Acer's new TravelMate laptops feature OLED, AI, and 4G LTE to entice busy professionals

What you need to know

• Acer announced new 14- and 16-inch TravelMate P4 and P6 laptops ahead of Computex 2024.
• TravelMate P6 14, TravelMate P4 Spin 14, and TravelMate P4 16 models come with Intel Core Ultra CPUs with NPU.
• TravelMate P4 14 will be available only in European regions and will have AMD Ryzen PRO 8040 chips also with NPU.
• All laptops are expected to launch in July 2024 except for the TravelMate P4 14, which is expected Q4 2024. Prices start at $1,229.

Computex 2024 kicks off next week in Taipei and will run from June 3 until June 7, but Acer has already unveiled a collection of new AI PCs made for business users. The Windows laptops, powered by a mix of modern Intel vPro and AMD PRO hardware, are not classified as Copilot+ PCs, but they do include a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for local AI acceleration.

There are four new TravelMate laptops headed our way, with the first three expected to launch in July; a fourth is expected to hit European markets later in Q4 2024. Here's what you need to know about the new laptops.

Acer's TravelMate P6 14 has a 2.8K OLED display

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Acer's TravelMate P6 14 (P614-73) looks to be the most exciting new business laptop headed our way if only for the display. Measuring 14 inches, it has an OLED panel for deep color and contrast with a crisp 2880x1800 resolution. That 16:10 aspect ratio provides some extra vertical screen real estate ideal for multitasking, and Acer says it hits 100% DCI-P3 color to suit some specialized work. It also comes with VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500 certification for compatible content.

The 14-inch laptop weighs in at just 2.62 pounds (1.19kg) and comes with MIL-STD 810H durability certifications to ensure it can keep up with a busy lifestyle. Ports include dual Thunderbolt 4, USB-A 3.2 (Gen 1), HDMI 2.0, and a microSD card reader. It looks like only the P4 laptops come with an optional SmartCard reader for enterprise use.

Powering the PC are Intel's Core Ultra H-series processors (CPU), available in standard and vPro Enterprise flavors. All four of the CPUs come with Intel's AI Boost NPU, which hits around 10 TOPS of performance for local AI acceleration. These chips will bring more power than the Core Ultra U-series alternatives found in the TravelMate P4 laptops also announced today. They also have strong Intel Arc integrated graphics.

Acer offers up to 32GB of LPDDR5x RAM (soldered) and up to a 1TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe solid-state drive (SSD), and the system runs on a 65Wh battery. As for wireless connectivity, the P6 14 is the only TravelMate laptop announced today with Wi-Fi 7; the others have Wi-Fi 6E. Bluetooth 5.3 is also on board to handle wireless accessories.

Acer expects to launch the TravelMate P6 14 in North America in July, with prices starting at $1,430. It will come to the EMEA market Q3 2024 starting at €1,359.

The TravelMate P4 Spin 14 is a convertible with optional 4G LTE connectivity

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Professionals looking for some extra versatility and connectivity from their business laptop will no doubt want to check out the TravelMate P4 Spin 14 (P414RN-54). It's a 14-inch convertible that weighs in at 3.28 pounds (1.49kg), and it comes with the same MIL-STD 810H durability certification as its siblings.

The laptop is powered by Intel Core Ultra U-series chips, again with standard and vPro Enterprise options. These chips have an Intel AI Boost NPU with around 10 TOPS of performance, and Acer offers up to 64GB of DDR5 RAM and up to a 1TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD. A larger 65Wh battery is quoted at 14.5 hours of runtime, which of course is a number that should be viewed with caution. Real-world usage will no doubt bring the runtime down, but that's still the best estimation of all the TravelMate laptops announced today.

Perhaps the best part of the P4 Spin 14 is the optional 4G LTE connectivity. It's not 5G, but it's still better than nothing for travelers, students, and pros who need to stay connected to the internet at all times. There are otherwise Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 capabilities available.

The IPS touch display measures 14 inches and has a 1920x1200 (FHD+) resolution with a 16:10 aspect ratio. Acer notes it hits up to 340 nits brightness and should hit 100% sRGB color. It's also compatible with an active pen for inking.

Wrapping things up are an FHD webcam with a privacy shutter and a fingerprint reader for biometric security through Windows Hello.

The TravelMate P4 Spin 14 is expected to launch in North America in July starting at $1,229. It's also expected to hit the EMEA market in Q3 2024 starting at €1,019.

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Acer has also unveiled a larger 16-inch TravelMate P4 laptop, this time without convertible functionality. I can see it being a solid option for those who want to spend less than the P6 price yet still land a secure and durable laptop.

The TravelMate P4 16 (P416-53) comes with Intel Core Ultra U-series CPUs with standard and vPro Enterprise versions. The same Intel AI Boost NPU with about 10 TOPS of power is included, and you can get up to 64GB of DDR5 RAM and up to a 1TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD for plenty of storage. A 53Wh battery is quoted as offering up to 14 hours of runtime, which will no doubt come down in real-world usage.

A 16-inch display should provide plenty of space for multitasking, especially with the taller 16:10 aspect ratio. Acer lists a 1920x1200 (FHD+) resolution, with 400 nits brightness and 100% sRGB color. It's a pretty standard display, but that's not out of the ordinary for business laptops.

Above the display is an FHD webcam with a privacy shutter, and a fingerprint reader is included for extra biometric security through Windows Hello. A SmartCard reader is also optional.

There's unfortunately no optional 4G LTE connectivity available here; the laptop offers instead Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.

Acer expects to launch the TravelMate P4 16 (P416-53) in North America in July starting at $1,229. Again, the EMEA market will get it Q3 2024 starting at €959.

The TravelMate P4 14 has AMD Ryzen PRO chips for the European market

Finishing up Acer's TravelMate announcements is a laptop that I wish was coming to North American markets. Alas, it appears that it is only expected to launch in the EMEA region in Q4 2024 starting at €949.

It's the only new TravelMate laptop announced today sporting AMD's Ryzen PRO 8040-series chips with a more powerful NPU hitting about 16 TOPS for local AI acceleration. That's still not enough to hit the Copilot+ threshold, but these CPUs look to be powerful and efficient.

Acer is offering four different CPUs, including the Ryzen 3 8840U and Ryzen 5 PRO 8540U without Ryzen AI. The Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U and Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U are also offered, and they'll be the go-to for that NPU boost. Up to 64GB of DDR5 RAM and up to a 1TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD are available, and the system runs on a 65Wh battery that Acer quotes as offering 14 hours of runtime.

The 14-inch display looks to be the same as offered in the P4 Spin 14 except it doesn't have touch functionality. It sits at a 1920x1200 (FHD+) resolution with a 16:10 aspect ratio, 300 nits brightness, and 100% sRGB color.

Ports do not include Thunderbolt 4 due to the AMD platform, but you still get dual USB-C (Acer doesn't specify whether they're USB4), two USB-A 3.2 (Gen 1), HDMI 2.1, and a SmartCard reader. Wireless connectivity is handled by Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.

Why are these AI PCs not considered Copilot+?

Copilot+ PCs are headed our way in the near future, bringing support for advanced AI features in Windows 11. It's part of what Windows Central Editor-in-Chief Daniel Rubino calls a "Great Reset" in the Windows PC industry, and at the moment it's thanks to a collaboration between Qualcomm and Microsoft.

Why are these TravelMate PCs not considered for Copilot+ if they have an NPU? Copilot+ features require at least 40 TOPS of performance to run locally. The new Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus chips with 45 TOPS are currently the only options available; Intel Core Ultra and AMD Ryzen PRO don't make the cut.

That doesn't mean you can't use these TravelMate laptops for AI help in applications like Windows Studio Effects. You just won't have access to things like Windows Recall, Auto Super Resolution, Live Captions, and local AI image and text creation.

Not everyone needs a Copilot+ PC, and until Intel and AMD catch up with their next-gen chips sporting a more powerful NPU, you'll have to live without to land Intel vPro and Ryzen PRO enterprise features.