Last week, we unboxed what is currently the world"s lightest 15.6-inch laptop, the LG gram, which weighs just 2.4 pounds. We noted that it almost feels like a fake laptop since it"s so light, but as it turns out, Acer is making one that"s even lighter.
Today at its event in New York City, the company announced the Swift 5, which will weigh in at less than a kilogram (2.2 pounds). In fact, it"s the same weight as the last-generation 14-inch model.
“There’s been great feedback on Acer’s amazingly light 14-inch Swift 5, and we are now pushing the limits with the 15.6-inch model,” said Jerry Hou, General Manager, Consumer Notebooks, IT Products Business, Acer Inc. “We’ve kept the weight under the 1 kg mark by using ultra-narrow bezels and a marginally larger chassis.”
It also doesn"t seem to make any sacrifices for that. It has two USB 3.1 Type-A ports on the side (along with USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C and HDMI), and while the unit seen in the photo is a dummy, the trackpad will be clickable. The screen will offer up to a 4K option, and supports multitouch.
Acer says that the new clamshell laptop is made out of ultra-light magnesium-lithium alloys for the covers, and magnesium-aluminum for the palm rest area.
The Swift 5 will be available later this year.
The firm also unveiled the lower end Swift 3. Also including a 15.6-inch display with a 4K option, it weighs in at between 1.7kg and 1.8kg. It offers an Nvidia GeForce MX150 with 2GB GDDR5 if you need it, and up to an eighth-gen Core i7.