It wasn’t that long ago that the phrase “OLED laptop” implied a luxury product. But in recent years, that tide has slowly begun to turn. Samsung has started mass-producing OLED panels for more portable form factors. And while they’re still not exactly commonplace, we’re starting to see OLED devices under $1,000 trickling onto the shelves.
But Acer made an announcement today that should get people excited about seeing more affordable, accessible OLED (like myself). The Acer Swift 3 — praised by many outlets, The edge included, as one of the best student laptops on the market – gets an OLED display. This also doesn’t sound like one of those cheaper FHD OLEDs you sometimes find on ultraportables. It will have a 2.8K resolution and cover 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut, according to Acer’s estimate.
A starting price of $899.99 means the Swift 3 won’t be the cheapest OLED laptop on the market (and that’s a higher starting price than the Swift 3 has had in the past), but it probably seems like one of the most affordable. OLED 14 inchers you will see this year. The base model will be a few hundred dollars cheaper than the flashier OLED notebooks we’ve seen recently and will offer a new option for buyers in the under $1,000 range who don’t want to compromise on screen quality.
Elsewhere, the Swift 3 OLED includes 12th-generation Intel Core H-series processors with up to 16GB of LPDDR5 memory. It weighs just 3.09 pounds and Acer claims a 10-hour battery life. The device is expected to be available in July in the US/EMEA and in May in China.
Acer’s convertible Spin 3 and Spin 5 also feature 12th-generation Intel processors. The more expensive 14-inch Spin 5 has a 2560 x 1600 panel and up to 16 GB of LPDDR5 memory and supports Acer’s Active Stylus. Acer says new cooling upgrades will improve performance “up to 75 percent” over the 11th-generation model. The Spin 3 (also a 14-incher) has an FHD display and also supports the Active Stylus. The Spin 5 hits shelves in July with a starting price of $1,349.99, while the Spin 3 hits shelves in August in the US and June in EMEA with a starting price of $849.99.
