Every time I turn around, another handheld gaming PC is hitting the market.
At IFA Berlin this year, Acer decided to introduce the Nitro Blaze 7.
Featuring a seven-inch 144Hz FHD touch display with a seven-millisecond response time, an AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS processor, 16GB of memory, up to 2TB of storage space, and a 50 Whr battery, the Blaze 7 sounds like a solid gaming handheld.
While the Blaze 7 does have some nice updates over other handheld PCs like a 144Hz display and up to 2TB of internal storage space, is that enough to make it onto our list of the best handheld gaming devices?
Acer Nitro Blaze 7 - Specs
Acer Nitro Blaze 7 - Pricing and configurations
Acer Nitro Blaze 7 Price: How much it could cost compared to other handhelds
Acer has not finalized the price for this Windows gaming handheld, but a representative tells Laptop Mag via email that the company will announce pricing once the regional configurations are set.
(Right now, the only spec options for the Nitro Blaze 7 appear to be storage, which can be configured up to 2TB of internal storage.)
So, all we can do is estimate the price range based on other gaming handhelds. Let's break it down:
- The new Asus ROG Ally X costs $799 and offers 1TB of internal storage
- The Steam Deck costs just $399 for the 256GB LCD model, while the 1TB OLED model is $649
- The Lenovo Legion Go is priced at $599 for the base model and $749 for the 1TB model
- The MSI Claw ranges from $499 to $699 for the 1TB model
With that price list above, and based on the Nitro Blaze 7's specs, it's reasonable to estimate that the handheld could cost between $600 and $900, depending on its internal storage size.
Acer Nitro Blaze 7 - Design
Love it or hate it, the Nitro Blaze 7 relies heavily on decals to differentiate it from other handheld gaming PCs. While I'm not personally too fond of them, the details do add some interest to the handheld without wasting power on RGB lights. I wish they felt a bit less like the decals on a toy race car, but they do feel nostalgic enough that I can't quite hate the choice, either.
As for the more physical aspects of Acer's handheld design, the Nitro Blaze 7 has a rather rounded design with no buttons on the underside of the hand grips. It has two USB-C ports, one on the top and one on the bottom.
It's nice that you can charge the handheld and use a USB-C headset simultaneously. It also has an SD card slot for extra storage space if you play storage-hogging games like Red Dead Redemption II, Baldur's Gate 3, or Starfield.
Acer Nitro Blaze 7 - Display
Acer rates the seven-inch IPS touchscreen on the Blaze 7 at 100% sRGB and 500 nits. Unfortunately, the handheld was in the Predator section of the Acer booth at IFA, which meant it was in a dim zone with many very colorful RGB lighting fixtures surrounding it. So, I can say with certainty that the glossy display panel suffers from some serious glare unless you boost the screen brightness to the max, and even then, some of the overhead light bars become distractions.
The display also has the speeds for performance gaming. While running around Shadow of the Tomb Raider's crowded market streets during the Dia de los Muertos celebration, the display smoothly transitioned between light and dark zones. It was as vibrant as you would expect from the famous holiday developed in Mexico.
Acer Nitro Blaze 7 - Performance
While the Nitro Blaze 7 features an AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS processor instead of the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme that many of the other gaming handhelds opt for, both AMD processors are built on the same Zen 4 architecture and feature eight processing cores with 16 threads and a maximum CPU frequency of 5.1 GHz.
There are slight differences as the Z1 Extreme uses the Phoenix version of AMD's Zen 4 architecture. In contrast, the Ryzen 7 8840HS uses the newer Hawk Point version, so the Ryzen 7 8840HS has a multicore Turbo frequency of 3.75 GHz, while the Z1 Extreme does not have a multicore Turbo boost. The Ryzen 7 8840HS also has a built-in NPU with up to 16 TOPS of AI performance.
That said, both chipsets use the same Radeon 780M integrated GPU, so overall, the performance between the Nitro Blaze 7 and competitors like the Asus ROG Ally X or Lenovo Legion Go will be minor unless you lean heavily into AMD's FSR super-sampling and Fluid Motion technology.
Both optional GPU settings will get a bit of a boost from the onboard NPU in the Nitro Blaze 7, which could get you extra frames.
In terms of battery life, while the Blaze 7's 50Whr battery is a bit worrying, it may last better than its competition, considering the Ryzen 7 8840HS comes with a 16 TOPS NPU that can help extend battery life.
Acer showcased the Blaze 7 at IFA with Shadow of the Tomb Raider running at "High" 1080p settings, and the game ran just as smooth on the Nitro Blaze 7 as it did on my PS4 when I first played Shadow back in 2019. So you can expect some pretty solid performance.
Outlook
Acer has just announced the Blaze 7, and without pricing information, the handheld will likely be available in a few months.
MSI is reportedly eyeing Q1 2025 for the MSI Claw 8AI+, which could also be a good window for the Blaze 7 to debut. Alternatively, Acer could try for the classic pre-holiday sales crunch with a November or December launch.
Depending on its pricing, the Nitro Blaze 7 could add to Laptop's guide to the best handheld gaming devices. This is particularly true if the Blaze 7's 50 Whr battery can survive a three-hour game session without needing a charge.
More from Laptop Mag
- IFA Berlin 2024 Special Issue
- Intel's Lunar Lake is here to change how we think about AI PCs because "an NPU isn't enough for the AI Market"
- Qualcomm is bringing 45 TOPS of AI power to budget laptops with a new Snapdragon chipset
Laptop Mag's IFA Berlin 2024 Issue celebrates one of the world's longest-running consumer tech expos, Germany's own Internationale FunkAusstellung Berlin.
Our on-the-ground team will bring you all the news emerging from the showroom floor of Messe Berlin and highlight the best in consumer tech as we announce our inaugural Laptop Laurel winners for best-in-show products.
Head over to Laptop Mag's IFA Berlin 2024 Issue for more coverage.
