Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel review: the dream computer I’ll never own - The Verge

The Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel is a computer I will never own.

This unique form factor makes the ConceptD 7 Ezel unlike any other laptop on the market.

The people who should shell out thousands of dollars for this device are those who have a need for the combination of its unique form factor and large screen — and the rest of us can be jealous of them from afar.

These prices will make the ConceptD 7 Ezel an unrealistic purchase for most people, but there’s a 14-inch ConceptD that’s more affordable if you’re interested in this form factor.

For those whose work involves professional design and video editing, CGI, machine learning, and the like, Acer also sells a ConceptD 7 Ezel Pro with an Nvidia Quadro GPU.

There’s Laptop (self-explanatory), Pad (tablet mode), Float (screen facing forward, hanging above the keyboard deck), Stand (screen facing forward, forming a tent shape over the keyboard deck), Share (screen facing upward, parallel to the keyboard deck), and Display (clamshell shape, but with the screen facing away from the keyboard).

It brought the screen much closer to me — it’s pretty far away in Laptop mode, given the size of the keyboard deck.

The one form I can’t really see myself using is Pad because, at 5.6 pounds, the Ezel is too heavy to practically hold as a tablet unless you’re swole.

The one hiccup I ran into is that the screen is very top-heavy.

It stayed in desktop mode when in Stand, for example, but I’d prefer it switch to Tablet Mode in that form since the keyboard isn’t accessible.

The fact that these form factors are useful, of course, doesn’t mean that most people need them.

The system (which Acer calls its “Vortex Flow” design) did a good job of keeping the chassis cool during my day-to-day work — the bottom sometimes got warm but was never uncomfortably hot, and I never felt much heat on the keyboard or palm rests.

The Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel presents you with multiple things to agree to or decline upon setup.

The backlighting is a dark orange color (Acer calls it warm amber) that looks nice against the white deck.

If you’re using just the laptop, there are Music, Game, Movies, and Voice presets in ConceptD Palette.

The ConceptD 7 Ezel is… well, in a word, it’s awesome.

And even for those who want this particular form factor, the smaller ConceptD 3 Ezel will be a more practical purchase

The ConceptD 7 Ezel is for those who need serious power