Sorry, MacBook Pro: Acer’s ConceptD 7 Ezel is the ultimate laptop for creators

The Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel wows with its multiple modes, 4K display and serious power.

Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel
(Image: © Future)

Early Verdict

The Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel is a beast of a workstation with a dazzling 4K display you can use in five different modes and an integrated Wacom pen.

Pros

  • +

    Flexible hinge enables 5 usage modes

  • +

    Gorgeous 4K display

  • +

    10th gen Intel Core-H or Xeon processor

  • +

    Handy Wacom EMR pen

Cons

  • -

    Pricey

  • -

    Touchpad a bit small

Why you can trust Tom's Guide Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what's best for you. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate.

While Apple is busy patting itself on the back for releasing a MacBook Pro with a keyboard that works, Acer has been busy designing the ConceptD 7 Ezel series, a machine that’s way more versatile than any Apple laptop and most Windows workstations. 

Starting at $2,699, this powerful convertible sports a flexible hinge that enables five usage modes. Plus, it comes with a Wacom pen that makes it easy to draw or write on the display. 

I went hands-on with the ConceptD 7 Ezel at CES 2020, and it looks like it could be the best laptop yet for content creators — if you can afford it.  In fact, it's so good that it won a recommendation for best laptop design in our Tom's Guide Awards 2021.

ConceptD 7 Ezel price and availability

Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel

(Image credit: Future)

The ConceptD 7 Ezel will be available in North America in June, starting at $2,699. The ConceptD Ezel Pro steps up to Intel Xeon CPUs and Nvidia Quadro graphics and starts at $3,099. That model will be available in July. You can check our Acer promo codes to see if we can save you a few dollars on your purchases.

ConceptD 7 Ezel design and ports

Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel design

(Image credit: Future)

How’s this for flexibility. The ConceptD 7 Ezel uses a flip-around display that you can use in five different modes: sharing mode, floating mode, stand mode, 2 pad mode or display mode. The hinge design makes it a cinch to switch modes with one hand.

The ConceptD 7 Ezel looks pretty stunning in white, too. The micro-arc oxidation finish is designed to prevent stains and scratches. 

Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel ports

(Image credit: Future)

The chassis includes two Thunderbolt 3 ports, two USB 3.1 ports, an HDMI 2.0 port, DisplayPort 1.4 a headphone jack, Ethernet and an SD card slot.

ConceptD 7 Ezel specs

The ConceptD 7 Ezel is a beast that’s powered by 10th Gen Intel Core H-series processors (coming soon) up to 32GB of RAM and up to 2TB of NVMe PCIe SSD storage.

If you need more oomph for professional applications, such as filmmaking, animation or architecture, the ConceptD 7 Ezel Pro upgrades the internals to an Intel Xeon E processor and Nvidia Quadro RTX 4000 graphics.

ConceptD 7 Ezel display 

Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel

(Image credit: Future)

Glorious is probably the best way to describe the ConceptD 7 Ezel’s screen. This 15.6-inch panel offers 4K resolution and 400-nit brightness but it’s also Pantone certified to ensure realistic colors. Acer also promises a Delta E color accuracy of under 2 (0 is perfect). 

Up close, the screen looks bright and resists reflections, thanks to the built-in, anti-glare coating. 

ConceptD 7 Ezel keyboard, pen and stylus

Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel pen input

(Image credit: Future)

The white keyboard with orange backlighting on the ConceptD 7 Ezel is definitely unique among workstations, and it offered decent feedback during my brief hands-on testing. The glass touchpad is a little smaller than I’d like, but it seemed accurate and smooth.

The ConceptD 7 Ezel comes with a Wacom EMR pen, which provided a fluid inking experience when I tried it out. Bonus: it doesn’t need a battery. However, I don’t like the awkward location of the storage garage on the right side of the system, and you have to be careful not to insert the pen the wrong way or it could get stuck.

ConceptD 7 Ezel battery life

Unfortunately, Acer didn’t provide the battery capacity or a rated battery life claim for the ConceptD 7 Ezel. However, you shouldn’t expect a ton of endurance given its 4K screen and discrete graphics. We’ll update this hands-on review as we learn more.

Outlook

Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel floating screen

(Image credit: Future)

The ConceptD 7 Ezel and ConceptD 7 Ezel Pro could be the ultimate workstations for creative pros. They offer stunning displays, gobs of power and a very flexible display you can use in multiple modes along with an integrated digital pen.

The $2,699 starting price seems steep, but the 16-inch MacBook Pro starts as $2,399 and the model with a Core i9 chip and more powerful AMD Radeon graphics goes for $2,799. And you can simply do a lot more with the ConceptD 7 Ezel. We will bring you a full review as soon as we can get our hands on a unit.

Mark Spoonauer

Mark Spoonauer is the global editor in chief of Tom's Guide and has covered technology for over 20 years. In addition to overseeing the direction of Tom's Guide, Mark specializes in covering all things mobile, having reviewed dozens of smartphones and other gadgets. He has spoken at key industry events and appears regularly on TV to discuss the latest trends, including Cheddar, Fox Business and other outlets. Mark was previously editor in chief of Laptop Mag, and his work has appeared in Wired, Popular Science and Inc. Follow him on Twitter at @mspoonauer.

Latest in Laptops
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 shown with game controller
I wanted an RTX 50-series gaming laptop, but $620 off this Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 broke me
The Razer Blade 16 (2025) on a couch
Razer Blade 16 with RTX 5060 spotted in new leak — with a pretty shocking $1,999 price tag
HP OmniBook
HP’s new OmniBook lineup looks set to smash AI laptop price barriers — that’s a good thing if the company keeps up its end of the deal
Foldable MacBook concept
Apple's 18-inch foldable just tipped to run macOS — yup, the world's first touchscreen Mac
HP Omen 16 Slim laptop models front and back angles on colored background
HP reveals new RTX 50-series gaming laptops — and the Omen 16 Slim is the first on my radar
MacBook Air vs Pro - Apple Silicon
MacBook Air 15-inch M4 vs MacBook Pro 14-inch M4: Which is right for you?
Latest in Reviews
the ultimea nova s50 a black compact soundbar with LED on the front and a wired subwoofer is photographed on a black TV mount connected to a panasonic TV
I just tested a budget soundbar and subwoofer with Dolby Atmos — although it forgot that there’s more to life than surround sound
the dyson airwrap ID in teal and terracotta colorway (patina and orange) with a lapis case, with a brush, hairfryer, curling wand attachments
I tested the new AI-enabled Dyson Airwrap i.d. on my super damaged hair — the results shocked me
A Pentax 17 half-frame film camera
Pentax 17 review: The crème de la crème of film cameras
MLB The Show 25 screenshot
MLB The Show 25 celebrates 20 years of baseball — but may not entice regular players
A screenshot of Assassin's Creed Shadows
I’ve played every Assassin’s Creed game since the start — here’s my verdict on Assassin’s Creed: Shadows after 60 hours
The Wacaco Picopresso on a wooden surface with an espresso glass next. toit
I tested a portable espresso machine for a month and the results shocked me — it actually makes proper coffee