IFA 2015: The biggest laptop trends

Europe's biggest tech show might not officially get underway until Friday but already a host of leading computer makers have unveiled their latest models which will be hitting the shelves before the end of the year

Europe's biggest tech show might not officially get underway until Friday but already a host of leading computer makers have unveiled their latest models which will be hitting the shelves before the end of the year

The best way to describe the IFA is to say it's like the International CES but with a greater chance of rain. In terms of size and tech representatives plus the opportunity for global gadget debuts, it is well on par with its Las Vegas-based counterpart.

As such it is the venue for the worldwide reveal of the first computers built to take full advantage of both Windows 10 and Intel's latest-generation processors. And if what's on show from the likes of Lenovo and Toshiba this week is any indication of things to come, at the end of this year, computers with 4K resolutions, facial recognition capabilities and form factors that ape that of the Microsoft Surface are going to be high up on consumers' holiday season shopping lists.

Toshiba
The Satellite Radius has a 2-in-1 form factor so it looks like a tablet that when flipped over opens out like a notebook. However, what sets it apart from others is its display, a 12.5-inch 4K unit plus an integrated infrared camera that can be used to lock and unlock the device via facial recognition. All of which makes it the world's first, but certainly not last, small-screen PC that can use Windows 10's innovate 'Hello' biometric system.

Lenovo
The Chinese company is currently the world's biggest PC maker and on Wednesday showcased five new models most of which have the same facial recognition camera technology baked in. But it was the ideapad Miix 700, a new tablet format PC that has piqued most onlookers' interest. That's because it uses a kickstand and a wraparound folio keyboard and as such looks very much like the Microsoft Surface Pro 3. A similarity Lenovo claims is imagined. However, if Lenovo is investing in the form factor, expect others to follow suit too.

Acer
The Taiwanese firm usually saves its most impressive kit for Computex in June but on Wednesday showed off a very elegant looking all-in-one desktop, the Aspire U5-710 which boasts the latest generation Intel Skylake chips and like all of the above, the depth camera needed for locking and unlocking via facial recognition. The 23.8-inch display is only full HD, however the company is going super high resolution with its new laptops.

The Nitro range is optimized for gaming and uses Intel's fastest new chips plus Nvidia GTX960M Graphics cards and can be specified with solid state hard disks and most impressively a 4K display. Acer claims the premium notebooks are good for up to eight hours of gaming on a single charge despite the processing power and screen resolution.