IFA Berlin 2017: the best phones, laptops, headphones, and everything else from Europe’s biggest tech show

Asus just announced the world’s first gaming laptop with a 144Hz display at IFA today. I got a chance to play with the ROG Chimera, and I never want to go back to a normal gaming laptop display ever again. Asus was one of the first to introduce 120Hz displays on its gaming laptops, and now it’s pushing even further for gamers who want smooth performance and frame rates. The 1080p display on this 17.3-inch gaming laptop also has Nvidia’s G-Sync technology for removing screen tearing, and it looks great as a result.

Unfortunately Asus hadn’t loaded any popular games like Overwatch or Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds, but I got to play Halo Wars 2 briefly and see some other examples of games running on the display. Compared to 60Hz, this screen really makes a big difference. I use a 1440p 144Hz display at home on a desktop PC, so I’m eagerly anticipating the day when a lot of gaming laptops start using this technology. My first taste has left me impressed, and Asus has included an unlocked Intel Core i7-7820HK CPU and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 GPU inside the ROG Chimera to allow it to easily handle the latest games.

Asus has a new gaming laptop in its ROG (Republic of Gamers) lineup, the ROG Chimera, and it’s a big one — literally.

Measuring in with a 17.3-inch display, the screen is the most impressive part of the Chimera. Along with the size, it also supports Nvidia’s G-Sync technology, with a 144Hz refresh rate and 7ms response time, both of which are good to see on a gaming-focused product like this one.

Asus first unveiled its super thin and light convertible ZenBook Flip S laptop at Computex earlier this year, and the company didn’t specify which processor it was using inside. Now that Intel has officially unveiled its 8th generation Core chips, Asus is announcing at IFA this week that its range of ZenBook Flip laptops now have the latest quad-core processors.

The Flip S is just 10.9mm thick and weighs 2.42 pounds, which makes it slimmer than even Apple’s 12-inch MacBook but a little more heavier. Asus is using Intel’s latest 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8550U processor, alongside fast 1TB PCIe SSD storage. Asus is claiming around 11.5 hours of battery life, and there’s a single USB-C port to charge. The 13.3-inch 4K screen folds around 360 degrees for tablet use, just like Lenovo’s Yoga range of laptops.

Asus is officially launching its Windows Mixed Reality headset at IFA this week. It looks like the most unique headset design we’ve seen so far from the many Mixed Reality headsets that Windows laptop makers have been revealing in recent months. Asus has added a polygonal 3D cover panel to the front, and supports six degrees of freedom tracking without sensors.

The lack of sensors is a key part of Microsoft’s virtual reality drive, although the company has branded its initial efforts as “Mixed Reality.” Many of the same VR experiences that are available on Oculus Rift or HTC’s Vive headset will also run on Microsoft’s Windows Mixed Reality platform, and Microsoft is supporting SteamVR content. Asus’ headset weighs less than a pound, making it one of the more lighter headsets available, and it has a 3K resolution.

Back in 2011, in only my second time attending IFA in Berlin — Europe’s answer to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas — I saw Samsung completely overtake the event with the launch of just one product. I was among the first to get their hands on the entirely new Galaxy Note device, which was so hot off the production lines that it didn’t even have clearance to be sold in Germany yet, and all the demo units were plastered with regulatory stickers to that effect. Though we couldn’t have known how influential the Note would become in driving large-screen phones into the mainstream, we were all aware that it was the biggest deal at the show. Samsung built its big hype magnet and we all came to see it.

Today, mere hours ahead of LG launching its new V30 smartphone, I get a similar sense of anticipation for a product that’s likely to overshadow everything else making its debut at IFA. In the same way that the Galaxy Note remains the most memorable thing to come out of IFA 2011, so the LG V30 will be the biggest and most lasting news item from IFA 2017. That’s my expectation, anyway, but allow me to elaborate on why I think that is.

LG and Bang & Olufsen have revealed their new OLED television called the BeoVision Eclipse, their first TV produced in a partnership announced last year. The BeoVision is a 4K TV and 450 watt music system that features a 3-channel sound bar with integrated internet radio and music streaming. The TV claims to deliver “absolute black and infinite contrast ratio” and high dynamic range (HDR) as you’d expect from LG’s much lauded OLED panels. It also features a motorized floor stand that can move the TV around the room soundlessly at the press of a button — making the TV adjustable to your position if you’re fidgety or move around a lot. The Eclipse can also be mounted on a motorized or manual wall bracket, and controlled with the BeoRemote One BT remote.

Adaptability is one of the major selling points of the Eclipse. It comes with LG’s webOS 3.5, enabling users to access and customize streaming services like Netflix, YouTube, Deezer, and features built-in support for Spotify Connect, Chromecast, and AirPlay audio as well as simple Bluetooth streaming. The speaker itself is physically customizable, with choices of aluminum or different colored fabrics. It can also be expanded to support a multi-channel surround sound system by adding Bang & Olufsen’s BeoLab loudspeakers, with the TV’s speaker then acting as the center channel.

Today at IFA, Acer announced a bunch of computers, including some new additions to its gaming-focused Predator line. Their unveiling was the usual parade of water-cooled rigs, neon lighting, and pumped-up graphics cards, but there was one feature that stood out on the company’s new Predator Orion 9000 PC: a pair of wheels.

“I don’t know if you noticed in the video, but we’ve actually put wheels on this one!” said Acer exec Steven Funcke on stage. “So even though this is a very big chassis, it’s even going to be a little bit portable for you.” You can see the wheels for yourself in the teaser video above, or in the full unveiling below, starting at 44 minutes in for the Orion 9000:

The Spin 5 is one of the cheaper convertible laptops in Acer’s lineup, with a starting price of $799. And at IFA this year, Acer has improved the specifications, adding Intel’s newest 8th-generation Core processors.

Available in either 13-inch or 15-inch sizes, the Spin 5 offers remarkably good hardware despite its spot at the low end of Acer’s convertible lineup. While the company isn’t offering exact configurations or pricing, the updated Spin 5 will come with Intel’s new 8th-generation processors, offer up to 16GB of RAM, and, on the 15-inch model, a dedicated Nvidia GTX 1050 GPU. The Spin 5 also has far-field microphones that let you use Cortana from up to 13 feet away, which should be great for anyone actually using Cortana as a voice-activated assistant.

Acer is introducing what it calls the “world’s first” fanless 2-in-1 notebook with discrete graphics today at IFA in Berlin. The new Switch 7 Black Edition is the latest in the Switch range, and includes a 13.5-inch display (2256 x 1504) and Intel’s 8^th-generation Core i7 processor inside a brushed-aluminum exterior. Acer has also included Nvidia’s MX150 GPU, all while keeping the weight less than 2.5 pounds.

While the Switch 7 looks a lot like Microsoft’s Surface Pro device, Acer has included its own automatic kickstand that can be automatically deployed or retracted with a single hand. (You just press the bottom of the display down on any hard surface and the stand flips out.)

Acer is introducing a giant curved monitor today, with all the features you’d expect from a new gaming display. The new Predator X35 features a curved 35-inch display, running at WQHD (3440 x 1440) resolution. Acer has managed to add both HDR and a high 200Hz refresh rate to the X35, which were both missing on the previous X34 model.

Acer is also supporting Nvidia’s G-Sync technology in the X35 to take advantage of that 200Hz refresh rate for gaming without tearing or artifacts. Acer is planning to make the X35 available in Q1 next year, but the company isn’t providing exact pricing or release dates today. Acer’s X34 still retails at $1,299 with a slightly smaller display and no HDR / high refresh rates, so it’s safe to assume this X35 will be priced more than $1,000 once it’s available early next year.

If the above headphones look familiar, that might be because you’ve previously seen Beyerdynamic’s modern classic that is the T51i on-ear headphones. They reside at or near the top of most audio experts’ lists of best on-ear cans, and now Beyerdynamic looks to be doing a wireless version of them with its freshly announced Aventho Wireless headphones.

Like the T51i, the Aventho are powered by Beyerdynamic’s signature Tesla driver technology — which also figures in the company’s top-of-the-line T1 over-ears and its pricey but lovely Xelento in-ears. Most obviously similar is the design, though it’s been enlarged and slightly beefed up for these new, more tech-heavy headphones. Unlike their stylistic predecessor, the Aventho Wireless come with an option for sonic personalization that makes them the vanguard of Beyerdynamic’s new “make it yours” initiative.