Acer Aspire R 13 Hands-On: The 6-in-1 Windows Hybrid

.BERLIN – Windows-based 2-in-1 notebooks are ubiquitous these days, but what about a 6-in-1? That’s what Acer aims to deliver with the Aspire R series, which boast unique hinges for a variety of use modes. The six-mode Aspire R 13 launches this October for $900, while the $600, four-mode Aspire R 14 is set to launch around the same time. We got hands-on with the new notebooks shortly after their unveiling here at IFA 2014. 

Utilizing Acer’s new Ezel Aero hinge, the Aspire R 13 touts a 13.3-inch display that rotates 180 degrees. Aside from the laptop, tablet, tent and display mode that are standard for many hybrids, the R 13′s Ezel mode lets you pull the display closer to your eyes to get a better look at photos or documents. There’s also stand mode, which lets you prop up the display like an easel for drawing and note-taking. The notebook reminds us of a blend of Lenovo’s Yoga series and Dell’s rotating-display XPS 12, and that’s definitely a good thing. 

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The R 13 will ship in 2560 x 1440-pixel and 1920 x 1080-pixel variations, and both models sport Gorilla Glass 3 for maximum durability and utilize Zero Air Gap Technology for lifelike images. The convertible offers up to a Core i7 processor, 8GB of RAM and as much as 1TB of SSDstorage. 

Though it’s the bigger model, the Aspire R 14 has a 360-degree hinge (not unlike the Yoga or HP Pavilion x360) that allows for just four use modes. This 14-incher has a 1366 x 768-pixel display, with up to Core i7 for the CPU and 12GB of RAM with an option of Nvidia GeForce 820M graphics.

Between the new Aspire R series and the newly revamped Aspire Switch line, Acer seems to be planting its foot firmly into the Windows 8.1 hybrid market. We’re especially intrigued by the R 13′s versatility, and look forward to getting our hands on both models for review.