Acer’s Predator 21 X was introduced at the IFA 2016 trade show in Berlin today. It is the company’s new flagship gaming laptop and claims to be the most advanced notebook on the market. It appears to rightfully claim that title, since its specs far outweigh any previous gaming laptop.
First and foremost is the physical size of the device. It has a curved 21-inch IPS display with a 2560×1080 resolution. The Predator 21 X is unlikely to see much use as a laptop, instead being installed as a permanent workstation in confined areas where a desktop wouldn’t be practical. The huge chassis has allowed Acer to include a full-size mechanical keyboard, complete with Cherry MX switches and per-key RGB backlighting. You can customise a variety of lighting effects and animations to illuminate your gaming.
The laptop is powered by a seventh-generation Intel Kaby Lake Core i7 processor. The Kaby Lake series is yet to launch and exact details on the chip being used remain unknown. The Predator 21 X won’t be released until Intel finally gets Kaby Lake to market. Little else of the laptop’s specs have currently been revealed, except for its extraordinary graphics card setup.
Acer has installed dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 graphics cards in SLI, enabling them to work together to boost frame rates. These are the most powerful mobile graphics cards available, offering performance on par with their desktop counterparts. It’s safe to say the Predator 21 X will be capable of running the most demanding games ever created.
The components require a serious cooling setup consisting of five primary system fans. The result of the huge display, oversized keyboard tray and dual graphics cards is the strangest-looking laptop you’ve ever seen, including a basement area below the keyboard tray that stores all the components. Acer seems to have built the Predator 21 X more as a trophy piece than a serious laptop.
As a final hero feature, the 21 X comes with Tobii eye-tracking hardware built into its display. This allows you to unlock the computer by simply looking at it. The eye-tracking can also be used in games, powering new interactions independent of your mouse or controller. You can aim, identify enemies and take cover in select titles by gazing at objects displayed on the screen.
The Predator 21 X will go on sale in January. Each machine will be made to order. Acer hasn’t announced retail pricing but it should be expected to be eye-wateringly high. The company’s current Predator 15 and 17 laptops sell for close to $3,000. It’s possible the 21 X will retail at $4,000 or even more.
Alongside the 21 X, Acer also unveiled a selection of other laptops at IFA 2016 today. It has updated the Predator 15 and 17 with improved NVIDIA GTX 1070 graphics cards. Acer also unveiled two new series of ultra-thin laptops, Swift and Spin. Swift is designed for everyday convenience while Spin offers a convertible design for greater portability. Both will go on sale later this year.
