Acer's latest gaming laptops include a glasses-free lenticular 3D display
Acer is refreshing more or less its entire product lineup today. While its standard gaming laptops and creator-focused ConceptD machines get fairly standard processor and GPU upgrades, its newest high-end Helios laptop is more eye-catching. That’s almost literally true: it’s coming equipped with a rarely seen lenticular 3D display, and the software and publisher support to make it more than a gimmick.
Acer Predator Helios 300 SpatialLabs Edition
Acer’s new flagship gaming laptop variant gets an utterly unique feature: a stereoscopic 3D screen. The SpatialLabs 15.6-inch panel requires no 3D glasses (similar to the lenticular display of the Nintendo 3DS) despite its advanced specifications. In standard mode the IPS panel is 4K, but with the stereoscopic 3D enabled it’s reduced to 1920 x 2160, since it’s displaying two images at once. According to Acer, more than fifty “modern and classic” games will support the 3D display at launch, with more profiles coming later.
Acer
In addition to the jaw-dropping screen, the Helios SpatialLabs Edition gets access to the latest in high-end hardware. The base model comes standard with a Core i9-12900 processor, an RTX 3080 GPU, and 32GB of RAM. Buyers can select “up to” 2TB of PCIe Gen 4 SSD storage. The laptop comes with a 90 watt-hour battery and Killer Wi-Fi 6E, with the usual full RGB keyboard (complete with number pad).
Despite the huge battery and power-hungry hardware, the laptop can be charged via USB-C, though the proprietary barrel port is faster. On the rear you get said USB-C port, full-sized HDMI, and a mini-DisplayPort, with three USB-A ports and a full-sized Ethernet port spread around the sides. Prepare some room in your bag and your wallet: the 6.61-pound laptop starts at $4400 when it launches in the fourth quarter.
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Acer
Acer
If you’re interested in the 3D panel without the laptop, Acer will be selling SpatialLabs monitors. The SpatialLabs View Pro uses the same 15.6-inch screen in a portable format with HDMI and USB video inputs, complete with both a kickstand and a VESA mount. The non-Pro version drops the mount. It’s still pretty pricey, with the non-pro version starting at $1100 when it launches in the summer.
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Acer
Acer
Acer Predator Triton 300 SE
If the fancy 3D screen is a bit much for you, Acer’s Predator Triton laptops are also getting refreshed. The 14-inch Triton SE model gets access to new processors: Core i5 12500H, i7-12700H, and i9-12900H. Graphics choices are the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti or RTX 3060, but the biggest improvement has got to be the screen. A luscious 2880×1800 OLED panel is available on the high end. The refreshed hardware can be equipped with up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.
Acer
Acer
Acer
If that isn’t enough for you, there’s a new 16-inch variant of the same Triton SE. It can be equipped with a more powerful GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, but oddly the Core i9 isn’t available. You get the choice of up to a 2TB SDD and a spacious 99.98 watt-hour battery. But for the larger model that OLED screen isn’t along for the ride; the best the 16-inch model can do is a still-impressive 1600p IPS with 500 nits and 240Hz refresh rate.
The latest revisions to the 14-inch Triton SE will be available in the US in July starting at $1600. Europe, the Middle East, and Asia get it a month earlier at €1600. The 16-inch model will follow a month later, respectively, for $1750 and €1600.
ConceptD laptop and desktop updates
Acer’s stylish, creative-focused ConceptD line is also getting updated with the latest components. The ConceptD 5 and 5 Pro laptops are a standout thanks to a new 16-inch OLED 4K screen option, which comes along with new Intel processors topping out at the Core i7-12700H. The standard model gets access to new Nvidia GPUs up to the RTX 3070 Ti, while the Pro variant gets the workstation RTX A5500.
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Acer
Acer
The striking ConceptD desktops also get a refresh. The 500 Desktop can be configured all the way up to a 12th-gen Core i9, while the 100 model tops out at an i7. The larger model can handle Nvidia cards at up to the RTX A4000 or RTX 3070, depending on your preference, while the more compact design must make do with a T400 or T1000. (Of course, being desktops, you can always swap them out for whatever you like.)
Acer
Acer
Acer
The refreshed ConceptD 5 laptop starts at $2500, landing in most markets in June and the US in August. The ConceptD 5 Pro arrives in September in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia starting at €2600, with no US release confirmed at the moment. The updated ConceptD desktops land in September for €1200 and €1000, respectively. Again, no US release has been confirmed.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer
Michael is a former graphic designer who’s been building and tweaking desktop computers for longer than he cares to admit. His interests include folk music, football, science fiction, and salsa verde, in no particular order.
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