CES 2025 | Acer Nitro Blaze gaming handhelds take on the Steam Deck with powerful AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS but questionable battery capacity
The Windows-powered gaming handheld scene is more than saturated at this point, forcing manufacturers of new gaming handhelds to opt for unique gimmicks and features to stand out from the crowd. It looks as though Acer has decided to do just that as it enters the gaming handheld market, launching not one but two Nitro Blaze handhelds at CES 2025.
Acer Nitro Blaze
The Acer Nitro Blaze is a fairly run-of-the-mill Windows gaming handheld, akin to the original Asus ROG Ally, featuring an 8.8-inch IPS display that refreshes at 144 Hz. The 8.8-inch gaming handheld is powered by the venerable AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS and Radeon 780M iGPU, neither of which are particularly slow, even if they are starting to show their age by now. Along with the processor and iGPU combo is 16 GB of LPDDR5x-7500 RAM, which should be more than fast enough to ensure maximum performance from the iGPU.
That's not to say the Nitro Blaze doesn't have any tricks up its sleeve. For starters, the Nitro Blaze brings not one, but two USB Type C ports — one USB4 and one USB 3.2 — alongside a full-size USB 3.2 Type-A port and a microSD card slot. Additionally, both the triggers and joysticks are Hall-effect, ensuring better longevity and customisation potential.
Acer Nitro Blaze 11
Unlike its smaller sibling, the Acer Nitro Blaze 11 has a 120 Hz display, and, this time, it's a gargantuan 10.95-inch IPS unit. The Nitro Blaze 11 also has Legion Go-style detachable controllers, allowing the hefty device to turn into a tablet for productivity use or general media consumption. This also allows gamers to rest their wary wrists by placing the handheld on a table and playing with the controllers wirelessly — there's even an included kickstand for just that use case.
In terms of other specifications, not much is different between the two devices. The Nitro Blaze also ships with the AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS paired with 16 GB of LPDDR5x-7500 RAM and AMD's Radeon 780M iGPU. The port's situation is also identical, with dual USB Type-C ports and one USB 3.2 Type-A port for good measure. The Nitro Blaze 11 also has Hall-effect thumb sticks and triggers to resist stick drift and increase durability.
| Acer Nitro Blaze | Acer Nitro Blaze 11 | |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size and tech | 8.8-inch, IPS, 10-point multitouch | 10.95-inch, IPS, 10-point multitouch |
| Screen refresh rate | 144 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Screen resolution | 2,560×1,600 | 2,560×1,600 |
| Screen brightness | 500 nits | 500 nits |
| Colour reproduction | 97% DCI-P3 | 98% DCI-P3 |
| Ports | 1× USB4 Type-C, 1× USB 3.2 Type-C, 1× USB 3.2 Type-A | 1× USB4 Type-C, 1× USB 3.2 Type-C, 1× USB 3.2 Type-A |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS | AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS |
| RAM | 16 GB LPDDR5x-7500 | 16 GB LPDDR5x-7500 |
| Battery capacity | 55 Wh | 55 Wh |
| Weight | 750 g | 1,050 g |
Curiously, both devices feature the same 55 Wh battery capacity, which may be a significant drawback for those looking to take their games on-the-go in a truly wireless experience. The OneXPlayer X1 AMD edition (which retails for $1,069.95 with 32 GB of RAM on Amazon) uses the more efficient AMD Ryzen 7 8840U and has a bigger 65 Wh battery, and some reviews have found that device to last less than two hours under heavy CPU load.
Acer hasn't actually divulged the pricing for either of its handheld gaming PCs yet, although availability is slated for the end of Q2, 2025.
Source(s)
Acer, Droix
