Acemagic X1 unveiled as worlds first dual-screen laptop giving you side-by-side displays with an unsubtle hint that its MacBook-level premium

Date:
Wed, 03 Jul 2024 14:54:48 +0000

Description:
Acemagics X1 is a novel laptop, but there are reasons to be skeptical, and an engraved Steve Jobs quote is one of them.

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Dual-screen laptops are nothing new, in one form or another, but innovations within this subset of notebooks are still coming, and the Acemagic X1 is a case in point.

Acemagic just officially unveiled the X1, giving us some spec details, and
the big trick here is not just that its a true dual-screen laptop , but also, as we saw in a previous leak , it lets you fold out the second display to the side (horizontally). So its a bit like youre working at a desktop PC with two monitors side-by-side (but the laptop is your PC, of course).

As Acemagic puts it , the X1 benefits from a unique 360-degree horizontal folding dual-screen design, allowing users unparalleled flexibility in adjusting the displays to meet their needs.

So, as mentioned, you can have the laptop as two 14-inch displays, side-by-side, or you can fold them over with that 360-degree hinge, so the screens are back-to-back, allowing for scenarios where two people might want to use the laptop simultaneously. (One working on it, another watching a
video perhaps, on opposite sides of the same desk).

Acemagic previously showed off this device at Computex 2024, although it has now renamed it the X1 (it was the Z1A before), and has confirmed the core specs as mentioned (or at least some of them).

The Acemagic X1 offers twin 14-inch Full HD resolution displays, an Intel
Core i7-1255U processor (with 10-cores, 12-threads), and boasts 16GB of DDR4-3200 RAM, and a 1TB PCIe 3.0 SSD (apparently the notebook sports twin
M.2 slots, though that isnt actually fully confirmed yet).

There may also be an option to beef up the CPU to a Core i7-1265U, though
that hasnt been confirmed either. (Image credit: Acemagic) Analysis: Reasons to be cautious

Acemagic is a Chinese vendor with a name that admittedly suffers from a
degree of cringe factor, but its a fairly sizeable brand over in Asia (not so much elsewhere, of course but that could change).

While the idea of the X1 is certainly novel, as with any such efforts that have two screens folding out in a somewhat elaborate configuration, a lot of the concerns for us are in the reliability and durability stakes. How sturdy will the hinges or the inner workings of the folding mechanisms be?

Furthermore, Acemagic might have a cutting-edge dual-screen concept, but the hardware inside doesnt match that, with the engine of the laptop being a two-year-old Alder Lake processor. Its hardly Meteor Lake, is it? (And for that matter, next-gen Lunar Lake mobile chips are not all that far off now, and will be powering some of the best laptops around, no doubt, before too long).

Its too early to judge the device yet, of course, but we remain skeptical,
and Acemagic making a clumsy attempt to align the X1 with Apples MacBooks doesnt exactly further stoke our confidence.

As the press release says: Adding to [the X1s] distinctive appeal, Acemagic has engraved Steve Jobss iconic quote, Stay hungry, Stay foolish, in real
gold on the left side of the keyboard. This touch symbolizes the devices premium quality and innovative spirit.

As The Verge points out which spotted the laptops press release, flagged up by Liliputing Jobs actually took that quote from the Whole Earth Catalog,
but the exact origin isnt really important. Clearly, the crucial detail to focus on here is that its written in real gold (and MacBooks dont have that do they?).

In short, in a world where dual-screen laptops could be perceived as gimmicky by some folks, said quote doesnt feel like the smartest addition to the X1.

As a final note, also bear in mind that Acemagic was found to be selling mini PCs with spyware pre-installed earlier this year, but claimed this was an isolated issue with an initial shipment of devices. You might also like Intel Lunar Lake CPUs could revolutionize ultrathin laptops We've chosen all the best student laptops The best processors: top CPUs from AMD and Intel



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/laptops/acemagic-x1-unveiled-as-worlds-fir st-dual-screen-laptop-giving-you-side-by-side-displays-with-an-unsubtle-hint-t hat-its-macbook-level-premium


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