Acer’s Nitro 5 Spin brings gaming to the 2-in-1 form factor

Acer’s newest entry in the gaming notebook market is… a 2-in-1?

Yes, that’s exactly what the Nitro 5 Spin is: a slim, lightweight 2-in-1 that converts from notebook to tablet thanks to a flexible 180-degree hinge. It’s aimed more at casual gamers, though, but it’s a compelling value proposition nonetheless.

Despite being thin and light, the Nitro 5 Spin packs in hardware that’s good enough for playing more than just Farmville (is Farmville still a thing? – ed). We’re talking an SSD for the OS and a regular HDD for data storage, plenty of RAM (up to 16GB), and a discrete graphics chip that’s faster than any integrated one.

Sure, the Nitro 5 won’t be playing Crysis 3 at full detail and high frame rates, but as it’s powered by the decent NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card and an 8th-gen Intel CPU, it can certainly handle less-demanding (and more relevant) titles like Overwatch, Fortnite, DOTA 2, League of Legends – you know, the games the cool kids are playing these days.

That means when they’re on the go, gamers can fire up a game and get decent enough performance even when they’re on battery. But more than that, they can also fold the Nitro 5 Spin into whatever position they find most comfortable thanks to the unit’s 180-degree hinge.

A view to a kill

Viewing angles aren’t a problem either, as the gorgeous Full HD IPS panel is visible no matter where you look at it from. Gamers can feel free to grab some mates and have them gather around their Nitro 5 Spin as they pwn n00bs in Fortnite.

They’ll also hear what you do no problem, as Acer gave the Nitro 5 Spin Dolby Audio™ Premium sound that delivers crystal-clear audio and deep, rumbly bass out of its surprisingly thin chassis. Speakers make it even better, of course, but the out-the-box experience is still excellent for a portable PC.

Good reception

And since staying connected is so important these days, Acer went with its own proprietary ExoAmp antenna technology which integrates the WiFi receiver into the metal chassis in such a way that the WiFi signal is strong no matter how the Nitro 5 is positioned.

It’s a clever feat of engineering that retains the lovely look and feel of a metal chassis (which normally interferes with WiFi signal strength), with a WiFi receiver by integrating it seamlessly into the chassis itself.

That rock-solid connectivity also ensures gamers keen on streaming their games to the internet via Twitch or Veam or whatever can do so without worrying their connection will drop.

And the same applies for anyone keen on streaming games over their home network, either from their Xbox One using Microsoft’s Xbox app or from their full-on gaming PC with Steam’s In-Home Streaming feature to the Acer Nitro 5 Spin – with rock-solid (and fast AC-speed) WiFi, gamers can stream with confidence.

Not just for gaming

The beauty of gaming-ready hardware is that makes non-gaming things really fast as well. So, because the Nitro 5 Spin rocks Intel’s Core i5-8250U or the Core i7-8550U, a maximum of 16GB of DDR4 RAM and a mix of SSD and HDD technologies, it performs well even in demanding tasks like video editing and music creation.

General usage – surfing the net, sending emails, listening to music and watching movies – is likewise a real pleasure, thanks to the power under the hood.

Value-packed

That’s a lot of value for a small, compact 2-in-1. Decent gaming AND portability? Sign me up.

For more information on pricing and availability of this model, contact Pieter Geere on the Acer team on 011 531 1000 or send him an email.

Note: This model is not to be confused with the Acer Spin 5, a similar 2-in-1 that doesn’t ship with a discrete graphics chip.