Acer's Back-to-School Lineup: Ultrabooks, Gaming Rigs, 2-in-1s

A lightweight laptop, super-slim laptop for consumers on a budget, the 13-inch Swift 1 is available in a three different colors -- silver, metallic pink and gold -- and weighs just 2.86 pounds. Though available with only a middling Pentium or Celeron processor, it has a 1080p display and SSD for sharp images and speedy load times.

Starting Price: $329

Available: June 2017

Key Specs: 13.3-inch, 1080p display; Pentium / Celeron CPU; 4GB of RAM; 64 / 128 /256GB SSD

Dimensions: 12.5 x 8.9 x 0.59 inches

Weight: 2.86 pounds

Available in 14- or 15-inch sizes, the Swift 3 is a general-purpose large Ultrabook for the masses. It's available in three colors, including silver, metallic pink and, my favorite, dark blue. It comes with a variety  of 7th Generation Intel Core Series CPUs, a 1080p screen and your choice of hard drives or SSDs for storage. A special edition is available with Gorilla Glass top cover on its lid, which will hold a custom pattern or photo.

Starting Price: $599

Available: June 2017

Key Specs: 14- or 15.6-inch, 1080p display; Nvidia graphics (chip undisclosed); 128 / 256 / 512GB SSD or 500GB / 1TB / 2TG HDD; USB Type-C port

Dimensions: 13.3 x 9.21 x 0.7 inches (14-inch model) / 15.1 x 10 x 0.74 inches (15-inch model)

Weight: 3.96 pounds (14-inch model) / 4.85 pounds (15-inch model)

A budget-minded 2-in-1 with strong specs for the price, the Switch 3 comes with a 12.2-inch 1080p display, a detachable keyboard and a helpful kickstand. The pedestrian processor choice makes this a good budget system, but probably not a daily driver for most people.

Starting Price: $399

Available: June 2017

Key Specs: Celeron / Pentium CPU; 1080p screen; front and rear cameras

Dimensions: 11.6 x 7.9 x 0.39 inches (tablet only)

Weight:  1.98 pounds (tablet only)

The replacement for Acer's ground-breaking Switch 12 Alpha, this detachable 2-in-1 is powered by a 7th Generation Intel Core Series processor. But the Switch 12 Alpha doesn't need fans, thanks to its liquid-cooling system. If you've been waiting for an affordable Microsoft Surface alternative, this could be a great choice.

Starting Price: $799

Available: June 2017

Key Specs: 12.2-inch, 2160 x 1440 IPS Display; 256 / 512GB PCIe SSD; detachable keyboard; kickstand

Dimensions: 11.5 x 7.9 x 0.37 inches (tablet only)

Weight: 2.02 pounds (tablet only) 

Acer's new compact gaming rig weighs a reasonable 5.7 pounds while measuring only 0.74 inches thick -- fairly impressive specs for a 15-inch laptop with Nvidia graphics and dual SSDs inside. The Predator Triton has a mechanical keyboard with an attractive blue glow, but its touchpad is located all the way at the top of the deck.

Available: August 2017

Starting Price: $2,999

Key Specs: 15.6-inch, 1080p IPS display; Core i5/i7 quad-core CPU; Nvidia 10-Series GPU; Dual SSDs; Killer Wireless 802.11ac

Dimensions: 15.4 x  10.3 x 0.74 inches

Weight: 5.7 pounds

Relatively affordable for an overclockable gaming rig, Acer's Predator Helios 300 is available in 15- and 17-inch sizes. The Helios has the same design language as most Predators, with a subtle but attractive red and black color scheme. With Nvidia 1050Ti or 1060 graphics, this looks like a solid mid-range player.

Available: July 2017

Starting Price: $1,299 (15.6-inch) / $1,399 (17.3-inch)

Key Specs: 15.6- or 17.3-inch 1080p display, Core i5 / i7 quad-core CPU, Nvidia GTX 1050Ti or 1060 graphics: dual AeroBlade 3D fans

Dimensions: 15.4 x 10.5 x 1.05 inches (15-inch) / 17 x 11.4 x 1.14 inches (17-inch)

Weight: 5.95 pounds (15-inch) / 6.61 pounds (17-inch)