While some laptop makers have been slow to practice what they preach on environmental issues, Acer is leading by example. The firm has just unveiled its fourth generation Vero laptop, which adds ‘repairability’ to its long-running ethos of “reduce, reuse, recycle”.
The new Vero 16 adds an access latch to its bottom cover for tool-free access to the internals, with battery and SSD being user-replaceable. A visual guide is engraved directly onto it to make the process easier to follow. The display hinge can also be detached to make repairs that bit easier, while Acer promises it’ll support processor upgrades for at least two generations. The connectivity ports on either side pop out too, for easy replacements – it’s impressively close to Framework’s fully modular approach, only aimed more at the mainstream than determined hobbyists.
Much of the Vero 16’s casing continues to be made from recycled or low-carbon materials. The appropriately named Earthy Brown chassis uses 50% post-industrial recycled (PIR) aluminium and 50% low-carbon aluminium on its top cover and palm-rest, while the bottom cover is 60% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic; the display bezels use 30% PCR plastic.
That hasn’t stopped it from earning the MIL-STD-810H seal of approval, thanks to a solvent-free powder-coated finish that resists wear and tear better than traditional paint. Not too shabby for a svelte laptop measuring just 15.9mm at its thickest point and weighing only 1.56kg.
Naturally the whole thing also ships in 100% recyclable packaging made from recycled materials.
Going eco-friendly doesn’t have to mean compromising on performance. In top-spec guise the Vero 16 will be rocking an Intel Core Ultra X9 388H processor, 32GB of LPDDR5x memory, and 512GB of SSD storage, along with a 16in, 3K resolution OLED display. That should make it quite the powerhouse, while a 71Whr battery should easily be enough to get you through a full day of desktop use before needing to hunt down a mains socket.
There will be versions with Ultra 9, Ultra 7 and Ultra 5 CPUs, plus touch and non-touch OLED screens at a lower Full HD resolution.
All models get a backlit keyboard, Full-size HDMI 2.1, dual Thunderbolt 4 Type-C ports and two USB Type-As at the sides, plus a 5MP webcam with privacy shutter.
Acer will bring the Vero 16 to Europe, the Middle East and Africa first, from early 2027 onwards. Pricing and exact regional specs will be nailed down some time before then; the top-tier version is set at £1600 in the UK. There’s no word on an American launch just yet.
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