Acer Unveils New Desktops, Laptops, Monitors, and Tablet at IFA 2015

The IFA trade show event has officially kick-started in Berlin, Germany. Following Lenovo's announcements, Taiwanese technology conglomerate Acer took to the stage to unveil a range of new desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and new monitor.

Starting with the Chromebook R11, the device sports an 11-inch display of 1366x768 pixel resolution with support for 10-point multi-touch. The device is powered by Intel Pentium processors, and users have a choice to pick between N3150 and N3050 chipsets. The device supports up to 4GB of RAM, and 32GB of internal storage. It comes with an HDR-capable webcam, with support for Wi-Fi 802.11ac and USB 3.0 ports. The new Chromebook will sell at a starting price point of $299 (roughly Rs. 19,800) in North America from October.

The company also launched a new Aspire R13 notebook. The Aspire R13 is a 13-inch touchscreen convertible device which comes with the latest 15W Core i5 and i7 Skylake processors with 8GB of RAM, support for two SSDs in a lightning fast RAID 0 configuration, and support for MU-MIMO 802.11ac Wi-Fi. It runs Windows 10. The laptop will go on sale in October starting at $899 (roughly Rs. 59,500).

The Taiwanese manufacturer also refreshed its popular Aspire V Nitro Series and Aspire V13 Notebooks. The company is giving both the laptops the all-new sixth-generation Intel Core processors, and the latest desktop operating system from Microsoft, Windows 10. As part of the refresh, both the laptops are also gaining the latest USB 3.1 Type-C port and Qualcomm's 2x2 802.11ac Wi-Fi chip with MU-MIMO technology. The 17-inch and 15-inch Aspire V Nitro models are getting an improved 360 degree wireless adapters with no dead zones.

At the event, Acer also unveiled its new Predator 15 and 17 gaming notebooks. Both the devices are designed to meet gaming needs, and run Windows 10. The 15.6-inch Predator 15 is priced at $1,499 (roughly Rs. 99,200), while the 17-inch Predator 17 is priced at $1,599 (roughly Rs. 1,06,000) and both will become available for purchase in the United States beginning this November.

Both the notebooks come with Intel's sixth-generation 'Skylake' Core i7-6700HQ chip inside them coupled with discrete Nvidia GTX 980M GPUs and support for up to 32GB of RAM. Other notable addition is USB 3.1 Type-C ports on both the device. The company says that it giving both laptops an enterprise-class 512GB NCMe PCI Express SSDs. On the display front, the Predator offers FHD and 4K as screen resolutions. The Predator 17, sadly only offers an FHD display.

The company also launched two new AIO desktops in the Aspire U5 Series. The new Aspire U5 Series features a sleek chassis of 37mm with a small metal stand. The monitor sports a 23.1-inch of IPS FHD screen resolution. It is powered by the latest sixth-generation Intel Core i7 and i5 processors with Nvidia GeForce graphics with support for up to 16GB internal memory. It also features Intel's RealSense Camera that is compatible with Windows Hello, a biometrics system that Microsoft introduced in Windows 10. On the connectivity front, HDMI port, DC Jack, Ethernet, USB 2.0 port and two USB 3.0 ports.

The company also launched a new, interesting PC called the Revo Build. It's a modular computer which gives you with customisation abilities. For instance, if you want to add a new component, say a hard drive, you can just snap it on. The other interesting feature of the device is cables, or more precisely their lack thereof. There is no cable hassle here, the company assured. There's one block containing the processor and memory, one for power, one for storage and one for audio. The device will become available in select region later this year and will cost around €249 (roughly Rs. 18,500).

Acer also launched two new gaming monitors series: the Predator Z35 and Predator XB1. The Z35 series sport a 35-inch display with 21:9 UltraWide FHD (2560x1080) screen resolution "with a curvature of 2000R for an immersive, dynamic and wraparound gaming experience." The monitor features 200Hz refresh rate, which is rather impressive, with powerful audio with DTS Sound, and two 9W speakers.

The Predator XB1 Series comes in two screen sizes - 27-inch and 28-inch that "give gamers a competitive edge with incredibly detailed images and superbly smooth visuals." The Predator XB1's 27-inch models come in two screen resolutions - 4K UHD and WQHD with refresh rate up to 144Hz. The 28-inch model on the other hand comes in 4K UHD screen resolution. As for pricing, the Predator Z35 starts at $1199.99 (roughly Rs. 79,500). while the XB1 series starts at $799.99 (roughly Rs. 53,000).

Just to round things off, there is one tablet as well, again, designed keeping gamers in mind. The Predator 8 sports an 8-inch FHD display with virtual surround sound. Other features of the device include an Intel Atom x7-Z8700 processor which comes coupled with 2GB of RAM. For storage, users have a choice between picking a 32GB or 64GB of storage with support for microSD card. The device supports stylus like pen input and has a 100 percent NTSC colour gamut. It is priced at $299 (roughly Rs. 19,800) and will become available in select regions starting November 2015.