Acer Unveils New AI-Powered Laptops with Diverse Chip Options

Acer goes all-in on AI with new Copilot+ PCs packing AMD, Qualcomm and Intel chips

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. 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. 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'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.

Acer's new Copilot+ laptops uses AI to boost your productivity

Key Takeaways Acer introduces Swift 14 AI laptops with AMD or Intel variants for optimum AI performance. Acer also unveils Swift Go 14 AI featuring Snapdragon X Plus processor and 32GB RAM. Acer teases TravelMate P6 14 with 48 TOPS AI performance, set for release in January 2025 for $1499.99. If you want to utilize the power of AI while you're on the go, Acer has a solid range of laptops for you to pick from. The company has announced a range of laptops compatible with Copilot+, allowing you to get the most out of artificial intelligence while you're getting your work done. Acer reveals the Swift 14 AI, the Swift Go 14 AI, and the TravelMate P6 14 Image Credit: Acer First up, Acer has a range of Swift 14 devices to suit any need. The Swift 14 AI comes in both AMD and Intel variants, with the former using an AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 Processor and a Radeon 880M Graphics and the latter using up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor 258V and Arc graphics. Acer also revealed the Swift Go 14 AI, which uses a shiny new Snapdragon X Plus 8-core processor and a Qualcomm Adreno GPU, alongside 32GB of RAM and up to 1TB of SSD storage. The company hopes to get the Swift 14 AI released in September starting at $1,199.99, and the Acer Swift Go 14 AI for $999.99. Acer took the time to show off the TravelMate P6 14. It packs quite a punch: it features a 14-inch WQXGA+ (2880x1800) 16:10 display with IPS technology and ujp to 48 TOPS of AI performance. It also features 32GB of RAM and up to 1TB of SSD storage to keep up with everything you're doing. If you're interested, you'll have to wait a little longer for this one; Acer hopes to get it out the door in January 2025 with a price tag of $1499,99. The Swift Go range has impressed us in the past; our editor-in-chief Rich Woods gave the Acer Swift Go 14 a solid 7.5/10, and Sherri Smith gave the Acer Swift Go 16 another 7.5/10. Let's hope Acer managed to iron out the remaining issues with this new range.

Acer expands Swift line with four new AI laptops

One of them has an AMD Ryzen AI processor, while the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus powers another. Acer is expanding its line of Swift laptops with four new models, and they each have AI capabilities built in. They share functions such as Microsoft Copilot+, Acer User Sensing technology, Windows Studio Effects, PurifiedVoice 2.0 and PurifiedView. Other features include Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity. We'll take a look at the Swift 14 AI (SF14-51/T) first, a 14-inch 3K or 2K OLED laptop powered by either Intel Core Ultra 7 or Ultra 5 processors and Intel Arc Graphics. There's also a model with a 2K IPS touchscreen. Its NPU's AI performance is rated at 48 trillion of operations per second (TOPS). You get up to 29 hours of video playback and 23 hours of web browsing thanks to the 65Wh battery, perfect for those working on the go. The Swift 16 AI is the beefier brother of the Swift 14 AI with a 16-inch 3K OLED screen or a 3K touch screen with edge-to-edge glass. The processor is either an Intel Core Ultra 9 or Ultra 7 CPU, and graphics are also handled by the Arc GPU. The NPU's AI performance is the same as the Swift 14 AI (SF14-51/T), but it has a 75Wh battery. Those who like AMD CPUs will love the Swift 14 AI (SF14-61/T), which has the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 GPU (designed to reach 50 TOPS) and AMD Radeon 880M GPU. The 14-inch display is either an OLED 2880x1800 (WQXGA) screen, IPS WQXGA screen or WQXGA touch screen. The first one has DisplayHDR True Black 500 certification, helping reach 500 nits, but the others have a maximum brightness of 400 nits. The laptop has a battery life of 75Wh and is rated for 27 hours of video playback and 18.5 hours of web browsing. Finally, we have the Swift Go 14 AI powered by a Snapdragon X Plus GPU with eight cores up to 3.2 GHz, while the Hexagon NPU can reach 45 TOPS. A Qualcomm Adreno GPU is responsible for the graphics. The 14.5-inch display comes in WQXGA or 1920x1200 (WUXGA) resolutions, with the former having a 350-nit brightness and the latter 300 nits, both with a 120Hz refresh rate. The 75Wh battery allows for similar battery life as the Swift 14 AI (SF14-61/T), but Acer claims the Swift Go 14 AI has 28 hours of video playback and 19.5 hours of browsing time. The Swift 14 AI (SF14-51/T) will be available in the US, EMEA and Australia this September, while the Swift 16 AI comes out during October unless you're in Australia, where it comes out Q1 2025. Both the Swift Go 14 AI and Swift 14 AI (SF14-61/T) will come out in the US and EMEA during September, but Australian customers must wait for a bit, as the release date is slated to be during Q4 2024.

Acer's new Swift Laptops include Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm chips

Acer has completely revamped its Swift brand to be all about AI. At IFA in Berlin, the company revealed four new Swifts, featuring the latest chips from Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm. The company is listing them all as Copilot+ computers, though the Intel and AMD options won't get those exclusive features until free updates are available later this year. There are two Intel models in the Swift 14 AI and the Swift 16 AI. The smaller version tops out at a Core Ultra 7 258V, while the larger option goes up to a Core Ultra 9 288V. Both go up to 32GB of on-chip RAM, but the 16-inch laptop has more storage, with up to 2TB. Both of these machines have a fingerprint reader or support Windows Hello with its 1440p webcam. While Acer is using a premium aluminum chassis, it's got one odd design choice: an AI indicator that lights up when the NPU is on or Copilot (which does not use the CPU, but rather the cloud). We saw this with the Meteor Lake version of the Swift 14 AI, and it was a mix of distracting and chintzy. The 14-inch Swift also comes in an AMD model, with up to an AMD Ryzen AI 9 365, 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage. It appears to share a very similar design to the Intel version, down to the AI indicator light on the trackpad. Both 14-inch Swifts are set to launch in September for $1,199.99. The 16-inch Swift is scheduled for October, also starting at $1,199.99. There's also a new Snapdragon laptop in the Swift Go 14 AI. This notebook is using the new 8-core Snapdragon X Plus. At $999.99, it doesn't exactly bring down the overall price point of Snapdragon laptops. Despite the lower-power chip, it still gets up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, as well as Wi-Fi 7 and a 1440p webcam.

New Acer Swift 14 and Swift 16 Come in Intel, AMD, and Snapdragon Flavors

Acer just added two new models to its Swift line of slim and light laptops. The new Swift 14 AI and Swift 16 AI are powered by Intel's latest Core Ultra series processors. These x86 processors promise accelerated AI workloads and longer battery life. The Swift 14 has AMD and Qualcomm Snapdragon versions too. The Swift 14 AI comes in two variants; one has the Intel Core Ultra 7 inside and the other runs on Core Ultra 5. Both have integrated Intel Arc Graphics. You get two display options too: a 14-inch 3K or 2K 90Hz OLED screen or a 2K IPS touch screen. The lightning fast LPDDR5x memory goes up to 32GB and the SSD storage maxes out at 1TB. Acer says you can get 29 hours of playback out of its 65Wh fast charging battery. Acer Swift 16 AI is the fully kitted out powerhouse. You can take your pick from Intel Core Ultra 9, 7, or 5 variants. Acer is offering up to 2TB of SSD storage and up to 32GB of RAM. The display is a massive 16-inch 3K touch OED. Plus, you get a bigger 75Wh cell for longer battery life. Their keyboards also have a button for Microsoft's Copilot + PC AI, but it will not be active out of the box. Acer says it'll push updates later this year to activate it on both laptops. Close The Swift 14 AI and Swift 16 AI feature Acer AI, a suite of intelligent tools, accessible with a dedicated button on the keyboard. Acer AI includes Live Art, Acer Assist, PurifiedVoice, PurifiedView, and User Sensing. With LiveArt you can edit images or create new ones using generative AI models running locally. Acer Assist lets you summarize and search within documents using AI running on the device (great for sensitive files). PurifiedView and PurifiedVoice are meant to enhance meetings by getting better picture quality out of the 1440P webcams and multi-array microphones. You'll know when the on-device AI is active because the touchpad will glow. Both models have plenty of ports. Multiple Type-C, multiple Type-A, one HDMI port, and a headphone jack are onboard. Both laptops are rocking DTS certified dual speakers. You get Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity. The Acer Swift 14 is the smaller and lighter of the two, weighing in at 2.78 pounds (or 1.26 kg). The Acer Swift 16 is a little heftier at 3.3 pounds (or 1.5 kg). Both have a 180-degree hinge that can be operated with one hand. The Acer Swift 14 AI is hitting shelves in North America in September, starting from $1,199. The Acer Swift 16 AI will arrive later in October, also starting from $1,199. Acer is also launching Swift 14 AI with the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 chip. It has an identical build to the Intel version, except it comes with a 14-inch OLED or IPS screen in QHD or HD resolutions. The webcam is also QHD instead of 1440P. On the upside, you get up to 2TB of SSD storage and 32GB memory. The battery is the real highlight here though. Per the promotional material, you can expect over 18 hours of browsing and 27 hours of video playback. Close You can pick up the Swift 14 AI in an ARM version too. It's called the Acer Swift Go 14 and features the Snapdragon X Plus. It's a more budget-friendly offering, lacking many of the Acer AI capabilities available in the standard models. With Swift Go 14, you get a 14.5-inch QHD TFT or IPS LCD. The 75 Wh battery supports fast charging and is supposed to last just as long as the regular Swift 14. Acer has paired the Snapdragon chip with up to 32GB of memory and 1TB of storage. The AMD and Snapdragon powered Swift 14 models have Microsoft's Copilot + PC AI enabled, out of the box. Acer Swift Go 14 AI starts from $999, and it'll be available in September. Acer Swift 14 AI with AMD Ryzen 365 is coming in September too, starting at $1,199. Source: Acer

New Acer Swift 14 AI, Swift 16 AI, Swift Go 14 AI Copilot+ laptops launched at IFA 2024

The Acer Swift 14 AI and Acer Swift 16 AI are powered by processors from both Intel and AMD. Acer made some big announcements at IFA 2024 on Wednesday, including the launch of its refreshed Swift AI series lineup. This lineup introduces new models like the Acer Swift Go 14 AI, Swift 14 AI, and Swift 16 AI Copilot+ PCs. Each of these laptops is powered by the latest AI processors from top brands like Qualcomm, AMD, and Intel, and they come packed with features designed for productivity users. Let's take a closer look at what these new machines have to offer:

Acer launches the first Swift laptops with Lunar Lake CPUs

Today at IFA in Berlin, Acer unveiled the first Swift and TravelMate laptops with the latest Lunar Lake CPUs from Intel. Not only are these laptops equipped with the latest processing capabilities, but they're also designed to handle demanding AI workloads. The Swift even boasts a premium aluminum cover as well as an OLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate. The new TravelMate, on the other hand, is stupidly lightweight at just 2.20 pounds (!!!). Let's not waste anymore time and dive right in. Further reading: Best laptops 2024: Premium, budget, gaming, 2-in-1s, and more The Acer Swift 14 AI comes with the aforementioned Lunar Lake processors. You'll have your pick of either the P-Core or E-Core varieties. The E-Core processor is more power efficient while the P-Core is designed to chew through more resource-intensive workloads. The NPU, which is integrated into Intel's CPU and is designed to speed up various AI tasks, is capable of up to 48 TOPS (tera operations per second). The 14-inch model of this laptop will have up to 32GB of RAM and up to 2TB of storage. The highest-tier processor is the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V. The OLED display, which measures 14 inches (duh!), will have two different resolutions to pick from: 3K or 2K. You get touchscreen options too, if that's your cup of tea. There's also an AI Activity Indicator on the touchpad, which lights up when the NPU is being used or when Copilot is triggered. Other cool features include a 1440p webcam with facial recognition, Thunderbolt 4 support, Bluetooth 5.4, and Wi-Fi 7 connectivity. Acer Swift 16 AI is the Acer Swift 14 AI's bigger sibling. The OLED display is bigger at 16 inches, so it weighs a heftier 3.3 pounds. I say hefty, but that's only in comparison to the Acer Swift 14 AI's weight of 2.78 pounds. Both machines are lightweight and portable. The Acer Swift 16 AI has a couple of different configurations, but the top-tier one includes an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor 288V. I'm especially curious to see how this specific CPU performs in PCWorld's stress tests and how it holds up against the newest AMD processors. This model also comes with up to 32GB of memory and up to 2TB of storage. In fact, aside from the display size and different processor options, the 14-inch and 16-inch Swift models have much of the same features. The Acer Swift 14 AI will be available in September with a starting price of $1,199.99. The Acer Swift 16 AI will be available to purchase in October with a starting price of $1,199.99. The newest Acer TravelMate P6 14 AI weighs just 2.20 pounds, which is absolutely absurd and I mean that in the best way possible. That's much lighter than the Acer TravelMate P6 (2.65 pounds) we reviewed back in April. If Acer continues to shave off more weight, who knows, the next iteration of this laptop might be so thin it'll disappear into another dimension. Jokes aside, the weight is seriously impressive, especially given the hardware. The Acer TravelMate P6 features up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor 268V, up to 32GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of storage. The 14-inch display comes in two flavors, 2880×1800 or 1920×1200. The taller, 16:10 aspect ratio means you'll have an easier time scrolling through web pages and work documents. Also, whenever the NPU is being used, the AI logo will light up on the touchpad. The Acer TravelMate P6 14 AI is expected to launch in January 2025 with a starting price of $1,499.99.

Acer's 14-inch laptops claim 24 hours of battery life from Intel, Qualcomm, or AMD

At IFA today, Acer announced it's expanding its Swift AI laptop line with models featuring Intel's new Lunar Lake chips, Qualcomm's just-announced eight-core Snapdragon X Plus and AMD's Ryzen AI 300. And, it claims, each of them can theoretically last over 24 hours playing back video, or over 17 hours in productivity tests. If you buy them with their IPS panels and 65 watt-hour batteries, Acer claims the new $1,199 Swift 14 AI and $999 Swift 14 Go AI can last: Those sorts of quotes aren't unusual in late 2024! Dell just boasted its XPS 13 can get 26 to 27 hours of Netflix streaming with a new Intel or Qualcomm chip, and we expect real-world life to be less. But it's more than these manufacturers have typically claimed in years past. Just note that though Acer's new laptops are all called "Swift 14," they aren't quite the same. The 14-inch Swift AI can be configured with either a new Intel Core Ultra 5 or 7 processor (model SF14-51), or an AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 chip (model SF14-61). Both optionally offer premium OLED screens instead of the IPS screen, and support up to 32GB of RAM, but the Intel model has 3K or 2K OLED options at 90Hz and a 2K IPS screen, while the AMD model only has a 3K OLED screen alongside 3K 120Hz and 2K IPS options. The AMD model can also be configured with up to 2TB of storage space, while the Intel model only gets a maximum of 1TB. And while both laptops offer two USB-C ports, the Intel model gets Thunderbolt 4 ports as usual while the AMD one has generic USB4 -- though both sets allow for charging. Both also have two USB-A 3.2 ports, an audio jack, an HDMI 2.1 port, Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 5.4. All have a 1440p webcam, with IR depth sensing for Windows Hello facial recognition login, a privacy shutter, and proximity sensors to lock the screen when you move away. Both Swift 14 AI laptops start at $1,200 and should be available this month. If you're looking for Qualcomm Snapdragon and a lower starting price, that's where Acer's Swift Go comes in. The 2.91-pound laptop also has a slightly larger 14.5-inch screen, your choice between a 2560 x 1600 IPS panel with a maximum brightness of 350 nits, or a 1920 x 1200 that maxes out at 300 nits. Both are dimmer than the Intel and AMD options, but they do support up to 120Hz refresh rate. Otherwise, the Go similarly offers up to 32GB of RAM, has a 1440p webcam with IR depth sensing and a privacy shutter as well as fingerprint reader, two USB4 type C ports that support charging, two USB-A 3.2 ports, an audio jack, Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 5.4. The new Swift Go 14 AI starts at $999 and should be available this month. Acer is also announcing a 16-inch model too, one that weighs 3.3 pounds and is only available with a new Intel Lunar Lake processor, either a Core Ultra 5, 7, or 9. You get up to 2TB of storage space and only one display option: a 3K touchscreen OLED. All of that is powered by a 75Wh battery, though here Acer is notably not quoting its battery life. There are also two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports for charging and display output, two USB-A ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, an audio jack, a Wi-Fi 7 adapter, and Bluetooth 5.4. Acer's Swift 16 AI starts at $1,200, just like the 14-inch model, and should be available in October 2024. By the way: Acer's new Intel and AMD-configured Swift AI laptops will join the Copilot Plus PC family in November 2024 via a free update, giving users access to the same Microsoft AI features currently only available on Qualcomm Snapdragon X PCs.