Acer took the opportunity today to announce several new notebook designs ahead of CES 2018. One of the more interesting and unexpected items is the newly redesigned Acer Swift 7 notebook.
Touted as the "World's Thinnest Laptop" by Acer, the Swift 7 comes in an impressive 8.98mm (0.35-in) thick. To put that figure into some context, consider that the Core M-based 12" MacBook which was praised for its thin form factor comes in at 13.2mm (0.52-in) at it's thickest point.
Currently, the information we have about the hardware of the Swift 7 is a bit sparse. While Acer states it will feature a 7th Generation Core processor, we don't yet know if this is referring to a 3.5W processor like the i7-7Y75, or a higher power 15W processor such as the i7-7500U. While I am desperately hoping that Acer has managed to integrate a 15W processor into this design, it seems likely to be using a Y-series part.
In addition to the i7 processor, the Swift 7 will be equipped with 256 GB of PCIe storage, as well as 8GB of LPDDR3 memory.
Even with its super-thin form-factor, the Acer Swift 7 manages to pack another surprise, the addition of built-in LTE connectivity. Unlike other connected Windows devices we have seen recently, the Swift 7 is opting for an Intel XMM Modem solution instead of Qualcomm's offerings. The Swift 7 will feature a built-in eSIM for a fast and easy subscription process to your carrier of choice.
In addition, Acer is also partnering with a company called Transatel to provide one month's worth of free trial LTE access (up to 1GB of data) for owners of the Swift 7. Transatel partners with carriers all over the world with their international data SIM service, meaning this connectivity will be available in 48 countries.
As you might expect, the "World's Thinnest Laptop" doesn't come cheap, starting at $1699 for the base configuration with availability set to begin in March.
Additionally, Acer also updated us on their previously announced Switch 7 Black Edition 2-in-1 device.
First discussed at the IFA trade show last year, the Switch 7 Black Edition is billed as the most powerful fanless 2-in-1 device. Not only will it feature a quad-core 8th Generation Intel processor, but Acer also is packing in an NVIDIA GeForce MX 150 discrete GPU cooled by their Dual LiquidLoop heat pipe design.
The Switch 7 Black Edition will be shipping later this month, with the earlier announced base price of $1699
I have thought it would be
I have thought it would be better to put the processor behind the display, and just put storage and battery in the base. Laptops with air intakes on the bottom always seemed like a bad idea since they can be easily blocked. In the screen, you can have the air intakes at the bottom of the screen, which would still be off the surface, and the exhaust on the top where it will not bother the user. I don’t know how a lot of heat will affect the screen but it sounds like this will not be producing much heat anyway.
In fact, it seems too thin. I looked at the larger iPad Pro, but I had concerns how it would take being placed in a backpack. It seemed too thin, possibly not sturdy enough. My old MacBook Pro from about 2007 with a core 2 duo was thin enough for the most part. Weight is a concern, but thinner doesn’t really help much, unless it reduces weight significantly. I would prefer more processing power and better cooling to any thinner. I would also like more repair-ability, which is why I have not purchased a MacBook Pro since that 2007 model. I will not buy a machine with a soldered on SSD. It is bad enough that we have to accept complete lack of repair-ability in phones. It isn’t necessary in laptop sized devices. It isn’t even a good idea in phones either. If the battery was easily replaceable in iPhones, we wouldn’t have the slowing the processor down with slightly aged batteries. You just replace the battery easily when it degrades past a certain point. Although that is a bit of a design flaw in the first place that it can pull more power than the battery can supply after such a small amount of battery wear. This indicates that the battery was under sized for the device from the start.
“..the Core M-based 12”
“..the Core M-based 12” MacBook which was praised for its thin form factor comes in at 1.32mm (0.52-in).”
I think you meant “… at 13.20mm (0.52-in).”
Hey, that makes way more
Hey, that makes way more sense! Fixed.
Why would that map need to
Why would that map need to differentiate between “Asia” and “Best Asia”?
This map represents
This map represents Transatel’s data plans and their prices, not real continents.
The Best Asia plan covers 7 countries, and the Asia covers 21.
The worlds most fragile
The worlds most fragile laptop. And they are quite proud of it. xD
And they are still not
And they are still not getting what is making the PC/Laptop market shrink. All this Ultrabook crap that Intel’s Apple Envy has forced onto the rest of the non Apple laptop market.
Look how thin and thermally constrained that form factor is and folks would be better off with a tablet if they want thin and light.
Just dont drop it on anything
Just dont drop it on anything or anything on it.
bezels are too thick
bezels are too thick