NEW YORK - Acer has introduced a new brand in ConceptD, which is targeting creative pros by focusing on precision, performance, design and silent operation. And there are three new laptops that are going right up against the MacBook Pro.
The ConceptD 9 is the flagship of the lineup, boasting a 17-inch 4K display that’s Pantone validated and has a Delta-E accuracy rating of less than 1. (0 is perfect.) It also uses a swiveling Ezel hinge for maximum flexibility and comes with a Wacom pen.
The bezels on the D 9 are pretty thick, but some may be willing to live with that trade-off. The laptop is powered by a 9th Gen Intel Core i9 processor, up to 16GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 CPU, and supports up to 1TB of SSD storage. Acer's notebook supports a variety of modern connections, including Thunderbolt 3, USB Type-C and DisplayPort 1.4.
Acer ConceptD Series Specs
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Acer ConceptD 9 | Acer ConceptD 7 | Acer ConceptD 5 |
| Price | $4,999 | $2,299 | $1,699 |
| Display | 17.3-inch, 3840 x 2160 IPS display | 15.6-inch, 3840 x 2160 IPS display | 15.6-inch, 3840 x 2160 IPS display |
| CPU | 9th Gen Intel Core i9 | 9th Gen Intel Core i7 | 8th Gen Intel Core i7/i5 |
| RAM | Up to 16GB, upgradable to 32GB | Up to 16GB, upgradable to 32GB | Up to 16GB |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q or Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 | AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL |
| Storage | Up to 1TB SSD | Up to 1TB SSD | Up to 1TB SSD |
| Size and Weight | 16.8 x 11.9 x 0.92 inches, 9 pounds | 14.1 x 10 x 0.7 inches, 4.6 pounds | 14.1 x 9.5 x 0.6 inches, 3.3 pounds |
| Ports | Thunderbolt 3, USB Type-C, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4, USB 3.1 (2) | Thunderbolt 3, HDMI 2.0, Mini DisplayPort 1.4 | USB Type-C, USB 3.1 (3), HDMI, SD card reader |
Despite packing powerful specs, Acer says the fan noise will be less than 40 decibels, which beats the MacBook Pro. This is thanks to Acer’s 4th generation 3D aero blade fans.
Acer is also launching a ConceptD 5 thin and light notebook and ConceptD 7 system, both of which sport 15.6-inch 4K displays that also promise up to 400 nits of brightness. The D 7 packs a 9th Gen Core i7 processor, up to 16GB of RAM, up to an Nvidia RTX 2080 Max Q and up to 1TB of SSD storage. The sleeker D 5 rocks an 8th Gen Core i7 CPU, up to 16GB of RAM, an AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL graphics chip and up to 1TB of storage in addition to a fingerprint reader.
The Acer ConceptD 9 launches in June starting a $4999, while the D 7 and D 5 are slated to arrive in April starting at $2,299 and $1,699, respectively. These laptops have the potential to be some of the best workstations yet for serious creators, so we look forward to testing them in our labs later this year.
