ZOTAC Zone PRO and ACER Blaze series missing in action
ZOTAC Zone Pro, Source: PC Games Hardware
Acer and ZOTAC both announced new handhelds for 2025 that still have not reached a normal retail launch. Acer’s Nitro Blaze 8 and Nitro Blaze 11 were framed as Q2 products for North America and EMEA, while ZOTAC’s Zone Pro with Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 was targeting an October 2025 window. None of those dates have turned into broad availability so far.
Acer Blaze 8/11 with Hawk Point
Acer unveiled the Nitro Blaze 8 (GN782U) and Nitro Blaze 11 (GN7112U) in early January 2025. Both were supposed to use Ryzen 7 8840HS APUs. The company’s press material states that both models would be available in North America and EMEA in Q2 2025, with Blaze 8 starting at 999 EUR and Blaze 11 around 1119–1199 EUR. Ten months later, there are still no retail listings from major stores. Both handhelds were simply never released.
Source: Acer
ZOTAC Zone 2/Pro with Strix Point
ZOTAC’s Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 handheld followed a similar path. The upgraded Zone was first shown in January 2025, then reintroduced at Computex and Gamescom as the Zotac Zone Pro, with a 7-inch OLED screen, Manjaro Linux and up to 32 GB LPDDR5X.
According to PC Games Hardware reports , ZOTAC told media it aimed to launch the Zone Pro in October 2025, but pricing and exact availability were left open. That window has passed without a general release, we are being asked why the system hasn’t launched on time.
Zone 1 and Zone 2/Pro, Source: ZOTAC, TechPowerUP
Of course we have contacted both Acer and ZOTAC for an updated timeline on Nitro Blaze 8/11 and the Zone Pro, and we have not received any response in over 24 hours.
