This massive $9,000 laptop with a curved screen is the most absurd computer I've ever used
This is not a notebook for normal people. For one, it’s the first laptop with a curved display, and the screen itself is a massive 21 inches.
It all looked perfectly solid during my demo.
It’s not the most vibrant thing out there, but still pleasant. It’s hard to say the curved screen immediately adds anything to the notion of using it, but when you’re sitting that close, it doesn’t take much away either. It’s mostly there to feel excessive.
The whole thing weighs close to 20 pounds and measures 3.27 inches thick, so even calling it a “laptop” is a stretch.
It’s an anchor on your lap, and moving it takes effort. The idea is for the Predator to replace a gaming tower and external monitor, and in that context, maybe you could consider it portable. It’s not fitting in any normal backpack, though, so be prepared to carry it in a separate case.
It should be extremely powerful, though.
Though I wasn’t able to get much gaming time in, by default the Predator 21X uses a latest-gen Intel Core i7-7820HK chip, which is close to as powerful as those get today, two top-end Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 graphics cards, a whopping 64GB of RAM, and a 1TB hard disk drive.
Having a faster solid-state drive would be better, but you can add up to four 512GB versions of those on your own through a little compartment below the display. That’s a lot of storage! You can also upgrade the RAM as desired, but on paper, there shouldn't be a game that this thing can't run quickly.
There’s also plenty of room for ports.
You get a Thunderbolt 3 port, four USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI 2.0 port, an SD card slot, an Ethernet port, a lock slot, and two DisplayPorts, which let you hook up to multiple external monitors.
There’s a full-size mechanical keyboard on here, too, much like the ones you’d use with a desktop.
It technically uses Cherry MX Brown switches, but the point is it feels great — fast, comfortable, and responsive. Its RGB backlight can also display a bunch of different colors. Just know it’s going to be loud.
Next to those are a handful of macro keys, which can be configured to do particular actions in games, or be used to adjust system-level things like fan speed on the fly.
Most people buying this will probably stick with an external mouse, but on its own the trackpad is located on a magnetically attached piece to the right of the keyboard. It worked fine. That piece can be pulled out and flipped around to reveal a numeric keypad, too.
Just above the keyboard is a Tobii eye-tracking module.
It’s able to follow your eyes and move your cursor accordingly in a small selection of games, but most people buying this will likely be better off with a dedicated mouse. More useful is that it can help you login faster via Windows Hello.
But in all, this feels like another one of those things that’s there just to be there, which seems to be the Predator's mission statement.
Beyond the most immediate features, there’s a ton of engineering packed into this thing.
Acer says there are five fans, nine heat pipes, and six separate speakers within the device.
Naturally, all of this means it isn’t exactly svelte.
It’s probably impossible to make a 21-inch laptop not look silly, but the Predator still has the kind of colorful logo, weird angles, and exposed vents that scream “gamer” at every turn.
There’s a glowing panel just below the display, too, and Acer says you’ll be able to get customized plates with certain graphics engraved. Again, excess.
So, why would Acer release something this over-the-top?
Eric Ackerson, the company’s senior product marketing and brand manager, says the company isn’t expecting to make much revenue off the Predator 21X, but that it mainly wants to push back against its reputation as a netbook-making, value-focused manufacturer. It’s a brand play, in other words.
Ackerson admits that having enough supply for components like the curved display is an “issue,” but says that the notebook won’t be made on an order-by-order basis. Instead, it’ll try to forecast the right amount to manufacture, and have those pre-built to avoid falling low on stock.
In any case, at a show that is unusually loaded with gaming laptops, the Predator 21X’s absurdity manages to stand out.
Does that mean it’s worth $9,000? Probably not. But as a status symbol for the gaming crowd, it makes a little bit of sense. Maybe.
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