PCWorld

Can’t afford a laptop? Acer has a screen/keyboard hack for your phone

It looks like the new floor for laptop prices will be around 700 dollars . And that isn’t going to get you a whole lot of laptop, especially if you want memory for RAM-hungry browser tabs. So if you can’t spare the cash, Acer would like a word: Why not just plug a big screen and a keyboard into the expensive phone you already have in your pocket? The Acer PM1 system is, at its core, a portable USB-C monitor with some extra steps. At 15.6 inches (at least for the PM161JB model) and 1080p, it’s nothing particularly mind-blowing, though the touchscreen, built-in kickstand, and VESA-compatible mounting holes are nice. The really interesting bit is that this product includes a Surface-style magnetic keyboard that connects over pogo pins. Acer So if your phone can output to a screen over its USB connection, you could—at least theoretically—plug it into this monitor-and-keyboard combo. That’d get you most of the way towards a full laptop setup, complete with a trackpad for mouse movement. If your phone also happens to include an alternate desktop-style interface, like Samsung’s DeX and Google’s Desktop Mode, you might even be able to squint a little and convince yourself it’s a full-power machine. If you’ve been watching the smartphone space long enough, you’ll know that this has been tried before. As far back as 2011 , Motorola was trying to extend the functionality of its Android smartphones by selling laptop-style add-on docks with screens and keyboards. Asus tried too with its “Transformer” line that could slide into a tablet-sized shell and slap on a keyboard and trackpad. These solutions were pretty roundly rejected by consumers at the time. They didn’t see the point in paying almost as much as a laptop to get a device that was bulkier, more awkward, and less powerful than a budget machine. Motorola But oh, how the turntables. In 2026, laptops are more expensive than ever thanks to the RAM crisis, causing cash-strapped consumers to make compromises. And in the last 15 years, phones—even budget models—have gotten far more powerful. (It’s once again worth pointing out that the MacBook Neo, so far the breakout consumer laptop success story of the year, is running on an older iPhone chip .) Plenty of people, especially on the younger side, barely touch a full PC anyway. So a cheaper laptop alternative powered by a phone might be appealing to a wide range of buyers, especially if that alternative doesn’t need RAM or storage. Samsung and Google have put a lot of work into making these docked experiences more palatable. I can personally attest that DeX is pretty darn good with a keyboard, mouse, and screen—just plug in your phone and you’ve got something akin to a Chromebook interface. Google now has Desktop Mode baked into Android 16+ , even if a lot of manufacturers aren’t enabling the function. You can even plug an iPhone into an HDMI display with screen mirroring, though the experience is less than ideal. Acer’s PM1 solution isn’t a new idea, but it might be an idea whose time has regretably come. Just last week I opined that cash-strapped consumers might be looking for a way to get more functionality out of the expensive phones they’ve already bought, possibly even foregoing new PCs altogether. PCs are projected for a pretty huge sales downturn this year as prices rise and affordable options dwindle. What? No. Ew. Acer/Chloe Clem We don’t have a date or, crucially, a price for this new on-the-go setup, but I’d assume late 2026 or early 2027. There’s also a 12.3-inch ultrawide version , the PM131QT, which can plug into the same keyboard accessory… and which looks awkward as hell. The success of this returning form factor will likely depend on a few variables, like how well it works with additional devices (is that USB-A port on the back I see, all the better to plug in a flash drive?), or how quickly it drains a phone’s battery with that big screen. And the price, of course. I’ll be interested in trying it out, if only as a viable backup when my laptop gives up its ghost and my grocery bill precludes me from getting another one. I suspect I won’t be alone.

Google Play App Store