There are a few cracks in the facade, however, as the 4K display definitely delivers sharp details, but is not as vivid as you’d expect from a laptop designed for multimedia creators. And the speakers could use some work. But the ConceptD 7 Ezel is a formidable content creation machine that should not be overlooked.
Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel pricing and configuration
Let’s get one thing straight, this laptop ain’t cheap. But then again, creator-class laptops are rarely cheap. That stated, the base model of the Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel costs $2,499 and has a 2.6-GHz Intel Core i7-10750H processor with 16GB of RAM, a 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 GPU with 6GB of VRAM, and a 3840 x 2160-pixel touch display. The mid-tier iteration costs $2,999 and doubles the RAM, and gets you two of those 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSDs in RAID 0 configuration. You also get an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 GPU with 8GB of VRAM. Acer let me run amok with the $3,999 model which bumped me up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q GPU with 8GB of VRAM Each version of the ConceptD 7 Ezel includes a Wacom Pen EMR pen.
Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel design
You gotta hand it to Acer, it has never been afraid to step outside the box with its designs. My first thought was: thank you Acer for this premium frost white aluminum chassis. It’s cool to the touch and just feels awesome. But back to the lid; at the top, you’ll find the ConceptD logo print in silver. It’s the exact same color as the anodized aluminum hinge bisecting the lid and creating a small shelf (more on that later). I just wish the large white plastic hinges connecting the lid to the deck were remotely as pretty. But it’s a minor quibble in the grand scheme of things. Opening the lid, you get more of that cool white aluminum, although it’s a bit more textured. The Chiclet-style keyboard sits in a slight recess with a large vent positioned above and a glossy white touchpad beneath. The ConceptD 7 Ezel (14.1 x 10.2 x 1.1 inches) weighs 5.5 pounds, putting it on the heavier side of the equation. The Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 (14.2 x 10.6 x 0.8 inches) and Razer Blade 15 Studio (14 x 9.3 x 0.7 inches) are both lighter at 5.3 and 4.8 pounds, respectively.
Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel modes
This isn’t your run-of-the-mill 2-in-1. Thanks to that silver hinge, the Ezel’s display can be maneuvered into a myriad of modes. You’ve got the traditional laptop, display and stand modes, but the lid can also be made to lay flat for pad mode. The hinge is strong enough to support the display’s weight so it can be suspended flat above the keyboard for share mode or float mode where the display extends beyond the keyboard. Some of the modes seem more practical than others, but I could definitely see myself using float mode while gaming to kill the glare. And while I’m not much of an artist, pad mode would definitely come in handy for taking notes. Either way, switching between modes is a very fluid experience.
Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel security
The Ezel doesn’t offer much in the way of security, but some is always better than none. Acer placed a fingerprint scanner in the power button for near-instant logins and adds an extra layer of security between your sensitive files and prying eyes. And a Kensington lock slot along the side ensures the laptop won’t get stolen.
Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel ports
As you’d expect from a creator-class laptop, the Ezel has a bunch of ports. There’s a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port on the right along with a full DisplayPort, HDMI 2.0, Gigabit Ethernet and power jack. On the left sits another Type-A port, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, a headset jack and the power button. Finally, there’s an SD card reader along the front right lip of the laptop.
Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel display
Whether it’s watching movies, sketching a masterpiece or playing video games, the Ezel’s 15.6-inch, 3840 x 2160-pixel touchscreen is a joy to do it on. The panel delivered crisp detail and beautiful color. When I watched the trailer for If Not Now, When?, the display was a cavalcade of color. The walls in the opening scene were painted sky blue, which accentuated the persimmon drapes and marigold throw pillow. Details were clean enough to easily make out the different knit patterns in the pillows as well as the wispy hairs in one of the protagonist’s bangs. Colors on the Ezel’s screen seemed so vivid, I was surprised to discover that the panel only reproduced 76.7% of DCI-P3 color gamut. That’s well below the 119.7% workstation average as well as the Zephyrus (113.5%) and the Blade Studio (153%). The Ezel averaged 360 nits of brightness, beating the Blade Studio’s 336 nits. However, it’s not enough to outshine the 400-nit category average or the Zephyrus which reached 402 nits.
Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel pen
Cleverly hidden along the right side of the display chin is the housing for a Wacom EMR (electromagnetic resonance) pen. The housing isn’t spring loaded, so you’ll definitely need an average length fingernail to unsheathe the writing utensil. The pen, colored frost white, is very lightweight and comfortable to hold. And while I’m far from an artist, the pen, with its 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, allowed me to add lines of various thickness to my rudimentary flower sketch. I launched Microsoft Whiteboard and wrote a short poem to really get a feel for the pen. Although it’s not as long or big as a traditional pen, it did feel like I was putting ink to paper which is always a pleasant feeling. Thanks to the EMR technology, you never have to worry about needing to recharge the pen. You can write, sketch and animate to your heart’s content.
Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel audio
The Ezel excels in many places, but the audio could use some work. The bottom-mounted, side-firing speakers barely filled my smallish living room with audio, even with the DTS: X Ultra software. Out of the eight presets, I found that Music gave the best overall performance while Strategy gave me the volume boost I was looking for. Aside from volume differences, none of the presets did bad by Raheem DeVaughn’s lusty late-night banger, “Mr. Midnight.” The singer’s falsetto was as clear and captivating as always. The keyboard and percussion were forward facing, but their low-end department was lacking.
Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel performance
It transforms, it sketches, it multitasks. With its 2.3-GHz Intel Core i7-10875H processor, 32GB of RAM and dual 1TB M.2 PCIe SSDs, the ConceptD 7 Ezel is a formidable workhorse. I streamed the latest version of WandaVision with 52 additional open Google Chrome tabs and the notebook took it all in stride. The hybrid also gave strong results during our synthetic tests such as the Geekbench 5.0 overall performance test. The laptop hit 7,984 on the benchmark, vaulting over the 7,409 workstation average and the Blade (Core i7-9750H CPU) which only reached 5,104. The Zephyrus Duo and its Core i9-10980H CPU pulled out the win at 8,078. During the Handbrake test, the Ezel transcoded a 4K video to 1080p in 7 minutes and 53 seconds. That’s faster than both the 8:23 average and the Blade’s 10:12. However, the Zephyrus was a bit faster with a time of 7:22. When we ran the Puget Photoshop benchmark, the Ezel scored 894, beating the Zephyrus’ 873 and the 805 category average. On the File Transfer Test, the Ezel’s SSDs duplicated 5GB of mixed-media for a blazing-fast transfer rate of 1,627.1 megabytes per second, speeding past the 1,136.6 MBps average and the Blade’s (1TB SSD) 922 MBps. But the Zephyrus (dual 1TB PCIe SSD) eked out the victory with 1,696.4 MBps.
Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel gaming and graphics
The Ezel is outfitted with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super GPU with 8GB of VRAM, which is one of the more powerful mobile GPUs available. Although it’s not necessarily a gaming laptop, the Ezel can definitely run even your most taxing AAA titles. When we ran the Sid Meyer’s Civilization VI: Gathering Storm benchmark on high at 1080p, the Ezel delivered 97 fps, topping the Zephyrus (90 fps), which also has a RTX 2080 Super GPU, as well as the workstation average 73 fps. Switching the resolution to 4K, the Ezel’s frame rate dropped to 79 fps, but it was still more than the Zephyrus’ 74 fps and the 63-fps category average. During the Assassin’s Creed Odyssey test, both the Ezel and Zephyrus notched 58 fps, matching the average. At 4K, the Ezel matched the 29-fps workstation average, while the Zephyrus pulled ahead with 32 fps. On the Metro: Exodus benchmark at 1080p with DirectX 11 Ultra enabled, the Ezel produced 55 fps, matching the average, but the Zephyrus was a few frames higher at 60 fps. With RTX enabled, the Acer and gaming laptop average hit 45 fps with the Zephyrus getting 51 fps. Ramping up the resolution to 4K, the Ezel and Zephyrus achieved 26 fps and 29 fps ,respectively. Running the Red Dead Redemption 2 test, the Ezel matched the category average at 52 fps. The frame rate was just shy of the Zephyrus’ 54 fps. At 4K, the Ezel delivered 20 fps, once again matching the average while the Zephyrus produced 21 fps.
Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel battery life
Despite its heavy-duty specs, the Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel has good battery life. The laptop lasted 7 hours on the Laptop Mag Battery Test, which consists of continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. That’s only 19 minutes behind the 7:19 workstation average. The Zephyrus clocked in at 6:12 with the secondary screen turned off and 5:01 with both panels enabled. The Blade posted a time of 6:02.
Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel heat
Even with its high-powered components, the Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel kept its cool when streaming a 15-minute fullscreen video. The touchpad measured only 82 degrees Fahrenheit while the center of the keyboard reached 91 degrees. The notebook’s bottom measured 95 degrees, matching our comfort threshold.
Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel webcam
The Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel’s 720p webcam is fine for a video conference or two. In my test shots, the shooter accurately captured my lime green sweater and even showed off some of the weave patterns. However, there was a lot of RGB blotchiness. If you want sharper photos, you’ll want to check out our best webcams page.
Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel software and warranty
Acer preinstalled some of its branded software on the ConceptD 7 Ezel. First, you have the ConceptD Palette, a hub where you can check system diagnostics, adjust color temperature, audio presets and split screen settings. You also have Acer Care Center which provides a deeper dive into system diagnostics, including memory tuneups, recovery management and disk cleaner. Windows 10 bloatware on the Ezel includes Hulu, PicsArt Photo Studio and Adobe Photoshop Express. Warranty, See how Acer fared on our Tech Support Showdown and Best and Worst Brands special reports.
Bottom line
The Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel is what happens when a gaming laptop has a kid with a premium 2-in-1. On one hand, you have the powerful performance of the Intel Core i7 processor and Nvidia RTX 2080 GPU, plus the SSD is smoking fast. On the other, you have the adjustable 4K display which delivers versatility plus sharp details. And Acer was kind enough to include a pen and a few security features. However, for $3,999, the screen needs to be more vivid, especially since this laptop is designed with creators in mind. And the speakers could use some work. The Asus ROG Zephyrus Pro Duo ($3,999) provides a brighter display (not to mention an additional screen), plus more powerful performance. Keep in mind, with the Asus you’re sacrificing the pen, security features and battery life. Overall, if you’re a multimedia content creator or you like playing games and working on a sleek, powerful system with good battery life, the Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel is the system for you.
