At IFA 2017 in Berlin, Acer has announced a range of new devices that bring power, along with sleek and desirable designs, to its range of convertible and detachable Windows 10 products.
The new products, the Swift 5, Spin 5 and Switch 7 Black Edition, are all powered by the latest eighth generation of Intel Core processors, granting them a level of performance that’s usually reserved for premium laptops, with what Intel promises is a “40% performance boost” over devices with 7th generation Core Processors.
Not only are the devices that Acer showcased at IFA 2017 powerful, but they boast lightweight and slimline designs that makes them both desirable and convenient. These new devices also include a number of world firsts.
Switch 7 Black Edition
Possibly the most exiting device in Acer’s new lineup is the Switch 7 Black Edition, which is the world’s first fanless 2-in-1 notebook with a discrete graphics chip.
The Nvidia GeForce MX150 GPU should allow the Acer Switch 7 Black Edition to handle graphically-intensive tasks such as photo and video editing – and even the odd game – with ease.
With a large 13.5-inch IPS display and a 2256 x 1504 resolution, we’re looking forward to seeing what kind of image quality this device is capable of providing. It also comes with a stylus powered by Wacom EMR technology that features 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity, plus Windows Hello support for biometric security.
An under-glass fingerprint sensor will let you turn on and log into the Acer Switch 7 Black Edition with a single touch.
Acer’s Dual LiquidLoop fanless cooling technology promises to keep the Switch 7 Black Edition's components chilled while also maintaining its slim and light design – with a weight of just 1.15kg (2.5 pounds).
Swift 5
Meanwhile, the newly-announced Swift 5 focusses on providing incredible portability thanks to an ultra-light magnesium-lithium alloy chassis that keeps the weight below 1kg (2.20 pounds).
Again, it comes with an 8th generation Intel Core processor, plus a multi-touch 1080p IPS touchscreen with a narrow bezel design to keep the size of the device down, while Acer claims the battery life will last eight hours.
Spin 5
Acer’s Spin 5 device comes in two sizes: 13-inch and 15-inch, with both models again aiming to combine power and portability. Both feature 8th generation Intel Core processors and can feature up to 16GB of DDR4 memory.
The 15-inch Spin 5 can also feature a dedicated Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card for additional oomph when it comes to graphic and video editing.
The 13-inch model weighs 1.5kg (3.30 pounds) and has a 15.9mm (0.6 inch) thickness, while the 15-inch model weighs just over 2kg (4.40 pounds) and is 17.9mm (0.7 inch) thin. Both come with a four-array microphone for noise cancellation when using apps such as Skype.
Price and availability
So when can we get our hands on these devices? The Acer Switch 7 Black Edition will be available in December, with prices starting at $1,699 (around £1,300, AU$2,130).
The Acer Swift 5 will also be available in December, starting at $999 (around £770, AU$1,250).
Meanwhile both sizes of the Acer Spin 5 will arrive earlier, in September, starting at $799 (around £600, AU$1,000). We’ve reached out to Acer to get the exact prices for UK and Australia.
As always, keep an eye on TechRadar as we’ll be reviewing these new devices as soon as they are made available.
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- IFA 2017 is Europe's biggest tech show. The TechRadar team is in Berlin to bring you all the breaking news and hands-on first impressions of new phones, watches and other tech as they're announced.
