Acer announced its entry into the handheld gaming market today at IFA with the 7-inch Nitro Blaze 7. Set to launch later this year, this device should be the most powerful handheld gaming PC, featuring high-end components typically found in gaming laptops.
Nitro Blaze 7 achieves its power advantage by using a laptop-class processor and GPU. The 7-inch Asus ROG Ally X (starting at $799), 7.4-inch Valve Steam Deck OLED (starting at $549), and 8.8-inch Lenovo Legion Go use the battery-friendly AMD Z1 Extreme, while Acer opts for the more robust AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS processor. This choice, paired with Radeon 780M graphics, should deliver laptop-level gaming performance in a handheld device.
Read more: Lenovo Legion Go Gaming PC Gets an Upgrade with New Accessories
This approach of incorporating a laptop-class processor and GPU was previously seen in the larger and heavier 8.4-inch Ayaneo Kun ($999). While the Ayaneo Kun weighs 33.51 ounces, Acer's is more portable at 23.6 ounces. The Nitro Blaze 7’s 8th AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS processor also should outperform the Kun’s 7th AMD Ryzen 7 7840U.
Key specs:
- 7-inch FHD IPS touch display with 144 Hz refresh rate
- Up to 2 TB NVMe SSD storage with MicroSD for expandable storage
- 16 GB LPDDR5x memory
- Wi-Fi 6E
- Two USB-C port with fast charging
- 50Wh battery
- 10.08 x 4.47 x 0.89 inches
- 23.6 ounces
While Acer's use of a laptop-class processor in the Nitro Blaze 7 looks to set a new benchmark for handheld gaming performance, it raises questions about battery life. Competitors using the AMD Z1 Extreme benefit from the chip’s power efficiency, while Acer's approach prioritizes raw performance. Testing how Acer balances this power with its 50Wh battery will be important, especially compared to the ASUS ROG Ally X, which has an 80Wh battery and the Ayaneo Kun, which has a 75Wh battery.
Final specifications, pricing, and availability are yet to be announced, but the Nitro Blaze 7 will almost certainly be launched in time for the holiday shopping season. I would expect the Nitro Blaze 7 to be less expensive than the $999 Ayaneo Kun and more in line with the $799 ASUS ROG Ally X.
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For the past 20+ years, Techlicious founder Suzanne Kantra has been exploring and writing about the world’s most exciting and important science and technology issues. Prior to Techlicious, Suzanne was the Technology Editor for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and the Senior Technology Editor for Popular Science. Suzanne has been featured on CNN, CBS, and NBC.
