The Acer Nitro Blaze 11 is a powerful and massive portable gaming console.
At CES 2025, Acer introduces the Nitro Blaze 11, one of the largest gaming laptops available on the market.
Acer has arrived a bit late with the launch of its first portable gaming PC, but at CES 2025, the company seems determined to make up for lost time with a significant release. In this case, it's the Nitro Blaze 11, a device of considerable size.
This model features detachable controllers and an integrated stand, and bears several similarities to Lenovo's Legion Go. However, when these elements are combined with an 11-inch IPS display that boasts a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 and a refresh rate of 120Hz, the experience is transformed. Many might find it reminiscent of a steering wheel with a tablet-sized screen in the center, surrounded by joysticks, action buttons, and triggers on the sides.
In terms of design, Acer has included details that gamers will easily recognize, such as RGB lighting around the analog sticks and a new application called Acer Game Space, which will serve as a game launcher and control panel for settings. Upon closer inspection, the Blaze 11’s screen appears bright and vivid, leading some to believe it might be OLED. It also features a fairly standard set of ports: two USB-C, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a microSD card slot. Additionally, it includes a USB-A port, bringing the total to three USB connections.
Inside, the specifications of the Blaze 11 are competitive, though not outstanding. It incorporates an AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS processor, Radeon 780M graphics, 16GB of RAM (7500 MT/s), and up to 2TB of SSD storage (initial configurations will start at 512GB).
For those who find an 11-inch tablet too bulky, Acer has a second option with the Nitro Blaze 8, which features almost identical specifications and a similar design but lacks detachable controllers and support, along with an 8-inch IPS display and a slightly faster refresh rate of 144Hz. Both versions feel robust, although the Blaze 8 stands out for its overall rigidity due to its non-detachable controllers. Additionally, there will be a third model, the Nitro Blaze 7, which was presented in September but has yet to go on sale in the U.S.
One potential concern about the Blaze 11 is that while it performs adequately, its dimensions may not be enough to stand out in a competitive market, where rivals from ASUS, Lenovo, Valve, and others are already present, lacking additional features that differentiate it. It was noted that the underside of the Blaze 11 has pogo pins, suggesting that peripherals, possibly a dock, could be released in the future. However, an Acer representative could not confirm the existence of additional accessories for the Blaze line.
Acer plans to launch all three devices in the second quarter of 2025, with prices starting at $1,100 for the Nitro Blaze 11, $900 for the Blaze 8, and around $800 for the Blaze 7.