24 Sep
Blog

Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel Review: Unique Laptop Only For Creators

acer conceptd 7 ezel review 01 2

"The ConceptD 7 Ezel is fast and furious and can morph into any form factor a creative professional needs."

  • Innovative and extremely useful design

  • Class-leading performance

  • Solid build quality despite the complexity

  • Great input options

  • Very good advertisement

  • Very big and heavy

  • Expensive

OK creatives, get ready to feel warm and fuzzy: Acer made a laptop just for you. And when I say that, I'm not exaggerating – the Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel is not all made up of fast components, so editing large photos and 4K videos takes less time, and it isn't just equipped with a display that is wide and promises accurate colors. No, the ConceptD 7 Ezel literally bends backwards to transform itself into exactly the laptop you need.

It's also a hell of a investment, costing $ 4,000 for my review unit, which features an eight-generation Intel Core i7-10875H CPU with eight cores, 32GB of RAM, and 2TB of storage over two 1TB solid-state -Drive in RAID 0 is equipped with a Pantone-certified 4K IPS display and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 2080 Super Max-Q GPU.

That's a lot of computers for a lot of money – is it worth the price?

design

Where should I start? After reviewing nearly 100 laptops for digital trends, I can't remember reviewing one with so many distinctive design elements. Even the Acer ConceptD 9, another laptop I tested with a focus on developers, doesn't quite fit the ConceptD 7 Ezel due to its complexity.

Let's start with the form factor. We use the term “2-in-1” to describe 360-degree convertibles like the HP Specter x360 13, and that could be a misnomer. Such laptops don't just convert from clamshells to tablets. In between there are two other modes – tent and media. If we were completely accurate, we would call them 4-in-1.

According to this logic, the ConceptD 7 Ezel is a 6-in-1 device with six different modes that its hinge combination can apply. There's the usual clamshell mode, a float mode that allows the display to be positioned closer or farther away from the user, a stand mode that allows easy writing and drawing at a comfortable angle, a sharing mode that allows collaboration , a display mode for viewing media or inverting content and showing it to others, and a pad mode that serves as a (very bulky) tablet.

Aside from the tablet mode, these are all interesting and potentially comfortable positions for using the device. This is especially true if you are an artist who has always dreamed of getting your work done right on the screen with a pen in hand.

The ConceptD 7 Ezel has six different modes that its hinge combination can apply.

These modes are activated by a hinge in the center of the display that allows it to pivot along the lid and extend halfway up the back of the display. Opening the display takes getting used to – you have to reach down on it, otherwise the display can turn awkwardly. The hinges all work well together to keep the panel exactly where you want it. Overall, it's a fine piece of tech that creates really useful modes for different creative and collaborative needs.

The chassis is made of a magnesium-aluminum alloy and is available in one color – white. But it's not just painted on. Rather, Acer developed a ceramic coating using a micro-arc oxidation process (MAO) which, according to the expert's guideline, creates “an ultra-hard crystalline ceramic structure with a unique tactile feel”. It's not just about looking pretty, however. The ceramic coating also promises to resist corrosion and oxidation. Overall, it is a robust construction.

Speaking of aesthetics, the simple white color works for me. And apart from the uniqueness of the folding assembly, there isn't a lot of decoration or ornament around it. It's a very understated design. You could say it's a classic case of function over form. It's by no means an unattractive laptop – call it "utilitarian" instead. It looks like it's there to do a job and not to get noticed.

However, I wouldn't call it elegant as this is a large laptop. The bezels are thin on the side of the display, but relatively large at the top, and below is a massive chin. Acer hasn't even tried to match the modern trend for tiny bezels. Hence, the ConceptD 7 Ezel is larger in width and depth than a laptop like the Dell XPS 15 (although it may not be as much as you might suspect) which shouldn't come as a surprise. The Acer is also very thick, at 0.89 inches at its thinnest point and 1.13 inches at its thickest point. Compare that to the XPS 15's 0.71-inch.

Finally, the ConceptD 7 Ezel weighs 5.6 pounds compared to the Dell at 4.5 pounds. This is not a machine that you will toss in your backpack and casually carry to the local coffee shop. Instead, move them from workspace to workspace and keep them there for a while.

Extra weight is inevitable with this type of design. When you buy it, you are compromising portability in exchanging for a unique hinge and form factor. So better plan not to use it just as a clamshell laptop.

Connectivity is another strength. On the left you will find a USB-A 3.1 port, two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 3, and a 3.5 mm audio jack. On the right you will find a Gigabit Ethernet port, an HDMI 2.0 port with HDCP support and a DisplayPort 1.4 connection. Finally, there is a full-size SD card reader on the leading edge. The wireless connection is provided via Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0.

performance

Acer sent me the top-end version of the ConceptD 7 Ezel (outside of the Pro models with Xeon CPUs and Quadro GPUs, which are also available through reseller channels). It has an eight-core Core i7-10875H CPU and a Super Max-Q GeForce GTX 2080 GPU. And as you can imagine, it's fast enough.

Looking at Geekbench 5, the Concept 7 Ezel achieved 1,301 points in the single-core test and 7,949 points in the multi-core test. That matched the Dell XPS 17 almost exactly and narrowly knocked out the XPS 15, which both use the same CPU. This puts the ConceptD 7 Ezel at the top of this CPU class.

Next, let's look at our handbrake test, which converts a 420MB video to H.265. The ConceptD 7 Ezel finished the test in just under two minutes, lost just under five seconds against the XPS 17 and beat the XPS 15 by eight seconds. This is a CPU-intensive test. Hence, it is not surprising that these laptops are so close together.

In Cinebench 20, the story was a little different. The ConceptD 7 Ezel achieved 463 points in the single-core test and 3,845 points in the multi-core test. This is the third fastest score we've seen on a laptop. Only the Dell G5 SE with an AMD Ryzen 7 4800H and the Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 with a Core i9-10980HK beat it – and not by much.

I then ran our test, which best mimics real-world conditions, and used Premiere Pro to render a two-minute 4K video. The ConceptD 7 Ezel finished the project in two minutes and 57 seconds, the fastest we've ever seen. The XPS 17 was done in three minutes and 38 seconds and the XPS 15 in four minutes and 50 seconds. The GTX 2080 Super Max-Q clearly makes a huge difference in demanding tasks where the GPU is used. At least with this configuration, the ConceptD 7 Ezel is one of the fastest creative workstations that is not a workstation.

The chassis gets very, very warm. In fact, it gets really hot sometimes.

Next we should talk about the thermal design. These types of components require adequate cooling if they are to perform well, especially if the laptop does not melt in the process. Acer has developed a bespoke solution with two 4th generation AeroBlade 3D fans (the fan edges are serrated to maximize airflow) and three heat pipes.

Of course, the unique design of the ConceptD 7 Ezel should also support this performance through better cooling. The main hinge provides some support to the floor for better airflow. The idea is that the ConceptD 7 Ezel doesn't get too loud when it's working at top speed – Acer advertises 40 decibels. Even when I work hard, the laptop never gets particularly loud – I wouldn't use it in a library as Acer suggests, but I wouldn't be embarrassed to use it in a typical office space.

However, the chassis gets very, very warm. In fact, it gets really hot sometimes. I measured over 125 degrees Fahrenheit directly above the keyboard and over 140 degrees Fahrenheit on the bottom of the case below the display. The heat above doesn't detract from the ease of use – the keyboard and deck stay cool enough – but you don't want to put this laptop on your lap while squeezing the CPU and GPU. Acer has managed to make it relatively quiet, but that seems to come at the expense of generating some serious heat.

Gaming performance

I'll mention gaming as the ConceptD 7 Ezel is of course quite well equipped to run today's demanding titles with high resolutions and graphical detail. And if you buy one, chances are you'll be tempted to play some games between work sessions. However, I can't imagine a lot of people will buy this laptop with games on their mind – mostly because the screen refresh rate is set to 60Hz.

If you make a game, you will be pretty happy with the results. According to 3DMark, the ConceptD 7 Ezel competes well with gaming laptops with the same GPU, scoring 7,273 points in Time Spy, compared to the Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 with 7,605 and the MSI GS66 Stealth with 7,493. Note that the ConceptD 7 Ezel uses Nvidia's studio drivers, which are aimed at creative uses, rather than the Game Ready drivers that come with most laptops. Therefore, it aims more at stability in creative applications than at pure game speed.

In real word gaming, the ConceptD 7 Ezel achieved 60 frames per second (fps) at 1080p and ultra-high graphics in Assassin's Creed Odyssey, compared to the Asus at 55 fps (frames per second) and the MSI at 56 fps. In 4K, the ConceptD 7 Ezel only managed 29 fps compared to the Asus with 31 fps. In Civilization VI, the ConceptD 7 Ezel achieved 133 fps at 1080p and ultra graphics and 73 fps at 4K. The Asus was at 121 fps and 70 fps, respectively.

In Fortnite, the ConceptD 7 Ezel ran at 119 fps in 1080p and Epic graphics and 45 fps in 4K, compared to the Asus at 91 fps in 1080p (we didn't run the game in 4K on this computer).

display

Aside from performance, little is more important for creative people than display quality. You need a wide color gamut and high accuracy to achieve the usual high brightness and contrast that are important to all laptop users. Acer equipped the ConceptD 7 Ezel with a 15-inch 4K display. It is an IPS panel with an anti-glare structure that promises 100% AdobeRGB coverage and Pantone verification. How has it developed according to my colorimeter?

The first Acer device that was sent to me had a very poor factory calibration and the results were not nice. However, Acer immediately sent me another unit and the results were much better. The ConceptD 7 Ezel's display isn't the best we've seen on creative laptops, but it's damn close.

The color gamut is only slightly limited compared to the XPS 15, which achieved 100% for both AdobeRGB and sRGB. In comparison, the ConceptD 7 Ezel managed 95% of AdobeRGB and 99% of sRGB. Again, these aren't the best results we've seen, but they are in a reasonable range for a creative laptop. The color accuracy was very good at 0.87 compared to the XPS 15 at 0.65 – anything below 1.0 cannot be seen by the human eye and is considered excellent.

The brightness was good at 356 nits above our 300 NIT threshold and benefited from the anti-glare plate, while the contrast barely missed our preferred 1000: 1 ratio at 960: 1. Here, too, the XPS 15 was better with 442 nits and a contrast of 1480: 1. Finally, gamma at 2.2 was perfect.

Subjectively, the display was a pleasure during my tests. The pictures looked natural and the video was spot on – I had no complaints. The ConceptD 7 Ezel's display is good enough not to spoil the rest of the experience, even if I wish the color gamut was a bit wider.

Keyboard and touchpad

The ConceptD 7 Ezel's keyboard is a pretty normal island keyboard with well-spaced keys that are a bit small. The mechanism is almost sharp enough, with just a little bit of looseness that compromises precision a little. Travel is reasonable and overall I enjoyed typing on this keyboard. It doesn't match Apple's Magic Keyboard or HP's Specter version, but it's better than most. I'm not a fan of the amber backlight turned on and off, however – the color makes reading difficult for my eyes.

The touchpad is small thanks to a large opening above the keyboard that crushes everything. It's a Microsoft Precision touchpad with precise multitouch gestures that work well. Acer added some padding to make the buttons click comfortably and quietly, but I wish they were bigger.

The display is of course touch-sensitive and very precise. A Wacom EMR pen with 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity is located in a dock on the lower right edge of the display. The matte glass display is etched to make writing feel more natural, and the EMR pen doesn't require a power supply to function.

I'd say it's an excellent solution – I'm sure artists will love the performance – but it's pretty small. I understand the desire to use a dock to make sure the stylus isn't lost, but Acer should have found a way to make a full version. I am not an artist so I cannot testify whether the size is a disadvantage, but I suspect that it might be the case for some.

Windows 10 Hello support is provided by a fingerprint reader integrated into the power button on the left side of the laptop. It worked well, signed me up quickly and accurately, and won't make a fuss.

Battery life

You don't expect long battery life from this beast, do you? No? That's good because you don't understand. And that despite the 84 watt-hour battery that is hidden inside.

At the same time, I'll find that this isn't the worst battery life in our database. It's certainly better than most gaming laptops, for example, and roughly on par with the other Creator-oriented laptops we tested. It took three hours on our most demanding Basemark web benchmark test, and that's not terrible. The Dell XPS 15 only lasted 11 minutes and the XPS 17 11 minutes less in this test.

In practice this means that you can expect the ConceptD 7 Ezel to be used for around three hours if you are doing demanding work. Perhaps this is enough for a short stay in a coffee house. However, the Power Brick is quite large, so it is not comfortable to carry around.

In terms of productivity work, our best test is our web browser test, which goes through a number of relatively busy websites. Here, the ConceptD 7 Ezel only managed six hours, an hour less than the XPS 15 and 20 minutes less than the XPS 17. So it's unlikely that you'll be working a full day, even if you're just using Office and surfing the net. In our video test, which ran through a 1080p trailer, the ConceptD 7 Ezel took a little over 10 hours. That's not a bad score for a machine like this, and it promises hours of Netflix bingeing.

Our opinion

The ConceptD 7 Ezel is in a class of its own. There is no other consumer laptop designed and built specifically for one type of user – creative professionals. Even professional workstations, which are also designed for such users, are not as tailor-made for developers. The ConceptD 7 Ezel's design is just as good for its obvious purpose, and Acer deserves praise for getting so much right.

Usually such specific machines tend to compromise in other areas. Apart from its size, which is forgivable in view of its flexibility and performance, the ConceptD 7 Ezel does not require any sensible compromises. Yes, it's expensive in my test configuration, but you can also go for $ 2,500 for a version with a Core i7-10750H, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, the same great 4K display, and a GeForce RTX 2060 GPU output. This is on par with the general price range of the Dell XPS 15, XPS 17, and MacBook Pro 16, and none of them work anywhere near as well for developers.

Are there any better alternatives?

I just said you can get a Dell XPS 15, XPS 17, or Razer Blade Pro 17 for about the same money (at the same stadium, at least) or a MacBook Pro 16-inch for a little more. These will be fast too, and the XPS 17 in particular will likely match the performance of the ConceptD 7 Ezel in its entry-level version.

However, none of these laptops have a hinge like the ConceptD 7 Ezel. Nobody scales to the same level of performance as the ConceptD 7 Ezel.

You can also take a look at the Acer ConceptD 9. It's bigger and a little less flexible, but also quite powerful. It also has a display that can transform into different form factors and supports a high quality active pen.

How long it will take?

The ConceptD 7 Ezel is well built and it appears that the various hinges will withstand considerable use for years. The components are sure to keep your workflow buzzing. However, the one-year warranty seems too short for such a complex design.

Should you buy it?

Yes. If you are a creative professional and you are serious about your job, this is a laptop that you must seriously consider. The substantial investment pays off more flexibly than you know how to do.

Editor's recommendations




23 Jul
Blog

Acer ConceptD CM2 Review: Supreme Color Accuracy

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"The Acer ConceptD CM2 balances its small stature with astonishing color accuracy."

  • Unsurpassed color accuracy

  • Unique design

  • Aspect ratio 16:10

  • Decent game screen

Creative people have to be choosy when choosing a monitor. The higher the resolution, the better and more accurate colors are a must.

But Acer believes there is a population out there that wants it in a smaller package. The new series of ConceptD monitors, which is primarily aimed at creative specialists, includes a 24-inch panel with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200. The Acer ConceptD CM2 offers an aspect ratio of 16:10, which is refreshing in a world where monitors seem to be getting wider and wider.

Despite the likeable aspect ratio, it's far from the 4K 32-inch giants out there. The Acer ConceptD CM2 is priced at $ 400 and has to prove a lot if it wants to win over the creative professionals. Does the ConceptD CM2 do the trick?

design

When it comes to the design of the Acer ConceptD CM2, I really like what Acer did. When you take the display out of the packaging, you will immediately notice the weighty stand with an imitation wood base and an anodized neck. The neck of the display is simply screwed into the base from below. Then you can simply snap on the panel.

You will then be confronted with a display that has height adjustments and tilt functions, can be rotated in portrait mode and even rotated from side to side. Regardless of the arrangement of your desk, you can adapt the display to suit your ergonomic needs. A VESA mount is available for those who want to use their own monitor arms, but you will lose the charm of the ConceptD CM2.

Artists who prefer a tidy Zen workspace will appreciate the calm, natural design.

However, it is not perfect. The "ConceptD" text on the base and the grain in the wood effect do not perfectly match the plate. It is very close and it is just a small complaint that could be unique to our sample. Because the base rotates with the plate, we couldn't align the two even after the neck was reattached to the base.

Once you've ignored this bit, which isn't difficult, it's a nice monitor. The finish is beautiful and it comes with a slim bezel on three sides of the panel to complete the minimalist, almost Scandinavian look. Artists who prefer a tidy Zen workspace will appreciate the calm, natural design of the ConceptD CM2.

Connections and controls

When it comes to connectivity, Acer chose to keep things fairly simple. There is a main connector, two HDMI connections and a DisplayPort input on the rear I / O. Since these offer an entry into the audio channel, two two-watt speakers are also integrated on the display. You can also connect external speakers or headphones via the 3.5 mm audio jack.

As an ad for creative people, it is also nice to see an integrated USB 3.0 hub. A USB-B port handles the upstream connection, and then there is a USB 3.0 port on the bottom I / O and two more on the left side of the monitor.

However, there is a blatant gap: USB-C. I understand that many may not need it, but as a creative monitor, I really expected some kind of USB-C connectivity with power so that you could charge your laptop, power your display, play audio, and operate peripherals through one only cable. To be fair, it's a little more unusual for monitors under $ 500. Of course, if you are using this display with an older laptop or desktop, this is not a problem, but it must be considered in the interest of future security.

Take the LG UltraFine 4K display, for example. Though a few tiers higher for the price, it has a Thunderbolt 3 connection and can act as a docking station. It is child's play to ensure all connectivity to the USB-C ports of today's laptops with just a single cable.

The Acer monitor comes standard with factory calibrations for the sRGB, Adobe RGB and DCI-P3 color spaces, which can be easily selected via the OSD control panel (on-screen display) in the lower right corner on the back Monitor. Just click on it, click the top button to switch to color modes, and select the profile you want.

There are options for custom calibration profiles (for your own calibrations) in the OSD as well as the usual other options for changing brightness, contrast, gamma, black gain, blue light and more to perfect the image to your liking.

I like that the three most important options – color profiles, brightness and input selection – are available at the push of a button. You don't have to browse deep in the menus.

picture quality

The ConceptD CM2 has a 24-inch panel with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200 pixels. That doesn't give you a lot of screen space to work with, but the CM2 deserves its brownie points elsewhere. The panel used is of the IPS type, which is still one of the most respected in terms of color rendering and viewing angle.

The monitor has a listed peak brightness of 350 nits and a static contrast ratio of 1000: 1.

The color accuracy of the ConceptD CM2 blew me away.

During testing, we found that the monitor can exceed its specified maximum brightness and reach up to 392 nits, and approached its specified contrast ratio at 970: 1. As promised, the display also covers 100% of the sRGB color space, 99% of AdobeRGB and 97% of the DCI-P3 space. All of this is very impressive.

The color accuracy of the display blew me away the most. Acer promises a Delta-E of <2, but delivers a lot more. Our tests showed an average Delta-E of 0.45 with a minimum deviation of 0.18 and a maximum of 1.0. These results are better than any monitor we have tested and will certainly make up for the high price of the display.

We calibrated the monitor ourselves to see if we could improve Acer's work, but as predicted, the results weren't much better – in fact, we found a decrease in contrast and slightly poorer color accuracy with a Delta-E of 0 , 62, which is still phenomenally good. Calibrating the display itself increased the AdobeRGB color space coverage by 1% and increased that number to 100%. All in all, however, we recommend using the factory calibration and a brightness suitable for you and leaving the rest untouched.

Gaming performance

Although it should be color accurate and nothing more, Acer has equipped the ConceptD CM2 with some extras that also make it good for games. In the OSD, you can jump to the "Performance" tab and find options for overdrive, adaptive synchronization, an FPS counter and a quick response.

So if for any reason you want to play on this display, you can turn on the overdrive for quick responses, as well as adaptive sync to sync your PC's frame rate with the monitor's refresh rate, resulting in smooth, jerky, and ripping results. free gameplay.

Of course, the refresh rate is limited to 75 Hz, but that's an increase over the standard 60 Hz that you'll find on most non-gaming monitors. If you only play casually, this is a nice experience.

For competitive games, of course, you should focus on a game-oriented display with a high refresh rate like the Razer Raptor 27. However, if you just start a casual title after a long day of work, the ConceptD CM2 can still do the job better than most 60 Hz monitors that don't have adaptive sync technology.

Our opinion

With the ConceptD CM2 from Acer, we scratched our heads at the first reception and wondered why someone would want to pay $ 400 for a 24-inch Full HD monitor. Promises of excellent color accuracy are often not kept, but Acer has proven that the stereotype is wrong. The 24-inch ConceptD CM2 immediately delivers extremely accurate colors, and our own attempt to calibrate the display has brought no improvements. This shows us that you are welcome to buy this display if you are looking for color rendering. Trust the factory calibration for years to come.

4K monitors lack the sharpness, but it's hard to find a $ 400 monitor with such good image quality.

Are there alternatives?

If the focus at this price is on color accuracy, the Acer CM2 is in a league of its own. Hardly any monitor at this price comes close to color accuracy and we don't see 99% of AdobeRGB at $ 400 every day, but the price you pay is in resolution.

The BenQ SW240 from two years ago is its closest competitor, but offers a less exciting design and lower refresh rate at the same price, and is becoming increasingly difficult to get.

However, when you're ready to swap part of the gamut and accuracy, the Dell UltraSharp 27 offers higher resolution, better finish, and more connectivity at a similar street price.

How long it will take?

Acer offers a three-year limited warranty on consumer and commercial monitors. This is a very appreciated fallback for an expensive purchase like this. With LED backlighting, the likelihood of failure is also low, and color rendering is likely to remain constant over the years, although you may want to recalibrate it after a few years.

The only big problems are the omission of USB-C and the low resolution. So think twice before you no longer want it.

Should I buy it?

Yes. If you're looking for an editing monitor and only care about color accuracy, the answer here is a resounding yes. However, if you want more screen space, more gaming performance, or more value, you may want to look elsewhere for a better balance between features and price.

Editor's recommendations




15 Mar
Blog

Acer ConceptD 9 review: A Portable Workstation for Artists Only

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"The Acer ConceptD 9 is fast and innovative with its easel hinge, but it can't compete with other portable workstations in terms of performance or mobility."

  • Beautiful 4K screen

  • Wacom pen support

  • Innovative design of the easel hinge

  • Fantastic performance

  • Solid, heavy chassis

  • Not as powerful as a real workstation

  • Cumbersome keyboard and touchpad

If someone appreciates slim, thin laptops, it's artists and designers. You know a slim product when you see one. The problem? These options often don't have the strength that some creative people really need.

Enter the ConceptD 9, a beast of an Acer workstation. With its thick housing and the Core i9 processor with eight cores, it is not only powerful, but also has an innovative easel hinge that can be converted into a digital drawing table. It doesn't even pretend to be portable and weighs almost ten pounds. At $ 5,000, it doesn't pretend to be cheap either.

It's undoubtedly a niche product, but is the ConceptD 9 more than an interesting concept?

For artists by engineers

My first reaction when I packed the box in the FedEx store was: "Man, this thing is heavy!" I checked so many Ultrabooks that weigh less than three pounds with just a few 15-inch laptops that weigh more than four pounds that the ConceptD 9 felt like a ton of rocks. It just can't be a laptop, I thought.

But it was. I opened the packaging, unpacked the machine and yes: it was almost 10 pounds of metal, glass and plastic (exactly 9.48 pounds). Much of that weight is on the 17.3-inch display (with solid bezels), and I'm sure a lot of it is also the hinge assembly that allows the screen to fold out in a very flexible easel mode that allows any angle from 90 degrees down to about 20 degrees – perfect for artists to draw.

You will not use this beast on your lap, nor will you put it in a backpack and take it to a cafe.

The ConceptD 9 is very similar to the Microsoft Surface Studio in this respect, only smaller. And it is probably a better machine because it is far more powerful than what Microsoft offers. In short, the ConceptD 9 doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it is. It is a portable creative workstation for people who edit high-resolution photos and videos, do 3D work in applications like AutoCAD and especially paint with the active Wacom pen on the screen.

The easel movement is certainly neat. It's not quite as intuitive as Surface Studio, but it is fluid. Simply fold up the bottom of the display and pull it to the desired angle. It can be pulled down almost flat (with just the right end angle for easy drawing). However, this applies to the keyboard and the touchpad.

Artists who want to draw directly on the canvas should love this. You will also love the included Wacom pen. It has 4,096 pressure sensitivity levels. As with the Surface Studio, the pen is magnetic and is attached to the display – in this case at the top. The display also stays fixed at every angle you place it, so you can draw safely on whether it is at a 90 degree angle or fully extended.

Will artists prefer this to a PC and a Wacom tablet? Maybe. As with Surface Studio, you draw directly on the canvas. Having all of this in one place is also an attraction. However, the flexibility of a pure drawing area and a screen for toolbars and menus requires some adjustments.

Connectivity is a strength as Acer has the space available for a USB-C port with Thunderbolt 3, a USB-C 3.1 port, two USB-A 3.1 Gen 1 ports, a USB-A 2.0 port and an HDMI Connection uses 2.0 port that supports HDCP, a DisplayPort 1.4 and a Gigabit Ethernet port. A Killer 1650 802.11ax Wi-Fi radio offers Wi-Fi 6 support, and Bluetooth 5.0 is on board.

A powerhouse, but not a real workstation

The promise of the ConceptD 9 was of course never just an interesting form factor. It was also a raw performance. The ConceptD 9 delivers on that promise, including a Core i9-9880HK processor, up to 32 GB of RAM, and an RTX 2080 graphics card. That's an incredible amount of performance regardless of the size of the laptop.

That is, unless you compare it to an actual 17-inch workstation like the HP ZBook 17, the Dell Precision 7740 Mobile Workstation, and the Lenovo ThinkPad P73 Mobile Workstation. These laptops do not have the unique easel design of the ConceptD 9, but they do offer the slightly more powerful Intel Xeon CPUs as an option. Some of these workstations, such as B. the ZBook, offer up to 128 GB RAM. The ConceptD 9 has 32 GB, which is a significant disadvantage.

Not that the ConceptD 9 is definitely slow. Compared to fast 15-inch laptops like the Dell XPS 15 and the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 2, the ConceptD 9 is quite competitive.

It has passed our handbrake test, which encodes a 420 megabyte video (MB) in just 1 minute and 52 seconds. The XPS 15 with the same CPU took 1 minute and 42 seconds, while the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 2 took 1 minute and 58 seconds. The Apple MacBook 16, also with the Core i9-9980HK, sits exactly in between.

Only the ZenBook Pro Duo was significantly faster with 1 minute and 19 seconds. Outside of the ZenBook, which was a remarkable 32% faster, there was only a 12% difference between the fastest laptop (the XPS 15) and the ConceptD 9. We haven't tested the most powerful laptops equipped with Xeon, but we expect them at least would be a little faster than everyone except the ZenBook.

It's fast, but you buy the ConceptD 9 because of its unusual design and not just because of its performance.

To measure actual performance, I also ran a video editing test with Adobe Premiere that rendered a two-minute 4K video for ProRes 422. The ConceptD 9 did a little more than two and a half minutes compared to the almost five minutes that the XPS 15 took.

The ZenBook Pro Duo was the previous king of speed at three minutes and four seconds, but most likely fell behind the Acer due to the slower RTX 2060 graphics cards. Unlike the handbrake test, there was a very significant difference between the ConceptD 9 (which was the fastest in this case) and the XPS 15 (the slowest): the ConceptD 9 was a full 47% faster.

Next up is the GPU, and here the ConceptD 9 also deviates from the typical workstation design. It uses an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Studio Edition with 8 GB of GDDR6 RAM, a high-speed GPU at the top of the typical laptop pile. The Studio Edition moniker refers to the ISV-certified drivers, which means that they are guaranteed to be stable with applications such as Adobe Suite, AutoCAD and other professional applications.

This is a good thing and like all drivers they should be kept up to date. I got a nice speed bump when I updated the drivers on the ConceptD 9.

However, the RTX 2080 isn't as fast in these applications as the top-of-the-range Nvidia Quadro GPUs that you can get in a typical workstation like the relatively new Quadro RTX 5000 with 16 GB of GDDR6 RAM. This means that the ConceptD 9 is fast and stable in its target applications, but not necessarily as fast as you would expect from a more traditional workstation option. You buy the ConceptD 9 because of its unusual design, therefore not necessarily just because of its performance.

You should also not buy that the ConceptD 9 has a dedicated gaming laptop. However, if you look at the specifications, you may be tempted to do so. It has worked admirably in everything we've tested, from Fortnite to Assassins Creed: Odyssey. The problem is that the screen is locked at 60 Hz, which means that these high frame rates are of little use to you here. A few games on the side? Absolutely.

The display does justice to its accounting

The ConceptD 9 needs a fabulous display to be a good choice for its target market. It needs a wide range of colors and accurate colors to satisfy photo and video editors, and it should also have a high resolution. Fortunately, this is exactly the 4K IPS display (3,840 x 2,160) that Acer has obtained and calibrated for the machine.

According to my colorimeter, the display is quite bright with 353 nits and has an excellent contrast ratio with 1000: 1. This is behind the XPS 15 and MacBook Pro 16, and is likely to have problems competing with other portable workstations that can offer 400 nits or brightness and higher contrast. But there are still good results that give a pleasant screen for all-round use.

However, colors are more of a strength. Acer's IPS display reaches 94% of AdobeRGB and 98% of sRGB. It also offers a fantastic color accuracy of 0.61. Anything less than 1.0 is considered excellent. This is one of the best results we have ever seen. The XPS 15 with its OLED display offers a slightly wider color gamut, but cannot keep up with the color accuracy of the Acer, while the MacBook Pro 16 only surpasses the ConceptD 9 by achieving 100 percent of the sRGB.

Acer chose a great display that met the needs of its creative target market. That is a real strength.

It's not much of a laptop

At the same time, the design is not very suitable for the typical laptop user. Take the keyboard, for example. It's an excellent mechanical keyboard that offers unusually fast keystrokes and some of the best feedback you'll find in a laptop.

But there is also no palm rest because the thermal design of the system takes up so much space above the keyboard. Acer went out of its way to make this machine a quiet machine even under full load, and they mostly succeeded. However, this means that there is no space for a palm rest – and that makes typing on the keyboard uncomfortable.

ConceptD 9 users are likely to use external keyboards and mice. It is really so uncomfortable.

The touchpad is also unusually to the right of the keyboard. There is no space underneath here either. The touchpad is also strangely shaped and oriented more vertically than horizontally. But it works well enough once you get used to it, and it offers a very Asus ZenBook-like LCD numeric keypad that you can access by tapping an icon on the top left of the touchpad. It's a design that will be acceptable in gaming laptops, but it's hardly ideal here.

ConceptD 9 users are likely to use external keyboards and mice. It's really so uncomfortable to tap on it. I would not find the experience satisfactory in the long run.

Whatever you do, you will not use this beast on your lap, nor will you put it in a backpack and take it to the local cafe. Anything beyond repositioning in another part of your home, or from office to office, is probably too much for this ten-pound chunker.

But you won't let it run away from a plug either. Acer equipped the ConceptD 9 with only 72 watt hours of battery capacity. For comparison: the HP ZBook 17 offers 95 watt hours. Given the massive 4K display and the powerful components, we didn't expect much from the battery life. And it's not surprising that we haven't seen it.

In our demanding Basemark test, which abused the CPU, we saw an hour and 48 minutes, which is actually competitive compared to other powerful laptops. However, the two hours and 43 minutes that we saw in our web browser test and five hours in our video loop test are pretty weak. They're competitive when it comes to developing gaming laptops, and maybe that makes sense – like these machines, the ConceptD 9 is just not designed to run on battery.

Our opinion

The ConceptD 9 is designed for a very specific person. Creative professionals who need a relatively powerful portable workstation and would benefit from a display that can switch to easel mode and use an excellent Wacom active pen.

In addition, the size and design of this machine make it pretty useless as a laptop. It is a very small niche. And even if you are, most creatives will likely prefer the versatility of using a separate Wacom tablet in conjunction with a traditional workstation or high-end 15-inch laptop.

Are there any better alternatives?

There is really no other laptop or portable workstation like the ConceptD 9. As already mentioned, real workstations like the HP ZBook 17, Dell Precision 7740 and Lenovo ThinkPad P73 are the closest competitors. Each of these components can be equipped with faster Xeon CPUs and Nvidia Quadro GPUs as well as four times as much RAM. They are also smaller and offer better battery life.

Configured similarly (but with Xeon and Quadro), they typically cost around $ 1,000 more than the ConceptD 9, but that's not a lot of money if you invest this type of cash.

At the same time, creatives with less demanding workflows can cope well with a Dell XPS 15, a Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 2 or an Apple MacBook 16. You won't get the RTX 2080 with any of them, but for anyone. All three laptops with less demanding performance requirements offer more than enough performance. And Dell and Lenovo will likely cost about half of your ConceptD 9 spending.

How long it will take?

The ConceptD 9 is built like a tank and feels like it. Thanks to the latest components, it lasts for years, even though the industry-standard one-year guarantee has expired long before.

Should you buy it

No. The unique combination of performance and drawing features is neat, but there are better solutions for creative people.

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