BERLIN—It's a little early to tell, but Acer might win the award for most new products introduced at IFA this year. The company on Wednesday unveiled the rest of its yearly lineup, showcasing a slew of new convertibles, smartphones, and tablets. We got to spend some time with the new devices after the press conference.
First up is the Aspire Switch 11, an 11.6-inch 2-in-notebook/tablet hybrid. The tablet portion has a magnetic detachable snap hinge with two hooks to firmly connect it to a keyboard. That gives you the flexibility to use it in a number of different modes, including touch, typing, viewing, and sharing. It's extremely similar to the Switch 10, which we recently awarded four stars. And speaking of which, Acer also introduced a new Switch 10 that ups the screen resolution of the original to 1080p. The new Switch 10 will be available starting in September for $329.99, while the Switch 11 will come in October and start at $399.
Acer also announced two new convertible notebook lines, the Aspire R 13 and Aspire R 14 series. Like the Aspire Switch, the Aspire R series can transition between various notebook and tablet styles of operation. The R 13 series comes in either ultra-sharp 2,560-by-1,440 or 1,920-by-1,080 resolutions, and features a hinge that allows the display to rotate into six different positions. The R 14, meanwhile, comes in 1,366-by-768 and and has a 360-degree hinge that allows for four different usage modes. Both series run Windows 8.1, and can be used with Acer's Active Pen. I only got to spend a few minutes with them, but they seem like solid options for tablet users who aren't quite ready to give up their notebooks. All members of the Aspire R family will be available in October. The R 13 series will start at $899.99, while the more modest R 14 series will start at $599.99.
And if that weren't enough, Acer showed off a new smartphone as well. The Liquid Z500 is a low-cost, 5-inch Android phone. Acer didn't reveal too much about the phone, other than the fact that it has a 5-inch IPS screen, as well as an 8-megapixel rear camera. It's only 0.33 inches thick, so it feels comfortable in the hand, and I like the "aquamarine green" color Acer will offer in addition to either black or silver. According to the company the phone will boast "CD quality" sound and will be available starting Sept. 15, though a U.S. release doesn't seem likely.
All in all, Acer's new convertible line is a lot more exciting than its smartphones or tablets, which is what we've come to expect. But there's no denying the company has been very busy, especially since it will apparently have a whole new set of devices to introduce at CES.