Acer updates TravelMate P645 with Broadwell chip

Acer is upping the power of its TravelMate P645 ultrabook range thanks to the addition of Intel's 5th Generation Broadwell Core i5 and i7 processors.

Targeted at multi-tasking executives and professionals that are constantly on the go, the updated P645 line provides battery life of up to eight hours, 24% better graphics performance and 50% faster video conversion.

"The TravelMate P645-S is the ultimate traveling companion," said Steve Su, Acer business manager, commercial mobility, in a statement. "Our latest TravelMate P645 series ultrabooks are lightweight, provide great battery life and exceptional reliability. IT staff will also appreciate the stringent security for keeping data safe and the ability to troubleshoot remotely."

Two different configurations are in place to cater for different ends of the market. The "premium" version has a 14-inch full HD display with IPS and an Nvidia GeForce 840M graphics card. The "mainstream" machine, meanwhile, has an HD 1,366 x 768 display and Intel HD Graphics 5500. Both have 8GB of DDR3 RAM that is upgradeable to 12GB plus a solid state drive with 256GB capacity.

Fingerprint reader

Beyond that there is a 720p webcam, dual microphones, HD audio and Acer Purified.Voice to make communicating with colleagues flawless regardless of where in the world they are located. The laptop also retains the integrated biometric fingerprint reader of the previous model to build on its security as well as a range of different ports.

The TravelMate P645-S Series, which runs on Windows 8.1, is out right now in the US and prices start at $949.99 (around £623, or AU$1199.95) for the ultrabook.

• Check it out: Acer TravelMate P645 review