During its global press conference at IFA 2026, Acer took the opportunity to celebrate Packard Bell’s 100th anniversary with a full brand relaunch and a host of new devices under the new slogan: ‘Tech it easy’.
The brand relaunch signals a new era for Packard Bell, which Acer bought back in 2008. The sub-brand’s new focus is on “stripping away the ‘smart’ noise to focus on the simple, human act of staying in touch and getting things done.” That’s the marketing way of saying don’t expect huge performance or exceptional build quality from these devices.
Big on colour, light on your wallet
Acer is hoping the colourful exuberance it has bestowed on the new Packard Bell devices can attract the younger folks. There were a total of eight products launched in the ‘Dot Series’ and another from a partnered Swiss startup company.
- DotBook: A 14.5in, 1.3kg laptop that runs on one of Intel’s low-end CPUs, will support up to 16GB RAM, 51GB of storage, and claims to offer up to seven hours of battery life.
- DotLine: A 4G-capable feature phone with a 2.8in display, a 1,800mAh battery, a 2MP camera, and USB-C charging.
- DotLook: Earbuds disguised as glasses with replaceable lenses. Up to 10 hours of claimed use time for listening to music or taking calls.
- DotLoop: A record player that looks like a suitcase with built-in speakers, two-way Bluetooth support, and voice control.
- DotTune: A dinky little 5W Bluetooth speaker with a magnet in its base, eight hours of battery life, and colourful lights.
- DotBass: Over/On-ear Bluetooth headphones that weigh less than 200g and offer up to 40 hours of listening time.
- DotShine: A 10in ring light and a phone holder with a tripod, remote control, three lighting modes, and ten levels of brightness.
- DotCombo: A wireless mouse and keyboard combo with USB-C rechargeable batteries, 2.4GHz radio and Bluetooth connections that support Windows, macOS, and ChromeOS.
- Steasy: A dishwasher-friendly mini steamer to reheat up to 400g of leftovers in 15mins.
While Acer said these would land in Europe in Q4 2026, it will likely take a little longer for them to reach South Africa. Packard Bell already has a presence in the country under a license agreement with Acer, so there’s a transition that needs to be navigated. Once that’s done, we’ll likely have more info, including pricing and which of them we’ll get here.
