These days, there’s no shortage of handheld options for PC gaming enthusiasts, but Acer is making a bold entry with its new Nitro Blaze models. Featuring some of the largest screens we’ve seen on such devices, the Nitro Blaze 8 sports an 8.8-inch display while the Nitro Blaze 11 is equipped with a nearly 11-inch screen. Both offer a crisp 2560 x 1600 resolution, with the smaller device boasting a 144Hz refresh rate and the larger one having a 120Hz refresh rate. That’s a lot of visual power to back up with performance.
Given these vibrant IPS screens, many AAA titles will likely push the capabilities of the existing hardware to its limits. Interestingly, Acer hasn’t introduced a new powerhouse to run these devices. Instead, both handhelds come with AMD’s Ryzen 7 8840HS CPU, the same chip found in Asus’ ROG Ally’s Z1 Extreme. Gamers might find themselves relying on AMD’s upscaling technology to hit the sweet spot on performance.
Looking at battery life, both models pack a 55 Whr battery, an improvement over the original Ally’s 40 Whr and a bit more than the Steam Deck OLED’s 50 Whr. However, they fall short compared to the Ally X’s robust 80 Whr. The devices carry 16GB of RAM and can hold up to 2TB of storage, paired with a screen brightness maxing at 500 nits. Acer also emphasizes the CPUs’ 39 AI TOPS, although this may not significantly impact gameplay. So, while impressive in size, the Nitro won’t necessarily lead in frame rates or battery longevity.
One interesting feature of the Blaze 11 is its detachable controllers, echoing the design of Lenovo’s Legion Go, albeit without an integrated mouse sensor. These controllers don’t seem to offer distinct cursor control either, so expect to be doing plenty of tapping and swiping as you navigate Windows 11 Home OS outside of Acer’s gaming interface.
With bigger screens comes more heft; the Nitro Blaze weighs in at a manageable 1.59 pounds, whereas the Blaze 11 is a heftier 2.31 pounds. In the brief time I spent with the devices, the Blaze 11 didn’t feel as cumbersome as its hefty dimensions suggest — not until you consider portability. It’s not quite the machine you’d easily slip into a backpack compared to travel-sized laptops, but for home use, it’s manageable. My primary worry with the Blaze 11 is its battery life. A large, high-resolution display will naturally draw more juice, but since it’s likely you’ll use it primarily at home, staying near a USB-C charger shouldn’t be too inconvenient.
Acer anticipates releasing the Nitro Blaze 8 and Blaze 11 in the second quarter of the upcoming year. As for pricing, brace yourself for a cost that aligns with those screen sizes: the 8-inch model will set you back $899, while the 11-inch starts at $1,099.
