There’s a lot of buzz around AI in the PC world these days, and Microsoft’s Copilot+ PCs are riding that buzz and getting some AI features added right into the Windows operating system. Acer is one of many PC makers rolling out new laptops this year that meet Microsoft’s requirements for a Copilot+ PC, and at IFA 2024 it unveiled a bumper crop featuring chips from Qualcomm, AMD and Intel.
All of these laptops bear Acer’s Swift branding and come with solid specs, regardless of which processor you choose. Acer heavily touted the battery life, claiming its laptops can achieve up to 29 hours of video playback with the new Intel Lunar Lake chips, 28 hours of video playback on the AMD chip and 27 hours of video playback with Qualcomm.
Acer Swift 14 AI
Notably, there’s a new Acer Swift 14 AI laptop available with a new Intel Core Ultra 5 or 7 processor, or an AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 chip. You can choose an OLED or IPS screen with either chip, but the former comes with a price hike.
You’ll get a 1440p webcam that features IR depth sensing for Windows Hello login (and really nice-looking Zoom meetings, if that’s your thing). You can get up to 32GB of RAM and up to 2TB of storage on the AMD model and 1TB on the Intal one.
While AMD gets the edge for available storage options, Intel wins the port battle with its laptop offering two USB-C ports, which are also Thunderbolt 4. The AMD configuration has the generic USB4 ports, which is still good, just not as fast. Both models come with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.
Acer Swift 14 AI laptops with either chipset will start at $1,200 when they launch later in September, though they can be much more expensive if you upgrade their specs.
Acer Swift Go 14 AI
The Swift Go 14 AI comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor at a rather reasonable $999 starting price. Its 14.5-inch screen can be configured to a 2560 x 1600 display or a 1920 x 1200 option. The former is advertised as being a tad brighter, maxing at 350 nits while the latter’s screen peaks at 300. Either resolution supports a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth motion.
You’ll also get plenty of ports with two USB4 type C ports, two USB-A 3.2 ports and a 3.5mm audio jack. For wireless, it supports the latest and greatest in Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.
Under the hood, aside from the Snapdragon processor, you get up to 32GB of RAM, up to 1TB of storage and a battery that lasts up to 28 hours during video playback.
Acer Swift 16 AI
Acer’s largest offering starts at $1,200 and comes with an Intel Lunar Lake processor. You can get it with either a Core Ultra 5, 7, or 9 depending on how much processing power you need (and how much you’re willing to spend. It also has up to 2TB of storage and an OLED touchscreen with a 3K resolution.
Other notable features include two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports for charging and display output, two USB-A ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a Wi-Fi 7 adapter and Bluetooth 5.4. All the key ports and wireless connectivity options are available on the laptop, which is scheduled to launch in October, just like the smaller models.
Unlike the 14-inch models where Acer is shouting the 24-hour battery life from the rooftops, the 75Wh battery featured in the 16-inch laptop got no lifespan mention. That’s probably because it’s not nearly as impressive as the smaller-screen versions, but we’ll have to test the big model to find out if it makes the cut as one of the best laptops.
