The world’s thinnest laptop just got thinner

Oh boy. Acer threw down the gauntlet in 2016 when they snatched the crown of world’s thinnest laptop right out of HP’s hands. The original Swift 7 was a stunning 9.98mm thick, making it the first laptop to take things below 1cm. It’s been two years since then and nobody’s been able to beat Acer’s accomplishment.

Left without a contender, Acer decided to take things a step further and outdo themselves. Here’s the world’s thinnest laptop 2.0.

Acer Swift 7

At a mere 8.98mm thick, Acer’s brand new Swift 7 shaves off another milimetre off it’s predecessor’s record, giving Acer pole position and second place in the race of disappearing girth. But being thinner isn’t the only upgrade Acer packed into this brand new chassis, the laptop also gets a decent upgrade in specs.

First off, you get a larger 14″ IPS display pushing a resolution of Full HD. It’s also got a more powerful Intel Core i7 processor (the last one topped out at a Core i5) though it is still on Intel’s 7th Gen chips. Acer also didn’t mention if it was a Y-series processor or a regular one but we’ve reached out to them and are waiting to hear back. Memory comes in at 8GB of LPDDR3 RAM and 256GB of PCIe SSD storage.

With many major manufacturers refreshing their popular laptops with Intel’s more powerful 8th Generation processors, Acer’s decision is a little disappointing but I guess that’s the price you have to pay for ultimate thinness. Is it worth it? Not to me, especially considering you only get 2 USB-C ports and a headphone jack as I/O.

That said, the laptop does come with a feature that’s still pretty rare for laptops even today: 4G LTE connectivity. It’s got built-in Intel XMM and support for nano SIM and eSIM so you can stay connected without needing to leech off that dodgy coffee shop’s WiFi.

Personally, I like the way the new laptop looks in pictures. It’s kinda edgy with its elevated display but I know not everyone will like it. That said, I think if there was one thing I’m sure everyone won’t like, it’s the price. Last year’s Swift 7 launched in the US at USD999 (around RM3,988) and retailed for RM4,999 here in Malaysia. This new version, however, will retail for USD1,699 (around RM6,783). With a price tag like that, it’s kind of hard to see how someone could pick this over something like Dell’s new XPS 13.

Acer Spin 3

Besides the Swift 7, Acer also refreshed the Spin 3 360-degree convertible laptop. This year, it’ll feature updated specs in the form of 8th Generation Intel Core processors.  It’s also got up to 12 hours of battery life as well as a 14-inch Full HD IPS panel. The Spin 3 will have prices starting at USD599 (around RM2,390).

Acer Nitro 5

Finally, Acer updated their affordable Nitro 5 gaming laptop to feature AMD Radeon’s RX560 graphics card and a host of new AMD Ryzen mobile processors. You can configure memory up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM or 512GB of SSD storage depending on your needs.

What’s more, Acer’s also given the Nitro 5 a refreshed look with laser etched top lid. Rounding out the laptop is a 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display, USB Type-C, HDMI 2.0 and Gigabit Ethernet.

Acer’s Nitro 5 will have prices starting from USD799 (around RM3,187).