Acer has unveiled its new lineup of laptops, monitors and peripherals at this year’s IFA 2018 conference in Berlin, including a radically improved Acer Swift 5, which the company claims is the world’s lightest 15-inch notebook.
The Acer Swift 5 (SF515-51T), to give it its full name, weighs just 990 grams (2.2 pounds). It comes with a magnesium-lithium alloy body, so it’s robust as well as light, and it comes with 8th-generation Intel Core i7 and i5 processors.
We had some brief hands-on time with the laptop earlier this year, and we were very impressed by how light it was. At IFA 2018, Acer revealed that the Acer Swift 5 will be available in North America with a price tag starting at $1,099 (around £900, AU$1,500); we’ve asked Acer to confirm UK and Australian availability and prices.
Laptops galore
While the Acer Swift 5 is arguably the most exciting laptop Acer showed off at IFA, the company also announced a wide range of new laptops that will be coming our way soon.
The Acer Swift 5 (SF514-53T) is the 14-inch version of the Swift 5, and is also incredibly thin and light, with the same durable magnesium-lithium alloy design, a 14-inch 1080p display and 8th-generation Intel Core processors.
Acer’s Swift 3 lineup of laptops has also been refreshed, with the 13.3 and 14-inch displays coming with slimmer bezels to make the devices more portable and stylish. The Acer Swift 3 with 14-inch display (SF314-55) will be available in North America in November, starting at $799.99.
The Swift 3 with 14-inch display (SF314-56) will be available in Europe, the Middle East and Africa in January 2019, starting at €799 (around £750, AU$1,300). Again, we’ve asked Acer to confirm UK and Australian prices.
Acer’s Aspire 3, 5 and 7 notebook series have been updated with the latest components, including 8th-generation Intel Core processors and support for Intel Optane memory. These new models should appear on shelves by December.
Acer also showed off a new Chromebook, the Chromebook 514, which comes with a 14-inch screen and aluminum chassis, and is claimed to offer 12-hour battery life. We don’t have exact release dates or pricing for this device just yet.
- IFA 2018 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.