Acer’s TravelMate range of business laptops are targeted towards the SMB (small- and medium-sized business) user base, along with hybrid workers, who require a durable notebook PC that is still capable of running all of their crucial Windows 11 or Office software.
These durable laptops in the TravelMate range are designed to deliver powerful performance throughout the work day, and boasts enhanced security, advanced connectivity as well as military-grade durability. Acer has designed and engineered them to handle real life situations such as being bumped through an airport security checkpoint or accidentally dropped, and meet MIL-STD 810H specifications, meaning they can withstand drops, humidity and water spills.
Futhermore, in terms of content creation, the TravelMate P2 sports a larger touchpads and quieter key presses with a comfortable 1.55 mm travel distance, allowing for a more comfortable typing experience on the go and in the office. Viewing these on the 14″ FHD ComfyView IPS LCD is also nice thanks to good viewing angles, brightness levels that makes the screen readable even in harsh office lighting. The sound from the onboard speakers does get loud enough but is prone to be a little tinny sounding at the highest volumes.
Powered by a 12th gen Intel Core i5-1235U processor paired with 8 GB of DDR4 RAM and 256 GB PCIe NVMe SSD storage, this notebook PC is snappy enough to run Windows 11 Pro smoothly and all of your business applications such as Office 365 or GIMP for some light photo editing.
Some additional enterprise and SME focussed functionality includes the fact that you get a privacy shutter for the camera to avoid any video call mishaps. There are also an adequate amount of ports on offer including LAN, HDMI, two USB 3.0 ports, and a USB-C outlet with a 3.5 mm audio jack if you are working from a coffee shop or airport lounge for instance, you can connect your headphones for more privacy.
The 50Wh Li-ion battery may be small but can get you through most of your working day, whilst the fans also are rarely audible while web browsing, typing Word documents, checking email, or even taking video calls over Skype, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts, or Zoom.
Unfortunately, you will have to check local retailers for this version of the laptop, as Acer currently offers the Travel P2 14″ notebook PC with the 13th gen Core i5, 8 GB of RAM and 1TB of internal storage for a recommended retail price of R23500. For that price, you can check out alternatives such as the Dell Latitude 3540 with Intel Core i5-1335U, 16GB DDR4, and a 512GB SSD from retailers like Amazon.co.za and HP’s ProBook 450 G10 featuring a Core i7-1355U, 16GB DDR4, and a 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD.
