The IFA 2016 tradeshow is packed with so many hot new products and cool tech companies that it can be a real struggle to make our way around everyone and also find the time to get hands-on reviews and videos of the tech people are talking about.
This year the Tech Advisor team decided to do things a little differently. We¡¯ve still grabbed some hands-on time with the products you want to read about, including the brand-new Sony Xperia XZ, Samsung Gear S3 Frontier, Moto Z Play, Qualcomm VR and Acer Swift 7, but this year we set aside some time to talk to PRs and to really appreciate the show as a whole and the products on display.
Where to buy your iPhone 7? Find out how to get the best price on an iPhone 7 today.
For the first time we presented our Tech Advisor Top Picks awards to some of the companies showing off new products at IFA. Here are some of our IFA 2016 winners:
It¡¯s a beast, and it¡¯s Tech Advisor Top Pick. Acer is a deserving IFA 2016 winner for its Predator 21X gaming laptop, with the award presented by Staff Writer Lewis Painter.
Sony Tech Advisor Top Pick IFA 2016
The guys have still got some more awards to give out at the show, but we won¡¯t give up the surprise in the meantime. Come back later to find out which other brands and products won Tech Advisor Top Picks at IFA 2016.
During IFA 2016 in Berlin, Acer announced the Acer Predator 21X, arguably the most technically impressive gaming laptop coming to the market. Featuring not one but two Nvidia GTX 1080s and a gorgeous 21in curved display, the Predator 21X stole the show - but what is it actually like to use? We went hands-on with the beast of a gaming laptop during IFA 2016, and here¡¯s what we thought.
So, when are we likely to see Acer¡¯s tamed beast released in the UK? While the release date is yet to be set, an Asus rep told us at IFA 2016 that we should expect it to be available to purchase early 2017, possibly with more information announced at CES 2017.
But what about pricing? Of course, a laptop with a curved display, eye-tracking technology and two GTX 1080s isn¡¯t going to be cheap. Acer is, of course, staying tight-lipped on pricing at this time, but we expect this to be pretty damn expensive judging by other laptops in the Predator gaming laptop line - the smaller and less powerful Predator 17 can cost around £1,500 for example. We expect the Predator 21X to sell for upwards of £2,000, but we¡¯ll update this section when we know for sure.
Of course, the first thing we noticed about the Acer Predator 21X when we went hands-on at IFA 2016 was its size. Pictures simply don¡¯t do it justice - the laptop is huge. And with that girth comes weight, and the Predator 21X definitely isn¡¯t lightweight. The laptop weighs in at a whopping 8KG, which to us makes it more of a portable desktop rather than a laptop because unless you¡¯re military trained, you won¡¯t be carrying this around in your rucksack.
As noted above, the Predator 21X features a 21in curved display which is actually a world-first according to Acer. The display is gorgeous, and surprisingly sits flush when the laptop is closed.
Beyond that, you¡¯ll recognise the familiar fierce Predator-branded design which looks extremely impressive, complete with, rather weirdly we must admit, a dragon decal directly above the keyboard. While it looked cool with the matching desktop wallpaper on screen, it¡¯d look a bit out of place if/when the user customised their desktop with their own wallpaper. It also features a triangular window above the keyboard showing off one of the many fans within the laptop, reassuring gamers that this is indeed a gaming powerhouse.
So, what does this beast of a gaming laptop feature? Well, let¡¯s start with the graphics card - or graphics cards, as the Predator 21X features not one but two Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080s with SLI. This means that you¡¯ll be able to run pretty much any game with the highest graphical quality without any lag or screen tearing, and can power the latest VR headsets like the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift without even breaking a sweat. This may be of interest to VR gamers especially, as it allows them to use VR in different areas of their own home without having to move a desktop PC complete with display, keyboard, mouse, etc.
Along with the impressive array of graphics cards, the Predator 21X features a seventh generation Intel Core processor, although which will depend on the specification you choose when purchasing the laptop. This should provide users with blisteringly fast response times, even with more graphically demanding games and processor hungry apps. We, of course, experienced no lag or stutter during our time with the Predator 21X, although we only played through a selection of demos provided to us.
We chatted about IFA after we got back on our podcast. Listen here from 32 minutes:
We briefly mentioned the display above, but let¡¯s talk about it a little more. The Predator 21X features a gorgeous 21in curved display with a resolution of 2560x1080, providing a crisp and bright picture that frankly we couldn¡¯t get enough of. The combination of a high-res display and the curvature it boasts provides users with a more impressive and immersive experience, key to a great gaming laptop such as this.
It doesn¡¯t stop there either, as directly below the display sits Tobii eye-tracking software that lets you use your eyes to complete various tasks in-game, as we found out. During our Tobii demo we were able to simply look at the edges of the display to turn the in-game camera and look around our virtual ship, then in another part of the demo we aimed at enemies simply by looking at them and fired by hitting the space bar. It¡¯s a great look at what the future of gaming might feature and it was impressively accurate, but unfortunately there isn¡¯t a large selection of games that boast support for Tobii¡¯s eye tracking software at the time of writing.
Speaking of space bar, the Predator 21X features a beautiful mechanical keyboard complete with Cherry MX switches and RGB illumination, a must-have for hardcore gamers. The keyboard was comfortable to use, and even featured five macro switches along the left-hand side of the keyboard which can be customised for use in various games.
With all that technology, overheating must be an issue, right? Apparently not with the Predator 21X, as the beast that features two graphics cards and a curved display of course also features not one, not two or even three but five fans to keep the laptop cool. This includes three AeroBlade metal fans which provide enhanced cooling.
Yes, the Acer Predator 21X is impressive and has some incredible technology under the hood, but Acer doesn¡¯t expect it to become a household name anytime soon. Talking with an Acer rep during IFA 2016, we were told that it was more of a ¡°Why not?¡± scenario when developing the 21X, as the company wanted to push the boundaries of what is possible with gaming laptops. Why not, eh? With that being said, we¡¯d still love to own one, although we might have to remortgage our houses first.
The Acer Predator 21X comes packing Windows 10, of course, allowing for SLI support. We didn¡¯t see much on the laptop in terms of bloatware, although this may change before launch.
Acer¡¯s Predator 21X is technically impressive, boasting two Nvidia GTX 1080 graphics cards, a 21in curved display (which are both world firsts) and Tobii eye-tracking software, but we imagine it¡¯ll be too expensive for the majority of gamers. Weighing in at 8KG it isn¡¯t lightweight in any shape or form, and will probably act for most as a desktop despite its laptop form factor. Despite it being expensive, bulky and overpowered, we are extremely impressed with it and we¡¯d love to get one back to the PC Advisor towers once it launches to put it through its paces - although it may need to be lifted in via crane first.
Lenovo hopes to reignite the 2-in-1 laptop / tablet market with the new Yoga Book. It certainly stands out, thanks to its unique touch surface which flips between being a keyboard and a writing and sketching pad. See also: Best convertible laptop reviews
We¡¯ve had a limited amount of time with the Yoga Book; here are our initial impressions of the device.
LENOVO YOGA BOOK REVIEW: UK PRICE AND AVAILABILITY
There are two models of the Yoga Book, one with Android 6.0 that costs £449, and another which runs Windows 10 and costs £549.
They will both go on sale in a couple of weeks¡¯ time in September, and with both you have a choice of Gunmetal Grey and Champagne Gold. The latter is particularly good-looking, although it is probably a little too bright for most blokes.
LENOVO YOGA BOOK REVIEW: FEATURES AND DESIGN
Lenovo says the Yoga Book has been developed over the past three years in a bid to produce a device that will appeal to what it calls the ¡°touch generation¡±: students and young professionals.
While tablets in general haven¡¯t changed since Apple launched the first iPad back in 2010, usage habits have. The Yoga Book is aimed at being the ultimate productivity tool and entertainment device in one.
The size might be a bone of contention, though. It has a 10.1in screen, which means it¡¯s arguably too small for serious productivity. However, Apple has its 9.7in iPad Pro, and Lenovo has already hinted that larger Yoga Books are in the works.
Lenovo Yoga Book hands on review