In today’s bustling world of PC gaming handhelds, Acer is making waves with its latest offerings—the Nitro Blaze 8 and Nitro Blaze 11. Sporting screens of 8.8 inches and a whopping 10.95 inches respectively, these devices feature some of the largest displays available in this category. Both models pack a punch with a high resolution of 2560 x 1600, supported by a 144 Hz refresh rate for the Blaze 8 and 120 Hz for its bigger sibling, the Blaze 11.
Now, these sharp IPS screens are thrilling for gamers but can certainly challenge the current chipsets when playing AAA titles. Acer equips both with AMD’s Ryzen 7 8840HS CPU, reminiscent of the 780M found in the Z1 Extreme chip, much like the one in Asus’ ROG Ally. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself leaning heavily on AMD’s upscaling tech for smoother gameplay.
When it comes to battery life, both devices are powered by a 55 Whr battery. It’s an improvement over the original Ally’s 40 Whr and the Steam Deck OLED’s 50 Whr, but falls short compared to the Ally X’s hefty 80 Whr. Each model carries 16GB of RAM and can boast up to 2TB of storage, accompanied by the 500-nit brightness touchscreens. Acer is also highlighting the CPUs’ 39 total AI TOPS, which may be interesting, but overall, the new Nitro Blazes might not shine in battery life or frame rate but will stand out with their expansive displays.
Famously, the larger Nitro Blaze 11 comes with removable controllers, reminiscent of a larger Lenovo Legion Go, though probably minus the built-in mouse sensor. It also seems to lack dedicated cursor controls, which likely means a lot of navigating through Windows 11 Home by tapping and swiping.
The increased screen size does add to the weight. The Blaze weighs a moderate 1.59 pounds, while the Blaze 11 is a more noticeable 2.31 pounds. During a quick hands-on, the Blaze 11 didn’t seem quite as massive as Acer’s promotional pictures suggest. Still, it’s not the most portable option, much like larger gaming laptops. My chief concern with the Blaze 11 remains its battery life. The expansive, detailed screen likely demands more power, but let’s be honest—if you’re using it primarily at home, you’ll probably have your USB-C charger nearby.
Acer plans to launch the Nitro Blaze 8 and Blaze 11 in Q2, with pricing reflecting their size: the smaller Blaze 8 will start at $899, while the Blaze 11 will have a starting price of $1,099.
