The 15-inch Aspire 3 (A315-510P) will be available in North America in March, starting at USD 349.
• The 17-inch Aspire 3 (A317-55P) will be available in North America in March, starting at USD 379.
• The 14-inch Aspire 5 (A514-56P) will be available in North America in March, starting at USD 549.
• The 15-inch Aspire 5 (A515-58P) will be available in North America in April, starting at USD 599.
• The 17-inch Aspire 5 (A517-58M) will be available in North America in April, starting at USD 699.
• The Acer Nitro 16 (AN16-51) will be available in North America in May, starting at USD 1,199.
• The Acer Nitro 17 (AN17-51) will be available in North America in May, starting at USD 1,249.
• The Predator Helios 16 (PH16-71) will be available in North America in March, starting at USD 1,649.
• The Predator Helios 18 (PH18-71) will be available in North America in April, starting at USD 1,699.