Acer Refreshes Swift 7 With an Improved Design, Launches AMD-based Chromebook

Acer is launching two new consumer laptops today. The company is introducing a refreshed version of its popular Swift 7 notebook, along with a new Chromebook device powered by an AMD processor.

Acer’s Swift 7 is getting an improved, “super-compact” design. The device now comes with a new magnesium-lithium chassis that allows it to be incredibly thin at 9.95mm and weighing only 890 grams while being durable. The 14-inch Full HD touch display is surrounded by bezels measuring only 2.57mm, allowing for what Acer calls an “industry-leading” screen-to-body ratio of 92%.

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The bezels are so thin that Acer had to put a push-to-open webcam that pops up for when you need to do video calls or use the webcam. It’s a nice little feature that also allows for added privacy. In terms of specs, the new Acer Swift 7 comes with Intel’s 8th gen Y-Series processor, the i7-8500Y. The device comes with up to 512GB of PCIe SSD storage, up to 16GB of LPDDR3 RAM, and promises to offer up to 10 hours of battery life.

Acer’s new Swift 7 will be available in the US this May, starting at $1,699. It comes in Starfield Black and Moonstone White finishes.

The company is also launching a new AMD-based Chromebook device. Acer’s new Chromebook 315 is one of the first Chromebooks to be powered by an AMD processor and GPU, so it is kind of a big deal. The device comes with AMD’s 7th generation A6 or A4 processors with Radeon graphics. It packs a 15.6-inch Full HD display, a bunch of ports including two Type-C ports, and promises to offer up to 10 hours of battery life. It comes with up to 8GB of RAM and up to 32GB of eMMC storage. Acer will also be selling a non-touch edition of the device.

Acer’s Chromebook 315 will be available next month for $279.99 in the United States.

Acer’s new devices do look pretty good from the outside, though if you don’t really care about things like a 92% screen-to-body ratio, they are kind of pointless. Still, Acer’s Swift 7 has won the CES 2019 Innovation Award, and the design of the device really is kind of impressive.

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  • GarethB

    Premium Member
    06 January, 2019 - 8:53 pm

    <p>"<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Acer’s Swift 7 has won the CES 2019 Innovation Award" – that says everything about this – winning an innovation award for a show that hasn't even started yet.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">That's right – the winners have already been chosen…. ;-).</span></p>

  • Pbike908

    07 January, 2019 - 11:36 am

    <p>Wow — good for Acer….Especially the new Chromebooks as I understand one of the models will have a backlit keyboard!</p><p><br></p><p>The new Chromebooks announced at CES appear to have significant price/performance/spec advantages over existing "mid range" Chromebooks.</p><p><br></p><p>Microsoft really needs to get their act together with Windows for AMD and Chromium Edge if they want to keep Windows relevant in education and for mainstream consumers.</p><p><br></p><p>These new offerings are also another shot at Apple as it further highlights the premium prices Apple charges for personal computing devices.</p>

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