However, it costs less than other options and does get the job done.
Pricing & specsDesign & buildSoftware & featuresDisplayPerformanceBattery lifeKeyboard & touchpadCamera, mic, & audioCompetitionScorecardShould you buy it?
While it isn’t the sleekest or most powerful laptop out there, it does get the job done.
The ACer Swift 14 AI has a nice design that fits in at both formal and casual settings.
This review was made possible thanks to a review unit provided by Acer.
The company did not see the contents of this review before publishing.
Although, Acer is known for being a bit more of a budget brand, in general.
In addition to the laptop, this purchase comes with a setup guide, warranty pamphlet, battery sheet, and a USB-C power adapter.
It also features a Copilot button on the keyboard.
It also features an Intel Arc 140V GPU, 32GB LPDDR5X RAM, and a 1TB SSD for storage.
Acer Swift 14 AI What’s in the box?
The metal, grey-blue casing lends a certain elegance that also feels durable.
The display hinges work smoothly when opening and shutting the lid.
Although it isn’t the slimmest laptop on the market, it doesn’t feel bulky either.
It’s not the slimmest laptop on the market, but it isn’t super thick, either.(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)
You’ll have noticed that there is no SD card reader or microSD card reader.
Some of this software is helpful, while others will most likely feel unnecessary.
You might want to do the same.
Large vents on the underside are designed to keep the system cool.(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)
This program allows you to adjust tweaks, run diagnostics, get software updates, and more.
The program’s overall layout is clean and easy to navigate.
There is even a specific Experience Zone tab, which explains some of the laptop’s AI features.
There is an HDMI port, USB-A port, and two USB-C ports on the laptop’s right side.(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)
The Intel Unison setup process is easy.
It only took a few seconds for the AI edits to appear and the end result is pretty convincing.
When looking at the touchpad, you’ll notice that there is a symbol in the top right corner.
A headphone jack and a USB-A port are found on the laptop’s left side.(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)
This is a two-pronged feature.
Of course, having a bright light shining up on my face can get a bit annoying.
Acer states that the Swift 14 AI reaches 100% of sRGB as well of 400 nits of brightness.
While setting the laptop up, I was able to choose whether or not I wanted to receive updates from Acer or get McAfee updates (which comes preinstalled on the laptop).
Using my colorimeter, I learned for myself that this is true.
IPS panels typically have good viewing angles and the same is true of this one.
Even then, you’re able to make out details.
Having a touchscreen adds a level of convenience that I’m always happy to use.
It makes it easier to browse webpages or navigate around Windows 11 using my fingertips.
The screen always responded quickly and as expected.
Original photo of a black cat in a blanket.(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central / Adobe)
However, that was not always the case with the Acer Swift 14 AI.
For a more quantitative read, I ran the rig through several different benchmarks.
These scores are much lower than the ones earned by other Ultra 7 258V laptops.
AI edited photo which includes a grey and white tabby that was AI generated.(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central / Adobe)
In fact, this is our lowest Intel Core Ultra scoring ever.
It only earned a single-core score of 50 and a multi-core score of 527.
Not surprising, though, given the previous results.
The keyboard features a Copilot key to quickly bring up Microsoft’s AI assistant.(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)
With the CPU testing done, I turned my attention to the Intel Arc 140V integrated graphics.
Meanwhile, the laptop’s cooling capabilities are also good.
I pulled my thermal camera out near the end of the 20-minute stress test and took some readings.
The activity indicator on the touchpad lets you know when the NPU is getting used.(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)
This really isn’t all that hot, allowing the laptop to work as efficiently as possible.
For these tests, I kept the display at roughly 200 nits brightness and at the default power controls.
When running graphically demanding programs, the laptop lasted for only two hours and five minutes.
The display produced 100% of sRGB, 81% of AdobeRGB, and 84% of P3 in a color gamut test.
That’s quite a long time.
Each key presses down with a satisfying amount of resistance and travel distance.
Not to mention, the keys are all well-spaced, giving my fingers ample room to bang out effectively.
The Acer Swift 14 AI’s 200S Intel AI CPU performed lower than many of the previous 100S Intel AI CPUs.(Image credit: Windows Central)
Now, back to the camera and speakers.
The 2560 x 1440 resolution camera captures crisp imagery with decent colors.
Now, another helpful feature is Acer User Sensing 2.0.
The CPU’s rendering abilities were similar to other Ultra 200S CPUs, but still the lowest scores we’ve seen so far.(Image credit: Windows Central)
These configs help the laptop conserve power to help the battery last longer.
But I was also able to toggle these options off in the Windows 11 Power options menu.
The laptop’s speakers are located on the underside of the equipment towards the front sides.
In the Procyon Windows ML benchmark, this laptop got the lowest score of any Ultra 7 258V so far.(Image credit: Windows Central)
It has an MSRP of$999.99 at Best Buy.
However, it produced far better results in our benchmark testing, making it the better AI PC.
It sells for$1,399 at Best Buy.
The NPU also scored lower than any other Ultra 7 200S laptop we’ve tested so far.(Image credit: Windows Central)
This is a 2-in-,1 and it comes with the Samsung S Pen for easy touchscreen interaction.
It sells for$1,699.99 at Best Buy.
This laptop sells for$949.99 at Best Buywith 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD.
The Intel Arc 140V earned very respectable scores in the 3DMark Time Spy GPU test.(Image credit: Windows Central)
Acer Swift 14 AI: Scorecard
Acer Swift 14 AI: Should you buy it?
I’ve got mixed feelings on that score.
That said, I only experienced a freezing issue once in the two weeks that I was using it.
CrossMark evaluates a laptop’s overall system performance, but the Acer Swift 14 AI got a very low score.(Image credit: Windows Central)
So, it can get the job done, but it just is not as effective as other options.
It also has a 14-inch touchscreen with support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth.
There is a decent range of ports on this AI PC laptop, and it has excellent battery life.
The SSD read and write speeds aren’t super fast, but they aren’t bad either.(Image credit: Windows Central)
The Acer Swift 14 AI was able to transcode Tears of Steel in Handbrake in 3,329 seconds, which is a respectable time even if it isn’t super fast.(Image credit: Windows Central)
The right side of the laptop is considerably less hot than the left side.(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)
The area above the keyboard peaked at 101 degrees F.(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)
The side ports peaked at 99 degrees F.(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)
The back vents peaked at 106 degrees F.(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)
You won’t look out of place using this laptop at home, at school, or in the office.
The keys press in nicely and are well spaced from each other.
Unlike many other laptops on the market today, this one actually has a built-in camera shutter.
The speakers are located on the bottom front of the Acer Swift 14 AI.
We’re going to see more Intel Core Ultra Series 2 laptops as times goes on.
While not the most impressive AI PC laptop on the market, the Acer Swift 14 AI can get the job done.
